I am a cultural-developmental psychologist who studies how culture and cultural change shape youth development. I received my Ph.D. and M.A. in Psychology from Clark University, and my B.A. in Psychology (Italian minor) from Miami University. Since completing my Ph.D. in 2014, I have been a faculty member in the Department of Child and Family Science at California State University, Fresno.

My lab conducts mixed-methods research - including longitudinal and cross-sequential designs, in-depth interviews, arts-based approaches, and culturally tailored surveys and vignettes - with adolescents and emerging adults in the United States and Thailand. As a teacher and mentor, I support students in understanding how youth development is socially, culturally, and historically constructed, and how young people negotiate and create culture.