I am a medical anthropologist and researcher. I am currently a contractor for geographic experts on asylum cases in Italy. My previous job was Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. I graduated with my doctorate in Applied Medical Anthropology from the University of South Florida. My dissertation entitled, “Mental Health and the Effects of Stress and Violence on Migrant Farmworker Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic," focused on im/migrants living in Apopka, Florida. I received my M.A. in Anthropology and a certificate in non-profit management at the University of Central Florida. My M.A. thesis, "Life After the Boat: Understanding the Needs of Refugees in Siracusa," focused on adult and unaccompanied minor refugees living in Siracusa, Sicily, and won the UCF Outstanding Thesis Award for the College of Sciences. I earned my B.A. in interdisciplinary cultural studies at the University of Alabama. From 2010-2012, I served as an AmeriCorps volunteer, working with migrant youth and socioeconomic inequalities in the Apopka community. My research interests include cultural anthropology, applied anthropology, medical anthropology, migration, refugees, non-governmental organizations, advocacy, Italy, and Africa.