Diversity

My philosophy toward diversity, equity, and inclusion work is simple, informed by feminist political theorist, Sara Ahmed, who writes: “I will not reproduce a world I cannot bear, a world I do not think should be borne.” I actively seek to transform institutions that have marginalized me, that marginalize others. I never want to recreate for others my own experiences of being in an academic classroom and feeling like I don’t belong, like I am somehow out of place.

In my research, I employ this philosophy by interrogating how policy creates systems that foster development and growth among some, privileged groups, while inhibiting that for others. I study what barriers people of color, people who lack legal citizenship, and people who otherwise exist at the margins encounter in attempts to access the social safety net. In addition, I critically examine to what extent the social safety net itself reproduces a world with predictable, preventable racial, gendered, and other health inequities. That is a world I cannot bear. By identifying these factors, I hope to persuade policymakers to dismantle those aspects that recreate inequity and create a world that I can not only bear but can fully participate in.

As a mentor and a teacher, I am constantly learning from my students. In my courses I incorporate readings from diverse authors and facilitate class discussions about how identity matters in academic research and in public policy. I have the distinct honor of learning from my students about their own histories and their ideas about what equity in policy might look like as we discuss how diverse groups experience policies and programs. In these roles I learn more about what promises my students believe were made to them about college and academia. I learn, too, how the university breaks those promises for marginalized students. As I learn, I realize more and more that this world is not one I want my students to bear.

The classroom has historically been a place where heteronormativity is valued and reproduced. Instead, I seek to queer academic spaces in two ways. First, by actively questioning traditional processes. For example, I draw on queer theories to build lessons that celebrate the variety of experiences possible beyond the binaries around which we have historically structured our society. Second, by broadening conceptions of categories and difference by eliciting data and developing evidence from non-normative groups in both my research and teaching. Queering academia is one way I create space for myself and for others to feel comfortable and seen.

As a member of the Sanford School of Public Policy Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I contributed to creating and implementing a peer mentorship program designed to illuminate the “hidden curriculum” of graduate school. I had the opportunity and delight to serve as a mentor for a first-year student, who, like me and many others, was not aware of the many esoteric conventions of academia. As we discuss how she can succeed we are together creating a world and a program that is, at least, more bearable and more readily navigable. For example, we discussed how to approach academic conferences so that she can be successful – by her own metrics – and derive positive outcomes from conference attendance. We saw each other at a conference this spring, and she described making good connections and establishing professional relationships with her peers. She and I work together to construct meaning and to figure out how best to navigate graduate school as a marginalized person, how to feel like we belong in a space that was not made for us.

When I started my postdoctoral training at UNC, I noticed how dispersed and disconnected the postdoc community was. I attended Postdoc Association (PDA) meetings and found a group of people who were eager to increase engagement from postdocs across campus and to serve our broader community. As the only social scientist represented on the PDA, I worked diligently to encourage and promote more disciplinarily diverse attendance at our events and membership on the PDA. This spring, I was appointed by my peers to serve as a co-chair of the PDA. Since then, we have recruited four new members who are pursuing postdoctoral training in the social sciences. As disciplinary representation increases, we are better able to create events to engage all postdocs on UNC’s campus, build connections with postdocs at other universities in the area, and serve our community. It has been a privilege to attend to this organization’s growth, building a PDA community that reflects and represents all postdocs at UNC.

I hope to build a world through research, teaching, service, and mentorship that enables every member of an academic community to flourish.