Environmental & Climate Justice | Youth Geographies | Social Movements
Assistant Professor of Geography at the Pennsylvania State University
About Me
I am a geographer with research interests spanning youth politics, social movement studies, storytelling methods, and climate justice.
I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and co-Funded faculty member within the Institute of Energy and the Environment and the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State. Across Penn State, I am an Affiliate of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI), Penn State Sustainability, the Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering and Design with Africa (AESEDA), and the Consortium for Social Movements, Education Research, and Practice.
I am the Creator and Director of the Global Youth Storytelling and Research Lab (The GYSRL) a collaborative research ecosystem based at PSU that aims to bridge youth-centered research, education, storytelling, and policy advocacy. I also teach undergraduate and graduate courses focused on climate justice and youth geographies.
My current research focuses on: 1.) Transnational youth climate justice advocacy; 2.) Youth engagement in multilateral institutions (e.g. the U.N.); and 3.) Environmental and climate justice in the U.S. South.
From my PhD to the present, I have interviewed and worked with youth environmental and climate justice advocates from around the world - from the Pacific to the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, to the U.S. South and beyond. Much of my work is built around a commitment to chronicling stories of advocacy among young people in regions and communities most impacted by climate and environmental injustice.
Growing up just outside of Birmingham, Alabama, I have a deep love for and commitment to the U.S. South. My current work in development in the South aims to use youth-led multimedia storytelling and creative approaches to theorize and imagine climate and environmental justice in and from Birmingham, AL and North Carolina.
As a community-engaged public scholar, I have a commitment to engaging with and writing for publics beyond the university.
In addition to research, writing, and teaching, I am deeply engaged in climate policy and grassroots advocacy work. I currently serve as a Leadership Team and Board Member for the North Carolina Climate Justice Collective, and have previously been a several time delegate to the United Nations’ International Climate Negotiations.