I study how social context relates to adolescent socio-emotional development and academic outcomes. My current work specifically addresses how student-teacher and student-student/peer relationships interact to support adolescent motivation and engagement in STEM areas. Central to this work is collaborating with fellow researchers to understand the role of students’ gender, ethnic, racial, and cultural identities in motivational processes in classrooms (& now virtual learning spaces). I started my career as a high school teacher in California’s West Contra Costa School District and then worked as a researcher at UChicago STEM Education. My combined love of research and teaching led to me to complete my doctorate as part of University of Michigan’s CPEP (Dissertation Committee: Dr. Kai Cortina, Dr. Allison Ryan, Dr. Revathy Kumar, Dr. Debbie Rivas-Drake) and now be part of University of Pittsburgh’s LRDC community (PI: Dr. Ming-Te Wang).Specialties: Adolescent development, motivation to learn, hierarchical linear modeling, structural equation modeling, teacher support, social network analysis, researcher-practitioner relationships, utility of research findings, equity in educational context, student engagement