née Gaines
PhD Candidate, Political Science · University of California, Santa Barbara
I study how Black political thought, identity, and nationalism take shape in the Black Lives Matter era, and how digital and cultural spaces like TikTok reshape who gets counted as part of "the movement."
I am a PhD candidate in Political Science, with an emphasis in Black Studies, at UC Santa Barbara (expected 2027). My dissertation examines contemporary articulations of Black nationalism in the Black Lives Matter era, tracing how these ideas spread through digital media, cultural expression, and activist work, and how nationalist frameworks shape Black political identification and participation in U.S. politics.
Alongside my dissertation research, I serve as the Qualitative Research Lead at the Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy, and I teach and TA courses spanning political philosophy, Asian American politics, and U.S. minority politics.
PhD Candidate · Expected 2027
Qualitative Lead, Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy
Instructor, Introduction to Political Philosophy
"Hearing my people, but not seeing my people:" a study of how Blackness is bounded and performed on TikTok. Social Media + Society.
With Pei-te Lien, on how ethnic nationalism shapes Black and Asian American support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics.