#firstgen
phd โข asst prof
@ucblueash
โข social media + reality TV โข representation + identity โข production + political economy โข mental health + wellness
Today, I reached a huge milestone: I passed my dissertation defense and am officially a Dr. (I donโt think it has actually hit me yet)! ๐๐ Reflecting on this journey fills me with gratitude for the support from my advisors, committee members, mentors, friends, and family.
I am thrilled to share I accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of English and Communication at
@UCBlueAsh
! As a first-generation college student, I never envisioned earning a PhD or becoming a professor. From living at my parents' house
I passed my prelim defense today. Iโm now a PhD Candidate! WHAAAAAAA?! Being first-gen and from a working class poor background, I never thought I would study at this level. Very very THANKFUL for my committee of wonderful scholars and mentors. I haven't told tell them this yet,
my article, "You better work! Drag queen performativity and visibility on
#dragqueen
TikTok," is now live in Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture.
@IntellectBooks
This link should take you to the article --
โจโจโจโจ
first-gen student who earned my BA & MA at UC โก๏ธ advising & teaching for many many years โก๏ธ now starting a new chapter as an Assistant Professor of Communication at UCBA! ๐ Itโs been an incredible journey, and I am so excited to kick off the school year in this new role. It
๐๐ I am V honored and thankful to receive one of the AoIR2024 Kelly Quinn Travel Scholarships!โญ๏ธโจ
โ๏ธ๐This support will allow me to travel to Sheffield to present my dissertation research on TikTok therapy.๐คณ๐ง
#AoIR2024
#TikTokTherapy
I am extremely honored to be receiving such an important award โ the 2021 Graduate Prize in Gender & Womenโs Studies! Receiving this award would not have been possible without my community of support, including mentors, colleagues, comrades, friends, and family. To all
Gotta finish some final revisions, but super pumped this paper with Yueyang Yao and Dr. Tanja Aitamurto will be published in IJoC. Weโve been working on this for over 2 years, so it feels especially sweet โ stay tuned if youโre interested in OBGYN TikTok Docs!
#IJoC
#tiktokdocs
๐จ Call for Submissions! ๐จ Are you interested in reality TV and influencers? ๐บ๐คณPlz think about submitting your abstract to our
#SCMS2025
panel!
@zaritaylor_
and I are looking for fresh insights and critical perspectives. ๐ง ๐งMore info and link to submit below!๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ป
Our article -- Examining Communicative Forms in
#TikTokDocs
โ Sexual Health Videos is now live in the International Journal of Communication
#IJoC
!!
Check it out here, open access --
Honored & excited to step into the role of social media editor for
@FemMediaStudies
in the new year! Thank you
@blackgaygemini
for recommending me &
@sophiehbishop
for leading the charge & being so wonderful in helping me. I canโt wait to learn from you and the editorial team. ๐
Here is our own feminist studies diva
@stein_krysten
, named Social Media Editor of the journal Feminist Media Studies!
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐บ (she like catz)
So v excited to attend & present at my first
@ConsolePassions
conference. ๐๐คฉ Thankful for the hybrid option and for
@AmandaAnnKlein
encouraging me to submit! ๐๐ CANNOT WAIT!
I am super thankful & honored
@KishonnaGray
asked me to work on this piece with her for
@Gend_Soc
โผ๏ธโค๏ธ
Check it out & feel free to share โ โWe โsaid her nameโ and got zuckedโ: Black Women Calling-out the Carceral Logics of Digital Platforms ๐๐๐ป๐๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐๐พ๐๐ฟ
So v excited this article is out in
@FemMediaStudies
!!
@EviePsarras
led the charge on this. I am so thankful I got to work with her
@priyavshah18
on this project. We look at how the women of The Bachelorette make the transition to influencer status on Instagram. Through critical
I am delighted to be considered & to have had my candidacy for the
@icahdq
Board Student & Early Career Representative position announced today during the Presidential Address, Fellows' Induction, and Award Ceremony.
I enjoyed discussing TikTok's expansion into longer-form content with
@claresduffy
at
@CNNBusiness
. A big thank you to
@drjessmaddox
for connecting us!
"TikTok is pushing longer videos. Some creators worry about the vibe shift" --
thrilled to announce my essay "Shaping Body Image: The Influence of Reality Television and Social Media" will be featured in the Women's History in the U.S. database by
@ABC_CLIO
, launching this October! ๐
#BodyImage
#WomensHistory
Thanks for recommending me
@blackgaygemini
:]
๐จNew database announcement!!
WOMEN'S HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES is launching Fall 2024 and will join The American Mosaic series!
Find out more and learn how you can receive exclusive updates, free resources, and early previews of this database here! ๐
Rita eating her sushi, edamame, & soup with a Diet Coke in front of her giant window with the sunshine beaming in & the beautiful vases on the windowsill has me bawling. I just want to scream, "YES, GRL! ENJOY - U DESERVE THIS & SO MUCH MORE!"
#handmaidstale
@HandmaidsOnHulu
V honored to receive funding from the Jane Feuer Memorial Fund for my 1st
@ConsolePassions
conference! Jane Feuer's work has been critical in my own work & thinking. She showed me the significance of TV & popular culture, especially how it can be a space for liberation. THANK U!
we just signed a lease & couldn't be more excited to return to Cincinnati! โญ๏ธ ready to call this beautiful space in Over-the-Rhine & Findlay Market our home. grateful to be part of such a vibrant community in this great city. cheers to new beginnings & making more memories! ๐กโจ
i just got my first โofficialโ influencer contract for an ethical brand i love. as someone who studies content creators, it is v interesting to see a contract from this end. also, i am super honored & excited as i started
Very very honored and thankful to receive an award from the Spring 2022 Presidentโs Research in Diversity Travel Assistance program through the University of Illinois system!
