Courtney taught middle and high school reading and English in Texas, Massachusetts, and Cali, Colombia, before earning an MA in Latin American literature and culture and a PhD in language, literacy, and culture at the Ohio State University. During her time in Ohio, she worked with young people in changing school districts, serving as the coordinator of an after-school program designed to promote meaningful interactions between immigrant middle school students and their mainstream peers. She has shared her research on multilingual literacies and new technologies through presentations at international conferences and publications in international journals. While at Manhattanville, she has also completed outreach projects at two professional development schools, supervising graduate students in literacy in their work with culturally and linguistically diverse students.