Overview
I am a PhD student interested in examining how the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) communicates about officer-involved shootings through both internal and external forms. Specifically, I analyze how the frequency of LAPD press releases vary depending on the category of firearm discharge, and how these communications shift across demographic, spatial, and temporal boundaries. My next step in this work hopes to explore the ways language choices in official statements are used to forward specific narratives about policing and police work to contribute to broader discourse around policing.
Before coming to Cornell, I worked at various think tanks researching topics such as law enforcement practices, public safety policy, and criminal justice reform. I hold a BA in Political Science with minors in Sociology and History from Middlebury College, as well as an MA in Sociology from American University.
Alongside my primary research, I have a budding interest in how language within recovery spaces shapes individuals’ experiences and willingness to engage in recovery from drug use. I am curious about how dynamics surrounding personal understandings of substance use emerge in the language of abstinence-based approaches, harm reduction, and drug courts. Though new to this space, I am eager to build on existing scholarship and contribute to conversations about the power of language in shaping recovery journeys.