I have built a career in journalism and communications on the foundation of "covering all the ripples" — telling multidimensional stories that weave data and compelling narratives together to engage and inform the audience.
Thanks to a personal background that challenges traditional race and class conventions, I have been very vocal about the lenses often used to paint various segments of the population. Specifically, I am dedicated to challenging the very frequent portrayal of people color as being inherently poor and underprivileged while their white counterparts are almost universally portrayed as better off. Such broad-stroke narratives are not only inaccurate, but they’re lazy and do a disservice to the storyteller — whose story now lacks depth — the populations portrayed, and those consuming the one-dimensional stories. (This portrayal also runs in direct contradiction to my own lived experiences.)
I approach every project with a lens that focuses on questioning what we think we know and presenting sides that are not often represented in the stories we most often read. Whether that’s through pushing for the better disaggregation of data to find hidden stories, or through teaching people how to find the data point that works best for them, pairing numbers with narratives has always been a key part of that effort.
I am most passionate issues around diversity and access in K-12 and higher education, and how education ties into every other aspect of society to dictate the life trajectories of minority populations. I am an advocate for historically Black colleges and universities and have served on, moderated and organized various panels and events dedicated to promoting the vitality of and addressing the issues surrounding these storied institutions.
When I am not working hard to write or craft stories or help others do the same, you will likely find me decrying the lack of a closer on the Nationals pitching staff, cursing the Philadelphia Eagles management for any number of bad decisions, reveling in the glory days of Laker fandom, chairing my local elementary school's PTO meetings or escaping all of the above on a beach somewhere.
Thanks to a personal background that challenges traditional race and class conventions, I have been very vocal about the lenses often used to paint various segments of the population. Specifically, I am dedicated to challenging the very frequent portrayal of people color as being inherently poor and underprivileged while their white counterparts are almost universally portrayed as better off. Such broad-stroke narratives are not only inaccurate, but they’re lazy and do a disservice to the storyteller — whose story now lacks depth — the populations portrayed, and those consuming the one-dimensional stories. (This portrayal also runs in direct contradiction to my own lived experiences.)
I approach every project with a lens that focuses on questioning what we think we know and presenting sides that are not often represented in the stories we most often read. Whether that’s through pushing for the better disaggregation of data to find hidden stories, or through teaching people how to find the data point that works best for them, pairing numbers with narratives has always been a key part of that effort.
I am most passionate issues around diversity and access in K-12 and higher education, and how education ties into every other aspect of society to dictate the life trajectories of minority populations. I am an advocate for historically Black colleges and universities and have served on, moderated and organized various panels and events dedicated to promoting the vitality of and addressing the issues surrounding these storied institutions.
When I am not working hard to write or craft stories or help others do the same, you will likely find me decrying the lack of a closer on the Nationals pitching staff, cursing the Philadelphia Eagles management for any number of bad decisions, reveling in the glory days of Laker fandom, chairing my local elementary school's PTO meetings or escaping all of the above on a beach somewhere.
