My research examines questions at the nexus of race, identity, neoliberalism and the cultural politics of education. I also have a broader interest in how the logic of racial capitalism is mapped on to school spaces to construct narratives of racial progress. My current project explores identity work (construction, negotiation, and presentation of identities) among students of color in transitional school programs: non-profit organizations that recruit poor and working class students of color and prepare them to transition from mostly public schools in urban communities to elite, private schools. I am also currently co-writing a paper (with Amelia Herbert) about the master narrative of public schools as the “Great Equalizer” between all children and how its universal language, unmatched in practice, serves as a political actor that simultaneously validates one characterization of history and invalidates others.
I am a facilitator for Reimagining Education Summer Institute; a professional development summer institute for teachers, school administrators, and stakeholders interested in creating learning spaces for racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse student bodies. Recently, I was a research assistant at the Center for Understanding Race in Education at Teachers College working on The Public Good project, a partnership with the center and New York Appleseed committed to assisting schools in navigating the process of creating and sustaining racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse public schools in gentrifying neighborhoods.
I received my MA degree in sociology and education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA degree in sociology from Loyola University Maryland from my hometown in Baltimore City.