She received a Ph.D. in Planning from University of Southern California in 2001. The heart of her research focuses on urban planning processes in diverse, multicultural communities with an emphasis on the ways in which the urban planning processes can marginalize or empower the voices of racial and ethnic minorities. Her recent published work examines anti-immigrant and immigrant-friendly local policy making in U.S. cities, as well as the spatial implications of racial micro-aggressions on college campuses.