I know Iโm privileged in many ways, but being a PhD student, having continuous family emergencies going on, being responsible for my parents, being first-gen, winter, and the impact of COVID in general, I am tired. I want to hibernate for a couple of months. Anyone else?
4๏ธโฃ prelims done, 1๏ธโฃ more to go, and my oral defense. i made ceecee this little throne so she can sit by me while i work. the best emotional support everโผ๏ธ๐ป
My second published book review as a PhD student arrived in the mail today. I review How Artifacts Afford by Jenny Davis in Communication Research Trends. ๐ค๐ฑ๐ป๐ฅ๐บ
V excited for this as I am currently writing my dissertation on TikTok Therapy thru a 2 pronged approach โ textual analysis of TikTok Therapy videos & interviews with licensed mental health creators who create content on TikTok. Thanks
@datasociety
for the report & this event! ๐คฉ
๐ฃNew! In "Doing the Work," D&S Researcher
@livgar_
examines the changing realities for mental health professionals in the US as therapeutic labor is restructured by teletherapy services and digital platforms. 1/4
Some therapists are turning to TikTok as a way to make more money and avoid burnout, but is a nightly scroll through therapy content enough to help solve our mental health crisis?
@voxdotcom
's
@rebexxxxa
explains.
students in one of my classes this semester kept commenting on how they liked my outfits and how i put them together (v v sweet), so they asked if i could put together outfits based off of themes they give me. today was citrus โ like lemon and lime ๐
V excited to present on 2 panels and attend
@SCMStudies
this weekend โผ๏ธ
#scms2022
#SCMS22
1โ ongoing research with
@MediaOracle
on COVID19, fandom, and mental health
2โ ongoing research with
@annienavar
on technochauvinism and the representation of AI on reality TV
this is only my second ICA, but my last as the student & early career rep for
@ICAPopular
-- i am getting my tentative schedule together, & there are so many great sessions. would love to meet up irl. feel free to reach out if you'd like to grab a coffee/tea/food, etc.
#ICA23
Does anyone else love bedding, fabrics, & linens? Iโve been wanting this bed cover for 4 months. Iโve been saving a little each pay check & finally bought it today. Female owned, ethically produced linen, made from scraps of linen, so no waste! I canโt wait until it arrives! ๐
V excited to present my paper, YOU BETTER WORK! Drag Queen Performativity and Visibility on TikTok at the online Symposium "TikTok and Social Movements" organized by
@tiktokcultures
on Sept 20! Check out the link below for more info.
#TikTokCultures
.
Finished my 4th prelim exam Friday & have been sleeping all weekend. Bummed Iโve been missing
#SCMS22
, but happy I have the panels saved so I can watch the recordings. Woke up for a bit last night to chill with the cats. ๐ป Is anyone else just completely tuckered out? ๐ตโ๐ซ
I wanted to share because life is hard. I think in academia we need to celebrate the wins more oftenโผ๏ธReflecting on my almost decade ๐of teaching. Thankful to have the opportunity to work with some wonderful students. What we do in the classroom and how we treat students matter,
๐ขInterested in embodied knowledge, wellness, and social media? Join us for this online session [
@uva_gdc
] -- "Intimately Knowing the Body: Embodied Knowledge Production and Wellness on Social Media." Excited to share this space with these lovely scholars!๐
Thrilled that the two
#ica22
panels I am a part of have been accepted! A HUGE thanks to all of my collaborators. You give me hope for academia! Canโt wait to hopefully meet in Paris! ๐ซ๐ท
I donโt have symptoms, but I am testing to keep myself & those around me safe. We are all connected & responsible for one another. Thankful for a negative test, especially as this is the most travel & social interaction Iโve done since the beginning days of COVID.
#ICAcovidsafe
I canโt believe my 2 years as the student & early career rep for
@ICAPopular
will conclude @ the end of the 2023 Toronto conference, but I am very honored to be considered for one of the
@icahdq
Board Student & Early Career Representative positions!
When
@TomDivon
& I first โmet,โ & chatted online, it was like meeting a friend I had known forever. Being able to meet IRL in Paris has been such a treat for my soul. Thanks for being such a stellar, caring friend & scholar. xoxo ๐
V honored to receive 1
of the 10 Presidentโs Research in Diversity Travel Awards through the
@UniversityofIl
System! โThis competitive award program has been established for the purpose of promoting diversity and the understanding of diversity within the University.โ
As a first-generation student, this achievement feels especially meaningful and uplifting because it represents the realization of a dream that once seemed so far out of reach. We now have two first-generation doctors in our house โ a PhD and a juris doctor (Donnell)! ๐ฉ๐ผโ๐๐จ๐ฝโ๐
I am really enjoying this read! Check it out if you do or want to do intersectional pop culture research. The writing, explanations, real life examples, reflections, and praxis are great. ๐
Ready for my 10 hour day on campus between teaching, office hours, and classes Iโm taking. I forgot how to get ready and plan for an entire day away from home. Anyone else? ๐คฏ๐คฏ๐๐
I only made a Twitter account for academic stuff. Itโs been great connecting me to other like-minded academics & academic opportunities I wouldnโt have gotten otherwise. Is it time to go to mastodon? Iโm tired thinking about learning & managing another social media platform ๐ตโ๐ซ
Super excited to hear everyone's awesome research & to talk about therapy as entertainment and the gendered televisual of therapy at
@ConsolePassions
#CPOrlando
!
@ThePCSJ
Volume 9 Issue 1 is now live -- check it out! I write about the rhetorical tactics utilized in The Oprah Show episode, โA Secret Sex World: Living on the Down Low" to further understand scapegoating techniques and the cultural and rhetorical understandings of