Teaching

    Teaching is central to my work as a sociologist and ethnic studies scholar. Since joining Rutgers University–Newark, I have taught courses on aging, migration, race, inequality, and related topics. My teaching experience also includes serving as a graduate student instructor, lead instructor, and adjunct lecturer at UC Berkeley, CUNY Brooklyn College, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, and Dartmouth College. I have taught three- and four-credit courses at the introductory, specialized, and seminar levels.

     I aim to create engaging classrooms where students can connect course concepts to their own lives, communities, and career goals. My courses emphasize hands-on learning and practical research skills. Depending on the class, students may conduct close readings, develop research bibliographies, complete and analyze interviews, generate field notes, administer surveys, or produce short documentary projects. In my Sociology of Aging course, for example, students interview an older adult and use that experience to connect sociological theories to lived experience.

    My research also directly informs my teaching. As a scholar of urban Latina/o/x communities in the United States, I bring interdisciplinary perspectives on aging, migration, carework, disability justice, and inequality into the classroom. My ongoing virtual reality project reflects my interest in developing innovative and accessible ways to communicate research and engage broader publics.

    My goal is for students to leave my courses with stronger analytical, research, communication, and collaborative skills—tools they can apply in graduate school, community organizations, public service, and other professional settings.