I'm a second-year doctoral student in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University. My research lies at the intersection between interpersonal communication, carcerality and surveillance, legal precarity, and relational uncertainty and turbulence processes. In particular, I'm interested in exploring how sociopolitical and legally precarious conditions impact interpersonal communication among minoritized and hyper-stigmatized romantic partners and families.
 
My current research primarily spans two relational domains: undocumented couples and interracial romantic partners. First, I explore how mixed-status undocumented couples navigate their relational experiences by maintaining and strengthening their relationships. More broadly, I examine how couples under legal surveillance enact behavioral and communicative strategies to protect their relationship. Secondly, I investigate how interracial couples (re)negotiate their relational and ethnoracial identit(ies) in the face of stigma-related stressors. In this work, I highlight the predictive effects of identity gaps and racial ideologies on relational functioning. Other programs of my research have examined the impacts of relational turbulence on postnatal sexual communication among new parents.  

In Spring 2024, I will be a visiting student in the Department of Sociology at New York University. I currently serve as a research assistant in the Assistant Dean's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the School of Communication and Information. In addition, I'm a part-time lecturer, teaching assistant, and research assistant for the Department of Communication. Prior to my roles at Rutgers University, I held adjunct lecturer positions at California State University, Los Angeles and George Mason University.

I'm an active member of the Eastern Communication Association, International Communication Association, International Association for Relationship Research, National Communication Association, and Western States Communication Association.