I'm currently a Professor in the Biology Dept. and the Environmental Science Program at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), co-Associate Chair of the Biology Dept., and recipient of the Audrey Reynolds Distinguished Teaching Award. More recently, I became Co-Director of NEIU's Living Learning Communities program.

I center culturally-sustaining pedagogy in my teaching and also mentor undergraduate and graduate students in environmental science and ecological research. We research fascinating (and fun!) aspects of (mostly aquatic) ecosystems, from invasive plant species that invade wetlands or prairies, to how contaminants and pollutants can affect water quality and organisms that live in those ecosystems, to habitat restoration in aquatic and terrestrial systems. I have mentored more than 50 undergraduate and graduate students who have participated in several research projects.

An anti-racist in training and an alumna of the Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institute (SLI 2014, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Latinx and Native Americans in Science), I strongly believe in the importance of intentional mentoring, and the affirming and transformative power research experiences can have mostly for Black, Brown, and Indigenous students. 

To that end, I’ve been in strong partnerships with the Chicago Botanic Garden and the University of IL – Champaign-Urbana, and in several federally-funded projects (NSF HSI, USDA, DOE Title III and Title V) whose common mission is to increase the recruitment, retention, support, and success of underrepresented and marginalized students in STEM.