About

I was previously a graduate fellow for the Religion and Public Life Program at the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance and for the Center for the United States and Mexico at the Baker Institute for Public Policy. In the latter position, I hosted and produced the Judy Ley Allen Mexico Centered podcast, where I interviewed many academics as well as current and former government officials from the United States and Mexico.

Before starting my PhD, I earned a bachelor of music degree in clarinet performance from Union College (Lincoln, Nebraska) in 2016. During my time there, I founded and conducted the Recreare Ensemble, a chamber orchestra whose highlights included a performance of Beethoven’s First Symphony and a staging of Mozart’s musical comedy Impresario. I also conducted the college’s choral, orchestral, and symphonic band ensembles in several performances. In the year between college and attending graduate school, I conducted a string orchestra of homeschoolers and taught clarinet and beginning piano in the Lincoln area.

Outside of my academic work, I enjoy reading, brewing coffee, and playing clarinet whenever I can (which is not often these days).

I’m a native of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.