A native of North Carolina, she graduated from Fayetteville State University (FSU), a Historically Black College in North Carolina, with a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. She received her Master of Science degree in Mathematics from FSU as well. She received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, IL., also earning a Master of Science degree in Earth and Planetary Science and a Certificate in Data Science from NU.
​
A Ronald E. McNair Scholar, Northwestern University IDEAS fellow, GEM fellow, Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Scholar, and a Black Compute Her Fellow she has a long-standing commitment to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM.
She is the founder of an educational non profit CSESC (Computer Science Education in Service to Communities) pronounced as "C-skayp". Providing individuals with experiences to build knowledge in computer science related topics for societal participation and impact the next generation of leaders.
​
She has participated in data science internships for federal government agencies such as the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. Developed curriculum, researching, and facilitating STEM programs that introduce learners to concepts such as seismology, wearable technologies, IoT devices, programming languages, and data science.
Publishing several journal articles on the design and implementation of data science and computer science experiences for 6-12 grade learners. She also developed an enrichment program as part of her dissertation called Data Diamonds which introduces young girls to data science topics, practices, and careers.
With 10+ years of experience in STEM education at the 6-12 and University levels her driving motivation is helping learners develop an understanding of complex concepts and build their skills related to everyday topics. She is currently working as a post-doctoral researcher at Clemson University, through an awarded NSF proposal to design data science resources for learning and teaching.
​
Education
PhD
Northwestern University
MS
Fayetteville State University
BS
Fayetteville State University
Computer Science
Research: Designing Web-based Tools for Data Visualization Skill Development.
Mathematics
Research: Designing mathematical models to predict cancer immunotherapy.
Computer Science
Research: Predictive analysis of graduation and retention rates of STEM majors.
Skills & Tools
Skills: Survey and Experiment Design, Science Communication, Data Visualization, Technical Writing, Instruction methods, Statistical Analysis Methods
​
Research Method: Contextual Inquiry Studies, In-depth Interviews, Mental Map, User Journey Map Building, Survey Design, Usability Testing, Learning Outcomes, Statistical Analysis, Regression, ANOVA, Causal Inference
​
Tools: Python, R, SPSS, SQL, D3, HTML, MATLAB, Tableau, Generic Mapping Tools (GMT), Spark+AI, GraphX, Microsoft Office, Excel, Google Sheets, Video Editing Software, Canvas, Survey software, Zoom