Before entering the field of psychology, I had postbaccalaureate stints in teaching high school remedial algebra, training as a Registered Yoga Teacher, and working in the fields of community and environmental health, public health, and epidemiology. At some point, I realized that the values of inclusivity and curiosity that drive me could themselves be a career—and a great one, at that. Service as a counseling psychologist and professor is the best combination of everything the third-grade version of me wanted to be "when I grew up": an author, a teacher, a doctor, and a detective. Career-wise, I couldn't ask for more.
I strongly believe in a balance of science, practice, and advocacy, and I'm glad to be in a place that exemplifies that integration. Across my research, teaching, mentorship, and clinical domains, I prefer process and practice over perfection. I see learning about oneself as a necessary precursor to learning about and serving others. My hope is that community-engaged individuals, students, can take what they learn and apply it to their own lives and the lives of those they encounter.