After six years of working in social media marketing, I began my PhD journey at the William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communcations at the University of Kansas.

I became fascinated by social media content creators and their careers in my agency and in-house marketing roles. How do creators’ audiences trust them? How are they able to build such loyal followings? How do they really feel about sharing their personal lives on the internet?

Those questions brought me to graduate school. My research interests have since evolved to primarily focusing on religious social media creators, but my broad interest in the content creator lifestyle still remains.

In addition to my doctoral program, I earned a graduate certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from KU in May 2024. My research heavily relies on feminist theories and concepts—especially the harmful implications that social media can place on women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ folks.

Outside of my coursework and personal research projects, I am the Graduate Research Assistant for the KU Center for Digital Inclusion. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation, among other funders, and teaches technology skills to justice-impacted women, specifically women who have been recently released from jail or prison, in Kansas and Missouri. The skills are aimed at assisting the women with digital literacy and professional development skills.

When I’m not researching or studying, I enjoy spending time with my husband, son, and pets. I am also an avid viewer of reality TV, and my favorites are “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” “The Bachelor” franchise, and any Netflix dating show.