I was born and reared in metro Atlanta, Georgia, more specifically in the suburbs of College Park, Georgia where I remained for the first twenty-four years of my life. I attended Fulton County public schools: Love T. Nolan (K-4) and Woodland Elementary (5) schools, Crabapple Middle School, and Tri-Cities High School; and I participated in many extracurricular activities like the Debate Team, the Spanish, Science, and Drama clubs, and the Student Government Association. Among other things, I was a student in the Visual and Performing Arts Magnet program at Tri-Cities and an honors student.
I enrolled at Paine College, a small, private historically black college in Augusta, Georgia after I graduated from high school. I declared a major in Journalism and then later changed it to English in the middle of my sophomore year to fit into my new scholastic identity as a Mellon-Mays Undergraduate fellow. I worked with the student and pre-alumni councils, held class offices as the freshman and senior class presidents, and continued performing in and outside of the theater department. I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts degree in English as the Salutatorian of my class and went on to enroll at Purdue University.
In the Fall of 2007, I began my Master of Arts degree program in English Language and Linguistics and continued my undergraduate research on African American Vernacular English and its use/non-use in the English composition classrooms at a particular historically black institution. I argued that English instructors could be committing "educational malpractice" (Baugh 1999) in their rejection or voluntary ignorance of a legitimate, linguistic system linked to African Americans, and thus, were contributing to the failure of black students at the institution due to students' assessments on mandatory, institution-wide writing exams, which students have to take in order to graduate (see CV link to view publications).
I decided to take two years off before pursuing a Ph.D. and was hired as an adjunct professor of English at the Community College of Philadelphia, where I taught introductory composition and reading, and as a 5th-8th grade group leader at EducationWorks, Incorporated, a non-profit organization seeking to provide health- and education-related resources to low-income families.
In 2011, I enrolled in the Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies (POLS) Master's degree program at Stanford's Graduate School of Education and completed the program in June 2012. Currently, I am enrolled in the PhD Teaching/Learning/Culture program at the Claremont Graduate University where I hope to teach at the collegiate level and later become a university administrator once I have completed my program.
Named head researcher for electronic portfolio research project at Stanford University (2013); nominated president of the Black Graduate Student Association, Claremont Graduate University chapter (2013); awarded NASPA-Student Affairs research grant (2012)
Part-time English Instructor|
Atlanta Metropolitan State College
From August 2024 to Current • 2 year(s)
Teach composition and reading courses with high-structured course design using frequent assessments.
Project Director, Instructional Coach & ECE Teacher|
Day-Star Christian Academy
From July 2018 to September 2025 • 7 year(s)
Support organization mission by hiring staff, creating policies, and providing teacher coaching and professional development.
Teaching Assistant|
Instructional Connections - Southern Oregon University
From August 2022 to September 2022 • 0 year(s)
Evaluated electronic portfolios and provided support for graduate capstone course.
Director of Development|
Office of Advancement, Claremont Graduate University
From December 2017 to June 2018 • 1 year(s)
Managed relationships with 100+ major donors and executed exclusive events for fundraising goals.
Consultant, Co-Founder|
Educational Equity & Achievement, LLC
From August 2017 to June 2018 • 1 year(s)
Co-founded education consulting business providing equity-centered leadership training to K-12 educators.
Assistant Director of Annual Giving|
Office of Advancement, Claremont Graduate University
From August 2016 to November 2017 • 1 year(s)
Created annual communications strategy and managed multi-million-dollar fundraising initiatives.
Student Ambassador|
Office of Admissions and Recruitment, CGU
From August 2013 to August 2016 • 3 year(s)
Planned recruitment events and engaged prospective students through tours and informational sessions.
Research Assistant|
Haynes Foundation Research Study, Claremont Graduate University
From December 2014 to December 2015 • 1 year(s)
Conducted field observations of 60 teachers and maintained research database for team of ten researchers.
Main Office Manager|
EXPLO at Yale
From June 2015 to August 2015 • 0 year(s)
Led nine-member office staff and served as liaison between program offices and students/parents.
President|
Black Graduate Student Association, Claremont Graduate University
From August 2013 to May 2014 • 1 year(s)
Oversaw organization operations and raised over $30,000 for minority scholarships in six months.
Director's Assistant|
Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College
From June 2012 to August 2013 • 1 year(s)
Organized large-scale events and served as liaison between directors, faculty, and students.
Group Leader/Counselor|
EducationWorks, Inc.
From September 2009 to June 2011 • 2 year(s)
Utilized Project-Based Learning to instruct K-7th grade children with focus on citizenship and leadership.
Adjunct Professor of English|
Community College of Philadelphia
From October 2009 to May 2011 • 2 year(s)
Taught introductory reading and writing courses and designed syllabi and assignments.
Composition Teaching Assistant|
Purdue University
From August 2007 to May 2009 • 2 year(s)
Designed and executed sixteen-week course syllabus for 20 freshmen students.
Creative Writing Instructor|
Purdue University, GERI Super Saturday Program
From September 2008 to November 2008 • 0 year(s)
Designed 6-week creative writing lesson plan for third and fourth grade gifted students.
Summer Camp Coordinator/Instructor|
Day-Star Christian Academy
From May 2007 to July 2007 • 0 year(s)
Created summer program and curriculum for school-age children 6 to 12 years old.
General Education Support Services/Upward Bound Tutor|
Paine College
From August 2006 to May 2007 • 1 year(s)
Assisted college and high school students in English, mathematics, and science subjects.
