The above photographs are among my favorite keepsakes. I don’t remember much about the day itself, but I can assert confidently that the dynamic captured in these images is representative of the dynamic between me and my grandfather on any given day. More specifically, I look for my next mission. And even when he has to run—literally or figuratively—Grandpa remains behind …Read More >
News and Events
A Profile of Immigrants in North Carolina
North Carolina, like many states in the US, is comprised of vibrant and diverse immigrant communities. Immigrants make up 8% of the state’s population and 10% of its workforce, contributing billions of dollars of taxes and pouring hundreds of billions in spending-power into North Carolina’s economy every year, according to 2015 statistics from the American Immigration …Read More >
New Year’s Resolutions
When I was younger, I would make New Year’s resolutions that I was never able to keep. After a while, I gave up on making them. A few years ago, I came up with a simple one: to always seek to be my best self and a better person in general. For this year, my 2019 resolution was to find a new job by May 1st. It didn’t happen exactly then, but by the end of May, I had a new …Read More >
It’s the Most Heartbreaking Time of the Year
I don’t ‘come from money,’ so holidays have never been about receiving the latest technological innovations or a plethora of gifts. I don’t come from a large, close-knit family, so I don’t have stories about favorite, long-held holiday traditions. In college, I spent the holidays working, glad for a place to go. In grad school, I spent them at the movie theater with my …Read More >
Kendra: A Year Later
My oldest sister, Kendra, was the jokester in the family. She always made everyone laugh. She was an Aries, a fire sign like me, and was naturally stubborn and bull-headed. But that wasn’t always a bad thing. She had a strong personality and a lively spirit. I never thought that I would have to be in this world without her, not for a long time. Yet her life was cut …Read More >
The Complexities of Triumph
Students sometimes ask me if my Ph.D. was “worth it”—the financial, psychological, and physical sacrifices I made to earn it. For years, I answered honestly with, “It depends on the day.” Over the past year and a half, however, as I have settled in a new place and taken on a new position, I feel lucky to be able to more often offer a confident “yes.” Still, I remain aware …Read More >