Sociologist; Assistant Professor, Educational Policy Studies, Florida International University; Member, Career and Technical Advisory Council, The NYC Department of Education; TED Resident Speaker with over 6 million views; Author, The Power of Student Agency (2020) and “Making Distance Learning Vibrant: Student Agency is Key” (2020, Education Week); Co-Author, “The Unique Agency of Parenting-Strivers: An Anti-Deficit, Asset-Based Exploration of Black and Latinx Students with Children” (2022, Education for Students Placed at Risk) and "Grit and Agency: A Framework for Helping Students in Poverty to Achieve Academic Success" (2017)