Promoting positive, long-term outcomes for Black youth, emerging adults,& their communities

I love to tell stories of resilience and thriving. But even more than that, I love seeing these stories come to life in the narratives and experiences of others.

Here’s my story.

I’m an assistant professor of psychology at the College of Wooster. Most recently, I was a Scholarship to Practice Research Fellow at the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Before that, I held the Paul B. Cornely Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

I completed my PhD degree in Educational Psychology, with an emphasis on adolescent psychosocial development, as well as a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

My undergraduate years at Johns Hopkins in the Departments of The Writing Seminars and Psychological & Brain Sciences honed the tools of strong writing and fundamental psychological knowledge.

I focus on protective factors that enhance positive social development and health outcomes in minority youth and emerging adults in the United States. Right now, I explore the contributions of religious communities for Black youth and emerging adult development within high-risk contexts (e.g., racial discrimination and community violence), with specific emphasis on behavioral and mental health outcomes.

I specialize in teaching child, adolescent, and emerging adult development, as well as the psychology of religion and spirituality. I have additional expertise in educational psychology topics.

I characterize my approach to research and teaching as reflecting a dynamic, trans-disciplinary, and developmental perspective.