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 now an Associate Professor at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) in the Department of Psychology, where I divide my time between research, teaching, and service.

In all areas of my work, I prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). I am currently the Chair-Elect of the Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Caucus within the Society for Research in Child Development. I also serve on the Inclusion, Equity and Social Justice Committee within the Society for Research on Adolescence, and I am the Chair of the DEI Committee within the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at CSUMB. I am proud to be an invited member of the Diversity Scholars Network within the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan.