Who I Am
Passionate about storytelling, visual arts, and Afro-diasporic imaginaries, my work is at the crossroads of academic research, teaching, and collaborative creation.
Research Interests
My research interests focus on Black Atlantic migrations, liberation struggles, Black feminisms, racial capitalism, and ecologies shaped by Black myths, thought, and experiences.
Dissertation
My dissertation research explores Haitian and Dominican myths of transformation as spaces of anti-colonial resistance, where human and more-than-human figures challenge state violence and anti-Black narratives. Blending literature, visual arts, activism, and fieldwork along the Haitian-Dominican border, I uncover islanders’ alternative ways of imagining community and resistance.
Grants & Awards (selection)
African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS) Dissertation Fellowship
Boston College, 2025-26
Competitive teaching fellowship awarded annually to two PhD candidates to support dissertation completion.
Dean’s Award for Doctoral Excellence
Florida State University, College of Arts & Sciences, 2024-26
Awarded to two top-performing graduate students in the Department of Modern Languages & Linguistics.
Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship (DIF)
Mellon Foundation & American Council of Learned Societies, 2023-24
Supported my professional development in the early stages of my dissertation by enabling me to train in visual anthropology and documentary filmmaking through participation in three workshops. It also funded my fieldwork at the Haitian-Dominican border, allowing me to connect my research directly with the people and places I study.
Graduate Student Research Award
North Central Council of Latin Americanists, November 2022
Awarded for best graduate student conference paper: “Borderland Resistance or the Moving Fabric of Dominican Identity in Marcio Veloz Maggiolo’s El Hombre del Acordeón,”
Professional Development (selection)
Teaching Development Program
Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Florida State University, 2024-25
I am completing the Teaching Development Program at Florida State University, a multi-semester training designed to prepare graduate students for college-level teaching. Through interactive workshops, reading groups, and hands-on syllabus and assignment design with expert feedback, I have developed effective teaching strategies grounded in research on learning.
Global Partner Certificate
Center for Global Engagement, Florida State University, 2023-24
This professional development program from Florida State University’s Center for Global Engagement equipped me with skills to support international students and foster intercultural communication both in the classroom and across campus. It focused on building cultural awareness and effective strategies for engaging diverse communities.
Short Course on Ethnographic Film
Granada Center for Visual Anthropology (GCVA), Manchester, UK, Summer 2024
Workshop coordinated by Dr. Lorenzo Ferrarini. Funded by the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship.
In this course, I learned technical skills in shooting, editing, and sound recording for ethnographic documentary filmmaking. It combined practical workshops, theory on visual methods, and discussions on ethnographic films, providing hands-on experience with professional equipment and insights from international experts.
Documentary Filmmaking: Core Elements
Sundance Collab Online Course, March-April 2024
Funded by the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship.
Through this online course with Sundance Collab, I gained foundational skills in documentary filmmaking, covering story development, visual storytelling, and technical aspects like camera work and editing. The course emphasized practical techniques to craft compelling narratives and provided tools to bring authentic stories to life on screen.
Visual Ethnography: A Mode of Ethnographic Translation
Berlin Summer University of the Arts, Germany, Summer 2023
Workshop led by filmmaker and visual activist Owain Astles, alongside cultural anthropologists Deborah Sie and David Lowis.
In this workshop, I learned how to bring social and cultural stories to life through short films. Combining hands-on filmmaking - using simple tools like my phone - with ethnographic methods, I developed skills to capture and share meaningful moments. Along the way, I reflected on the ethics of representing others and explored how visual media can make research accessible and engaging beyond academia. It was a valuable introduction to storytelling, filmmaking, and anthropology all in one.
Human Rights in the Francosphere - Course Design Workshop
Florida State University, Summer 2023
Workshop coordinated by Dr. Jeannine Murray-Roman.
During this directed study workshop, I co-designed three undergraduate-level syllabi - a grammar, conversation, and writing course - all centered on the theme of human rights in the Francophone world. This project involved adapting complex content to suit different language skill levels and learning goals, while maintaining academic rigor and cultural relevance.