About me
I am a dedicated community builder, educator, and mixed-methods researcher, with expertise at the intersection of local democracy, food systems, youth political inclusion, environmental justice, and civic engagement. I have extensive experience in higher education, think tanks, nonprofit work, and the private sector.
Cornell University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
2011 - 2015
University at Buffalo
School of Architecture and Planning
2019 - 2026
Bachelors of Science; Development Sociology
Minors in Applied Economics and International Relations with extensive coursework in Labor Relations.
Education
Cornell University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
2011 - 2015
Bachelors of Science; Development Sociology
Minors in Applied Economics and International Relations with extensive coursework in Labor Relations.
University at Buffalo
School of Architecture and Planning
2019 - 2026
Masters of Urban and Regional Planning
Specialization in Community Health and Food Systems
PhD, Urban and Regional Planning
Specializations in Food Systems Planning, Spatial Statistics, and Community Based Research
Chair: Dr. Samina Raja
Dissertation title: Rethinking food equity: Centering disability and youth in food systems planning
Skills
Qualitative
Focus Groups and Interviews
Protocol development, sampling strategy, rapport building, focus group and interview recruitment, facilitation and follow up, thematic coding
Observation
Windshield surveys, site surveys, participant observation, go-alongs
Document Analysis
Archival research, thematic coding, policy analysis, comparative analysis
Art-Based Methods
Zine making, community asset visualizations, photovoice, collage, poetry, digital storytelling, meaning-making
Groundtruthing
Data walks, feedback sessions, talk backs, community validation sessions
IRB
Experience navigating IRB and ethics procedures and protocols at multiple institutions
Quantitative
Survey and Administrative Data
Instrument design, sampling strategy, validation, piloting, recruitment and data collection, data cleaning, dataset linking, missing data imputation, quality control, data management consultations, reporting procedures
Statistical Analysis
Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Chi-square tests, Pearson correlation, Spearman rank correlation, Kendall's tau, linear regression, logistic regression, multinomial logistic regression, difference-in-differences, multi-level models, latent class analysis, cluster analysis, factor analysis, principal components analysis, structural equation modeling, and agent based modeling
Spatial
Remote sensing, mobile data collection, participatory mapping, geocoding, spatial regression, travel-time analysis, proximity measurements, point-pattern analysis, kernel density estimations, hot-spot mapping, and Moran's I.
Teaching and Facilitation
Teaching Methods
Guided discussion, think-pair-share, small-group discussion, jigsaw teaching, structured debate, case-based learning, experiential learning, mentored research, role play, reflective practice, gallery walks, storytelling, trauma-informed methods
Teaching Platforms
Experience with Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, Mentimeter, Kahoot, Miro, Panopto, Micosoft Teams, Zoom, Prezi
Facilitation Tools
Planning charettes, ranking exercises, dot voting, problem trees, asset maps, visioning exercises, power mapping, coalition building, base building
Language
English
Native speaker
Spanish
Working proficiency. Experience conducting focus groups, interviews, and group facilitation in Spanish
French
Working proficiency
Software Proficiency
Access, ArcGIS Pro, Canva, GitHub, EndNote, MAXQDA, NVivo, R, SPSS, STATA, SurveyMonkey, Tableau, QGIS, Qualtrics, Zotero
research agenda
My research agenda lies at the nexus of food systems planning, disability studies, youth voice, and engaged learning. I enjoy research that pushes the margins of these fields towards transdisciplinary collaboration and learning in the spaces between.
Food systems planning
Community gardens, urban agriculture, youth navigation of food systems, procurement policy, food policy councils, food equity, food justice, school food, food norms, food traditions.
Disability studies
Feminist queer crip theory, disabled foodways, disabled youth, becoming disabled, crip care networks, interdependence, chronic illness, dynamic disabilities, coping mechanisms.
Youth voice
Anti-adultist planning, adolescent food justice, youth and local democracy, youth councils, youth civic engagement, youth political (de)activation, youth counternarratives to disability as lifecourse progression.
Engaged learning
Community-campus collaboration, moving past service learning, applied classrooms, integrated curricula, community-based participatory research.
Creative practice
I am a poet, potter, crafter, knitter, painter, and doodler. My research is fueled by these practices which allow me to engage with the concepts of emergence, decomposition, joy, frustration, trust, nonpermanence, power, responsibility, endurance, rest, care, and community which are central themes in my scholarly work.
