I am an educational and developmental psychologist studying why people pursue/avoid specific educational trajectories and career paths. The ultimate goal of my research is to inform how to support youth, especially those from historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, in reaching their full potential.

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with Dr. Judith Harackiewicz. I earned my Ph.D. from the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine where I worked with Drs. Drew H. Bailey and Jacquelynne S. Eccles.

My work has been published in journals such as Psychological Bulletin, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Child Development, and Journal of Educational Psychology. I am a recipient of multiple honors, including the APA Dissertation Research Award, the Graduate Student Research Excellence Award from AERA Division C, and the Hershel D. Thornburg Dissertation Award from the Society for Research on Adolescence. My research is funded by the AVDF/ACLS Fellowships for Research on the Liberal Arts.

photo credit: Steve Zylius / UC Irvine