I am a current doctoral student in the Theatre and Performance program at the City University of New York, Graduate Center. My research interests include race and gender as well as film, dance, theatre, and performance studies.
Shortly after earning my Bachelor of Arts in History and Integrated Educational Studies at Chapman University, I began working at Heritage Museum of Orange County on a National Parks Service grant project called “Summer of Civil Rights: Chronicling the Black Movement in Orange County.” In 2024, I moved to New York City and began graduate study. I earned my Master of Arts in American Studies from Columbia University's Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race in May 2026.
My passion for the performing arts informs both my scholarly and personal endeavors. I graduated from the Orange County School of the Arts where I studied musical theatre, acting, and dance. My youth experiences in the arts programs at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley have also provided me with many great opportunities. Before moving to New York, I spent 8 years teaching dance and theatre at the ClubHouse Academy through the Boys and Girls Club. This experience allowed me to develop critical leadership skills that will help me in my future career as an educator.
This research examines how race and gender shaped tap dance performance during Hollywood’s Golden Age through the careers of Eleanor Powell and Jeni Le Gon. The thesis reveals how MGM appropriated Black performance traditions while suppressing Black performers themselves, demonstrating that dance and performance are deeply political cultural practices.