Currently — Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at Salem State University
I’m an interdisciplinary qualitative researcher with a doctorate, passionate about exploring how people experience and connect with both the built and natural outdoor spaces. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of leading research projects that focus on campus design, well-being, belonging, and identity. My main goal has always been to understand and address the needs of marginalized communities, fostering inclusive and welcoming design choices. Here’s a selection of my recent projects from 2019-2026.
This project was completed in 2019 in the Bronx, New York. I used a survey and in-person focus groups to explore how campus design and green spaces affect students' sense of belonging and overall well-being at an urban campus.
User Experience
I was curious about how marginalized student communities experience design and outdoor spaces at historic campuses in the South, where Confederate monuments and slavery influence the landscape. From 2021 to 2022, I used surveys and in-person focus groups to better understand the connection among design, wellbeing, belonging, and community.
Belonging and Inclusion
I was teaching at a university in the suburbs of New York with extensive green space surrounding the campus, but there were few places to sit and no signage to guide users.
Thinking about what makes design engaging and how people use outdoor space, I decided to study this campus in 2022 through a survey and in-person focus groups. This project explored how students used campus outdoor areas after COVID-19 and whether they felt welcome there.
Design Choices
Many older American campuses feature colonial architecture. Due to exclusionary policies, these schools initially only admitted white students. However, today the student population is more diverse. This project was conducted in 2023 at a university in Salem, Massachusetts.
Focus groups and an online survey provided valuable insights into how queer and BIPOC students experience the outdoor campus environment, particularly regarding traditional design choices at a public institution established in 1854.
Massachusetts is rich in natural spaces such as woods and parks. In 2025, I used surveys and in-depth interviews to explore how both dog owners and non-owners perceive and experience these spaces, where dogs are often off-leash. I uncovered valuable insights about user experiences related to perception, usage, and the challenges of sharing public outdoor areas. spaces.
Pain points in the outdoors
My projects support a broader conversation on inclusive design by focusing on the experiences of marginalized groups, such as BIPOC and queer communities. In 2025, I authored a policy proposal that highlights participatory design methods and stressed inclusion in public outdoor spaces.