Her current research focuses on the socio-economic lives of children and young people. She received her PhD in Geography from San Diego State University and University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to coming to GVSU, she held postdoctoral positions with the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on Youth and Space and the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. During her time with the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, she was one of four ethnographers conducting a multi-site research project on college affordability. She has published on topics related to emotional labor and girlhood, children's work and play, leadership in informal learning spaces, and the ethics of volunteerism. She currently teaches courses on leadership, social justice, and interdisciplinary research methods.