Her academic background includes a BA in Psychology and Spanish, a MA in Psychology (both from California State University, Chico), and a Ph.D. in the Foundations of Education from the University of Utah. Her primary research interests are in examining the intersections of race and language in schools and how these social constructs shape students’ school experiences. She has written several publications in the fields of Multicultural Education, Bilingual Education, Critical Whiteness Studies, and Immigration and Education.