As a student from an underrepresented community, I had the opportunity to participate in multiple programs at the University of Illinois (President’s Award Program, Summer Research Opportunities Program) that have helped me progress in my academic career. I am indebted and continue to be interested in mentoring students from underrepresented backgrounds. While at the university, I appreciated the opportunity to mentor students interested in veteran health through the TRIO McNair Program.

My research is primarily concerned with the social determinants of health. From the perspective of a rural sociologist, I am curious about how the conditions in which people live involve complex, integrated, and overlapping social structures and economic systems that lead to health inequalities.

I prioritize using massive datasets for population-level analyses and subpopulation analyses that consider additional social determinants. These diversity-focused findings are only possible with the computational power and administrative records that we have today. One example is a publication under review that looks at how minoritized entrepreneurs overcome exclusionary barriers to entrepreneurship through military service. 

As an academic professional, I have implemented a system for continuous quality improvement (CQI) within the Chez Veterans Center to foster an environment for student success. This included two sizeable campus-level research studies on military-connected students in higher education and the use of university administrative data to identify and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of program and service delivery.

Exploring various social issues in the classroom can often be complex and challenging. I believe in structured discomfort, which enables students to grow empathy and understanding in the classroom. I carefully wove a classroom activity on the coming-out experiences of LGBTQ+ students with queer theology to alleviate audience alienation at a private religious institution. I also allowed students to participate anonymously through technology. I needed to foster an environment where students felt safe to express their views and have productive conversations. This way, we could guide the discussion toward an objective analysis, ensuring sociological knowledge’s scientific integrity.

Many students fear statistics and programming. However, increasing the diversity of those in health data analytics is crucial as it allows for considering multiple perspectives and experiences, ensuring more accurate, robust, and fair models that reflect the real world. I plan to use scaffolded assignments and collaborative projects to build students’ skills gradually. Using personal examples, such as a social network analysis of their university emails, can make data science more tangible and relevant. Based on my experiences teaching statistics and GIS at the graduate level, I will also emphasize the importance of making mistakes in learning.

Finally, my campus service uses data science to support the recruitment and success of underrepresented students in higher education. In service, I participate in the Provost’s Committee for Recruitment/Retention of Student Veterans and the Illinois Data Insights group.