Research

I am currently conducting research on community justice efforts and criminal justice reform in Washington State. 

My dissertation research explored women’s experience of conflict and transitional justice in Guatemala. I draw heavily on Indigenous scholarship, and the fields of human rights, international affairs, transitional justice, and genocide studies.

Throughout my undergraduate and graduate education, as well as my professional experience prior to pursuing my PhD, I have been motivated by a desire to broaden public understanding of and engagement with human rights.

As a scholar, I seek to understand how internationally driven, top-down approaches to post war justice often come up short in addressing survivors’ needs. My research has the potential to transform our understanding of post-conflict realities in Guatemala and other contexts around the world, but also to provide clear alternatives of building peace that centralize the priorities and existing work of marginalized communities.

I have experience conducting in-depth research on genocides and human rights atrocities, particularly Guatemala, Rwanda, Bosnia, and El Salvador. I currently conduct research on criminal justice reform and immigrant rights in Washington state.