Hi, I’m Natalie….

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been asking a lot of questions. When I was a child, I noticed that some things didn’t make sense about school and the world around me. My strategy for navigating the everyday mostly consisted of burying myself in a book and minding my own business. But I remained curious and emboldened. I practiced resisting, imagining and working toward my own “good thing” with lots of support (and a few raised eyebrows and ruffled feathers) along the way. My educational and professional journey has been shaped by the many questions, wonderings and efforts to be my full self in spaces that too often seem hell-bent on flattening me. What a gift it is to get to teach, create and seek out answers to the things that puzzle me. And to do so largely on my own terms is a blessing indeed. One that comes with great responsibility.

I’ve been teaching in formal and informal spaces for over 15 years. After obtaining my PhD, I transitioned into a role as postdoctoral research fellow and now work as a professor and education researcher. My professional work has included elementary, undergraduate and graduate-level teaching, adult education, youth development/mentoring and collaborations with youth-serving (arts, STEAM and community) organizations. I also facilitate and design professional learning experiences with and for teachers. If you are interested in my professional bio and university appointment, you can find more information here.

To know me is to know that I am excited and passionate about my work. It is the bread and butter that keeps me connected to other dreamers, creatives, critical thinkers, teachers, and researchers who are reaching toward the light. I get think deeply and write beautiful pieces for people to read and learn from. I am by no means the perfect scholar or educator, but I love that I get the chance to try to create things that honor the gifts that children offer. I get to honor my family and community and feel that love mirrored back 10x-fold. In doing this work, I get to remember what it felt like to be an opinionated little Black girl with a book and endless questions. I can appreciate how close and far away I am from the old/younger me.