I love to tell stories of resilience and thriving. But even more than that, I love seeing these stories come to life in the narratives and experiences of others. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, I build bridges, using research tools and findings to generate timely solutions for youth and young adults. Here’s my story. Recently a Scholarship to Practice Research Fellow at the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, I am currently an assistant professor of psychology at the College of Wooster. I completed my PhD degree in Educational Psychology, with an emphasis on adolescent psychosocial development, as well as a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My undergraduate years at Johns Hopkins in the Departments of Writing Seminars and Psychological & Brain Sciences honed the tools of strong writing and fundamental psychological knowledge. I focus on protective factors that enhance positive social development and health outcomes in minority youth and emerging adults in the United States. Right now, I explore the contributions of culturally salient community contexts for Black youth and emerging adult development within high-risk social environments, with specific emphasis on the contributions of faith communities to behavioral and mental health outcomes. I specialize in teaching child, adolescent, and emerging adult development, and I have additional expertise in educational psychology topics. I characterize my approach to research and teaching as reflecting a trans-disciplinary developmental perspective.