I have studied and taught courses that cover the entirety of American history, but I am particularly drawn to the 19th and 20th centuries. My research has focused on religion, gender, and children while my teaching adds an interest of the media as well. I am interested in the role of "everyday" people - how they experienced and shaped our nation. I am inspired by those who challenge the obstacles they face and seek to better understand them.

My PhD dissertation, "Perfect Child, Perfect Faith: Raising Children in Nineteenth-Century Religious Communities ," looked at how four religious communities in the nineteenth-century United States attempted to raise new generations that embodied ideologies aimed to perfect society but ultimately failed. My most recent publication is "'We Do Not Have Any Prejudice…but…': Racism in the Interracial Berea Literary Institute, 1866–1904" included in the fall 2020 issue of Ohio Valley History. I have been teaching U.S. History survey courses and Women in U.S. History at Cabrillo since Fall 2011.