YDC Lab Boston

I am a first year PhD student in the Applied Development Psychology program at Suffolk University. A native of Dorchester, Mass., my research interests have been influenced by my work and family experiences.

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I began my career in 2007 at Boston University’s African Presidential Archives & Research Center (APARC), where I stewarded a collaborative that brought together college students from HBCUs in the US with their peers from Africa-based universities. Most were first generation college students who experienced their first opportunity to travel outside the US in the program. It was there that I first saw the power of education to transform, uplift, and inspire.

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I also worked with College Bound Dorchester, a dynamic organization that works to ensure Dorchester’s residents are college bound. Most recently, I supported the WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School, an organization established to fight for fairness and justice in the community. Both experiences fostered a passion in me to support underserved and marginalized groups.

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In 2014, I welcomed my beautiful daughter Journee to the world. She inspired me to pursue my ALB from Harvard Extension School, and, as a first-time parent of a child with special needs, I learned first-hand the difficulties that families and parents experience in navigating healthcare, education, and socioeconomic challenges when raising children with individualized needs. These experiences led me to be an advocate for parents and children with physical disabilities and learning difficulties.