Personal

I’m a proud Indian immigrant from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, raised in Houston, Texas. Growing up between cultures taught me the complexity of belonging and the resilience needed to navigate systems not built for you. These experiences fuel my commitment to justice and inclusion. 

I carry deep empathy for students negotiating their own identities in academic spaces, especially those from historically marginalized backgrounds. 

My research reflects this commitment, grounded in a lived awareness of how political institutions shape lives unevenly. 

And in my departmental work, I strive to foster the kind of clarity, generosity, and mutual care that helped me find my footing as a first-generation academic.  

Outside of academia, I’m a competitive powerlifter and have been lifting since 2018—breaking a Louisiana state record along the way. I plan to keep lifting for as long as I can, not just for health, but because I believe sport is a human right. Sport has always been a tool of political resistance and I see that in my own life. Competing as a woman in a male-dominated space has shown me the quiet barriers women face, and how powerful it can be to claim space with confidence. 

Strength sport has taught me to move through discomfort, trust my body, and recognize the body as a site of resistance and possibility. These values shape my pedagogy: I teach with respect for embodied knowledge and create classrooms where students—especially those who’ve been told they don’t belong—can recognize their own power.