SCHOLARLY WORK

I am an Ed.D. candidate whose research focuses on postsecondary readiness, educational systems, and school counselor practice. Through qualitative inquiry, I examine how organizational structures and decision-making influence educational opportunity.

CURRENT RESEARCH

DISSERTATION RESEARCH

School Counselor Narratives in Postsecondary Readiness Systems: Supporting Black Students in Racially Marginalized Suburban Contexts

Research question

How do school counselors in racially marginalized suburban high schools interpret and navigate institutional structures and political dynamics to support Black students' postsecondary readiness?

Overview

This qualitative narrative study explores how school counselors support Black students as they navigate postsecondary planning within racially marginalized suburban high schools. Grounded in Bolman and Deal's structural and political frames, it examines how counselors navigate institutional expectations, organizational processes, and competing priorities while advocating for students. By centering counselor narratives, the study highlights how postsecondary readiness is shaped not only by individual effort, but also by the systems that influence opportunity.

Status

IRB Approved | Participant Recruitment

Interested in Participating?

If you are a high school counselor serving a racially marginalized suburban community in the Chicago Southland and would like to learn more about the study, you can review the recruitment flyer below.

View Research Study Flyer

INDEPENDENT STUDY

Developing an Organizational Framework for Assessing Local Postsecondary Readiness Ecosystems

Fall 2026

This planned independent study will examine how local postsecondary readiness ecosystems are organized, coordinated, and implemented across educational, workforce, government, nonprofit, and community sectors. Drawing on educational ecosystem and organizational theory, the study will use qualitative ecosystem analysis to develop an organizational assessment framework for understanding ecosystem structures, stakeholder relationships, and system coordination. The project aims to contribute a practical and research-informed tool for evaluating and strengthening local postsecondary readiness systems.

EMERGING RESEARCH AGENDA

My research explores how educational systems, organizational dynamics, and educator practice shape postsecondary opportunity, particularly in racially marginalized suburban communities. I am interested in understanding how institutional structures influence readiness, access, and success while identifying strategies that strengthen opportunity for students.

Postsecondary Readiness as a Political and Racialized Construct:
Examining how readiness is defined, implemented, and influenced by policy, power, and racialized assumptions.
Organizational Structures and Decision-Making
Exploring how institutional roles, authority, and internal dynamics shape postsecondary readiness efforts.
Resource Allocation and Postsecondary Opportunity
Investigating how funding, staffing, and program access influence student opportunity.
School Counselor Practice and Educator Agency
Understanding how educators navigate constraints while advocating for students.
Educational Opportunity in Racially Marginalized Suburban Communities
Examining how race, geography, and institutional context intersect to influence postsecondary access and success.
Authentic Learning and Postsecondary Readiness

Exploring how project-based capstones and other authentic learning experiences prepare students for postsecondary success.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Postsecondary Readiness Structures and Politics: School Counselor Narratives in Racially Marginalized Suburban High Schools (Paper Presentation)

MWERA Annual Meeting | 2026 (Accepted)

Examines how school counselors in racially marginalized suburban high schools navigate organizational structures and political dynamics to support students' postsecondary readiness

Educator Advocacy of Postsecondary Readiness Politics (Poster Presentation)

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Institute of Urban Education Research Symposium | 2026

Governors State University Research Day | 2026

Examined how educators navigate institutional power, policy, and practice in supporting Black students' postsecondary readiness, presented across multiple academic and research settings

Examining the Intersection of Leadership Development and Online EdD Studies for Black Women (Poster Presentation)

Association of American Colleges & Universities Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success | 2024

Explored how online doctoral programs shape leadership development and educational experiences for Black women, informed by leadership development frameworks

Summer Bridge Programs and Black First-Year Student Retention (Paper Presentation)

Social Development Lab Interdisciplinary Research Fair | 2021

Examined how summer bridge programs support the transition and retention of Black first-year college students, with attention to social and cultural capital development

Relational Leadership Theory and Shared Nonprofit Leadership (Paper Presentation)

Social Development Lab Interdisciplinary Research Fair | 2021

Explored how nonprofit organizations utilize shared leadership practices through a relational leadership framework

RECENT CONTRIBUTIONS

UWM Institute of Urban Education Research Symposium | May 1, 2026

Presented a research poster that examined how educators working in racially marginalized suburban communities navigate institutional structures and power dynamics to support Black students' postsecondary readiness.

Learn more about the Institute for Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: HERE

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