Academia

Academic Orientation

My academic work sits at the intersection of sociology, gender studies, disability justice, and creative storytelling. I approach research as both inquiry and care — grounded in lived experience, community engagement, and a commitment to accessibility, ethics, and public scholarship. Across my work, I ask how people survive systems not built for them, how care is practiced beyond formal institutions, and how creative methods can function as rigorous forms of sociological knowledge production.

Rather than treating research as something confined to the university, I am especially interested in work that circulates outward — into classrooms, communities, and public discourse — and that remains accountable to the people whose lives and stories shape it.

Research Experience & Projects

Crystal Cove Conservancy — Community-Engaged Environmental Research

Student Researcher

Through my work with Crystal Cove Conservancy, I participated in community-engaged research examining how environmental education, access, and storytelling shape public relationships to protected coastal spaces. Using qualitative methods and interdisciplinary analysis, I explored whose histories and bodies are centered in conservation narratives and whose are marginalized or excluded.

This project deepened my interest in participatory research, environmental justice, and public sociology, particularly at the intersections of disability access, cultural memory, and institutional storytelling.

 

Beyond Binaries — Documentary as Public Sociology

Director, Researcher, and Producer

Beyond Binaries is a feature-length documentary rooted in qualitative, narrative-based research exploring nonbinary lives at the intersections of gender, mental health, care, and survival. Drawing on in-depth interviews, community dialogue, and ethical storytelling practices, the project examines how individuals navigate identity, visibility, and care within and beyond medical and institutional frameworks.

The film continues to be screened in community spaces and university classrooms, where it is used as a teaching tool in Introduction to Gender Studies courses. I regularly guest lecture alongside screenings, facilitating discussions that connect lived experience to sociological theory, mental health frameworks, and questions of access, care, and power. The project functions as a form of public sociology — translating academic inquiry into accessible, community-rooted knowledge.

 

Research Interests

My research interests include:

  • Gender, sexuality, and nonbinary/trans studies

  • Disability justice, chronic illness, and mental health

  • Care economies, mutual aid, and alternative support networks

  • Trauma, survival, and narrative meaning-making

  • Public sociology and creative methodologies (film, zines, visual art)

  • Community-engaged and participatory research methods

I am particularly interested in research that bridges critical theory with creative practice, expanding both who research is for and how it is shared.

 

Teaching, Guest Lectures & Academic Engagement

  • Guest lecturer in Introduction to Gender Studies courses, using Beyond Binaries as a pedagogical tool

  • Facilitated classroom and community discussions on gender, care, mental health, and lived experience

  • Experience translating complex academic concepts into accessible, public-facing formats

My teaching approach emphasizes dialogue, accessibility, and the integration of lived experience with theory, with the goal of creating learning spaces that are both intellectually rigorous and human-centered.

Academic & Professional Aspirations

I plan to pursue graduate training in sociology and/or social work, with the long-term goal of producing community-engaged research that informs practice, policy, and public understanding. I am especially drawn to programs that value interdisciplinary work, critical theory, and public scholarship, and I intend to continue bridging academic research with creative, accessible forms of knowledge production.

Ultimately, my work aims to contribute to scholarship that is not only analytically rigorous, but also accountable, relational, and responsive to the communities it engages.