Department of English

I proudly came into UNCG’s PhD English program as a first gen student in Fall 2018. Born and raised in Reading, PA, a city where roughly 74% of its residents survive under the poverty line, I too grew up in and out of poverty which has significantly shaped my academic path and interests. Here at UNCG, I study on the Native lands of the Shakori, Sappony, Eno, and Sissipahaw peoples. My research fields include Native literature and gendered colonial violence. Some important authors in my research include Joshua Whitehead (Oji-Cree), Joy Harjo (Muscogee), Linda Hogan (Chickasaw), Tommy Pico (Kumeyaay) and many more.

My teaching and research are also significantly connected to my advocacies. I’m openly a survivor of sexual assault and physical/emotional abuse. I am also openly a disabled student who is registered with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS), and I am part of UNCG’s DAPI chapter, which is an honors society for student’s with disabilities. I’ve been living with lupus and other chronic illnesses for many years and am happy to speak with anyone who is curious about UNCG’s resources. I intend, through my studies and onward, to help make higher ed more accessible as well as to advocate about–and teach against–gendered and racialized violences.