My interests in Psychology, relationships, and education began when I was a kid trying to figure out adults. While adults are certainly influential in youth’s development, I found myself most impressed by adolescents and young adults that excelled in the face of adversity. My interests in youth’s health and wellbeing led me to pursue a career path in Psychology and academia.

I am a first-generation college student from rural Kansas, and I received my B.A. in Psychology and Spanish at the University of Kansas in 2005. I then completed my Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Boston College in 2010 with Dr. Karen Rosen. At Boston College, I studied adolescent girls’ social and emotional development and young adult’s sexual relationships. I completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Drs. Stephen Russell and Adela Licona at the University of Arizona, where I expanded my research to include LGBTQ+ youth and interdisciplinary mixed methods research.

I am a Professor at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) in the Department of Psychology, where I divide my time between research, teaching, and service. I am also a coach, mentor, yoga teacher, reiki master teacher, mindfulness teacher, and mother.

In all areas of my work and life, I value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). I am currently the Chair of the Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Caucus within the Society for Research in Child Development. I also served on the Inclusion, Equity and Social Justice Committee within the Society for Research on Adolescence, and I am the past Chair of the DEI Committee within the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at CSUMB. My commitment to Social Justice earned me the 2025 CSUMB Advocate for Social Justice Award for Sustained Impact.