Welcome! I’m a Ph.D. candidate and Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development. Prior to joining ICD, I received a B.S. in cognitive neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego, a M.A. in psychology from Columbia University, and worked for several years as a lab manager for Drs. Clancy Blair and Cybele Raver at New York University. Currently, under the mentorship of Drs. Dan Berry and Katie Thomas, my research examines how the type and timing of child poverty influence adaptive self-regulation development across levels of behavior, physiology, and the brain. Much of my recent work focuses on developing more socioculturally-valid measures of children’s experiences in the context of poverty. Collectively, I take a strengths-based approach to examining relations between poverty-related experiences and child development, with the goal of informing efforts that foster resilient communities, schools, and families.

Outside of research, I am deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists and founded and currently direct the NextGen Psych Scholars Program (NPSP). Coming from a low-income background and becoming the first person in my family to earn a college degree, I aim to be an advocate for first-gen and underrepresented students by providing a space where unique perspectives are embraced and celebrated.