About Me

I am a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. I earned my Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Eastern Michigan University, where I interned at the HIV/AIDS Treatment Program at Michigan Medicine. I completed my Master of Social Work (MSW) at the University of Pittsburgh, interning with the UPMC HOPE Team. I have worked in a variety of settings, including psychiatric emergency services, domestic violence shelters, and homeless shelters, that have deeply shaped my approach to social work practice and research. These experiences have made clear how interconnected social issues create cycles that trap individuals and communities in poverty. Through my work, I seek to build bridges between research and community practice to challenge punitive systems—such as policing, incarceration, and involuntary institutionalization—that disproportionately target and control people experiencing poverty and social marginalization.

In addition to my professional work, I collaborate closely with local mutual aid groups and grassroots efforts. I am an advocate for Our Streets Collective in Pittsburgh, PA, and have worked with Food Not Bombs and Street Medicine at Pitt. My advocacy is grounded in anti-capitalist and abolitionist perspectives. Through support for alternatives to punitive systems, I aim to advance community-based models of care that center mutual aid and collective liberation.

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is rooted in constructivism, viewing learning as an active process where students construct knowledge through their own experiences and reflections. I emphasize questioning whose knowledge is valued, challenging the hierarchy of knowledge, and examining how power shapes what is taught and known. Drawing from critical pedagogy, I see teaching as a collaborative space where both students and I engage in ongoing learning and critical reflection, centering diverse perspectives and disrupting dominant narratives.

Central to my approach is fostering critical awareness of social work’s role in society. Students are encouraged to examine the historical and political construction of social work knowledge—including how the profession has been used to surveil, manage, and marginalize communities under the guise of care. They are prepared not only to navigate systems but to critique and transform them, envisioning social work as a tool for collective liberation rather than mere service within existing oppressive structures.