She completed her Ph.D. at Syracuse University (2002) with the support of an American Fellowship from the American Association of University Women and a Mass Media Fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is a qualitative researcher, specializing in children and youth, education and school violence, race-class-gender inequalities, and the media. Her research has been published in several scholarly journals, including Youth & Society, Sociology Compass, Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, and Humanity & Society. Her current research examines American schools and looks at the relationship between femininity and masculinity, aggression, and the rise of cyber bullying. Prior to coming to CNU, she worked as a TV News Producer in Atlanta.