About Me
Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, I found a love for higher education during my years as an undergraduate student at New York University. It was at NYU that I first encountered questions of what it meant to be a first-generation queer Latino cisgender man in educational settings and in society broadly. I discovered that educators could create environments for students to explore who they were and for them to learn how they can contribute to a more socially just world. After my time at NYU, I was lucky to receive my M.S. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Miami University and my Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University. I am currently pursuing a JD at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
As an Associate Professor of Higher and Postsecondary Education at Arizona State University, my research addresses how issues of inequity shape institutions of higher education and what practitioners, faculty, and students do to resist them. I am especially interested in applying frames that expose how intersecting systems of oppression affect multiply minoritized people and their navigation of these social institutions.
Specific areas of interest include:
Critical perspectives on college student development, experiences, and success
Experiences of queer and trans individuals in higher education, as well as Latinx/a/o communities
Intersectional theorizing in educational practice, policy, and scholarship
Actions and advocacy engaged by faculty and staff to support minoritized populations
Servingness for subgroups of Latinx/a/o communities at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)
As a JD student, I strive to explore how research informs legal practice (and vice-versa) to advance equity and justice.
When I’m not engaging in research, you can usually find me having a hot chocolate, singing showtunes, or spending time with my husband Adam and corgi!