Background
I was born and raised outside Buffalo, NY, US. Much of my childhood was spent working with my family in construction. As a first-gen student, I worked full-time for Coca Cola and various construction jobs to fund my studies. I attended College at Buffalo SUNY (aka. Buff State) and obtained a B.A. in History and Economics. During my B.A., I saved enough money and moved to Berlin. Here, I earned an M.A. in Global History from Freie Universität Berlin. Afterwards, I attended the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor where I am a fifth-year doctoral candidate in History. Currently, I am researching abroad in Geneva, Switzerland and Ibadan, Nigeria.
Research Approach
Recent works in Development Studies and History (see Christy Thornton’s newest book) that are center lived experiences of development and human rights inspired my broader research interests. In addition, Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) and African scholars (see Abdullah An-Naim and Thandika Mkandawire) challenged my dominant white, Global North training. These works foster a desire to not only re-orient our historical narratives on development and human rights to the Global South, but also encourage us to envision a future in a truly equitable world devoid of imperialism in all its forms. History is about our collective past, present, and future!
Consulting
Throughout my PhD program, I have worked as an economic development consultant with a focus on orienting local communities in development projects at IIRR and the Economic Growth Institute. See my publications for more information on published reports. Please contact me to discuss consultant work.