Welcome in, friend!
You might expect me to say I was born with a pen in hand—but really it was a newsletter. Growing up in East St. Louis, I helped publish the first newsletter at my elementary school. Our local Alpha Kappa Alpha chapter became the first to offer an award of any kind for my writing (both “Service to Mankind” awards) and by middle school, I was auditioning for newscasts with public broadcasting. And yes, I did explore and lead marching bands, color guards, and make time to volunteer — if you want to understand how power works, you’ve got to see the layers.
These days, I’m a PhD candidate at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. I chase questions about who gets to tell stories, how they tell them, and what identity does in/to/for/in spite of the newsroom. My research circles around the intersections of identity, rhetoric, journalism ethics, and media history—especially how these ideas of “mainstream media’, “the public” and “the press” can stay honest partners, not distant, callous spectators.
So, you may be wondering: “Why does this work matter?”
- Because journalism isn’t just headlines—it’s shaped by who holds the mouse. I explore how race, gender, sexuality, and identity influence who is heard, who is silenced, and how narratives are constructed.
- Because the past matters: journalism’s history isn’t just archival dust. It teaches us what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where the foundation’s cracks are, so we can fix them together.
- Because effective public scholarship means more than peer-reviewed journals. It means working with the communities, the students, the readers—making media work that’s accessible, accountable, and useful.
What You’ll Find Around Here
Teaching & community — I’ve served as an instructor, mentor, and presently more than 10,000 peers as VP for Legislative Affairs in the Graduate Student Government at UMD. I work with student journalists, community groups, and make my presence known online: I believe a scholar works not just for but with and in the public
Research snapshots — I take detours into how journalists across demographic groups handle graphic violence, identity-driven rhetoric, harm vs. help in coverage on my heavier days. On lighter days, I look at our political landscape and try to figure out what in the world is going on.
Journalism in action — I’m someone you’ve likely seen work through my jobs and internships at organizations like WTOP, WJLA, PoliticusUSA, and NBC News. The DC area may have even seen me in public service, public access, and in policy commentary: where I try to bring research and educated analysis out of the archive and into people’s daily lives.
So, thank you for being here. Whether you’re curious, critical, or just want to talk about media, identity, or the messy, transforming world of journalism: I’m glad your path led you here.
