She earned her M.A. in Experimental Psychology from San Jose State University and her Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in Feminist Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on the social psychological and policy dimensions of social class and the consequences of economic inequality, specifically poverty, food insecurity, and housing instability. Her scholarship is informed by a full-cycle model of integrating theory, research, and practice, as well as social psychological approaches to intersecting forms of power and discrimination in interpersonal and institutional contexts. As an applied social psychologist, the overarching goal of her research is to inform public policy and social and economic justice initiatives.