My current work centers on how elementary-aged Black, Latinx, and multiethnic students use storytelling as a form of counternarrative. Through their stories, these young learners critique dominant narratives and assert agency by authoring their own identities—challenging stereotypes and envisioning new possibilities.

This research builds on my broader scholarly focus: examining how marginalized communities, especially Black and Latina girls and women, navigate media and negotiate intersecting representations of race, gender, class, and sexuality. I’m particularly interested in how media can shape and sometimes constrain identity, and how critical media literacy can be a powerful tool for resistance and reimagining.

In both academic and community spaces, I work to equip young people, especially girls and women, with the tools to critically engage with media, reject limiting portrayals, and cultivate self-defined narratives.

I also explore the influence of social media on communication, identity, and activism and how these platforms can be harnessed to build community, promote equity, and create social change.