As both a scholar and practitioner, my work focuses on the relationships between digital media, civic engagement, and social change, emphasizing community-based research. I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Cal State University, Northridge. Prior to joining CSUN, I was a postdoctoral researcher for the Connected Learning Research Network at the Digital Media and Learning Hub, directed by Mizuko (Mimi) Ito.

I completed my PhD in Communication at the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California in 2014. My dissertation on youth engagement and participatory public culture in the digital age was supported by a Fulbright grant for research in Medellín, Colombia. The study received top dissertation awards from both the International and National Communication Associations in 2015, and my book manuscript on the topic is now under contract with Duke University Press. I have published peer-reviewed articles on digital media and social movements, human rights and youth activism, digital citizenship, and participatory design and culture, in journals including the International Journal of Communication, the Journal of Mobile Media & Communication, and Transformative Works and Cultures, and in collections published by NYU Press and Johns Hopkins.

I have been fortunate to collaborate with a number of youth and community media initiatives including Mobile Voices and the Chiapas Media Project. Prior to pursuing my PhD I worked in development communication as a Program Officer for FilmAid International, and in documentary filmmaking. I received my B.A. in Development Studies and Modern Culture & Media from Brown University.