I'm a recent graduate of Wayne State with a Ph.D. in Philosophy. My dissertation focuses on the often-overlooked issue of salon segregation in the United States. In it, I explore how hair salons remain unofficially segregated by race, a reflection of deeper systemic inequalities with both historical and contemporary roots. Black hair is not just a physical attribute but a significant part of cultural identity and personal expression. My research challenges the idea that salon segregation is simply a natural outcome of preferences; instead, I argue it's a result of entrenched social processes, structural racism, and discriminatory policies that cause real harm to Black individuals. By including testimonials from Black individuals, I highlight the importance of validating their experiences to combat the injustices that often silence marginalized voices.

I currently teach Bioethics courses at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan

Beyond philosophy, I've been a hairstylist for over 25 years. After working in the same salon for 22 years, I decided to branch out on my own in 2021. I now rent a chair in a friend's salon in Ferndale, where I get to work with some of my favorite humans.

On a personal note, I live with my partner, who also graduated from Wayne's Philosophy Department and is now an adjunct professor, along with our dog Wyatt. We're both into games—both board and video—but with our busy schedules, we only have time for one or two hobbies these days. We've recently started playing D&D again, which has been a blast. I just finished a 268 hour (!!) playthrough of Assassin's Creed Odyssey as Cassandra, but I'm on a gaming break for the semester because I have no self-control when it comes to video games. I've also gotten into ceramics lately and am about to start a ceramics class again. I'm not great at it yet, but it's fun to play with clay.

When I'm not working, you can usually find me on a road (or plane) trip to see my favorite band, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. I've been following them all over the place for the last 20+ years. Aside from that, though, I'm pretty much a homebody and an introvert most of the time.