She earned her doctorate in literacy education with a focus on postsecondary literacy from Northern Illinois University, and she also holds an M.A. degree in Literature and an M.A.T. degree in Secondary English Education. Her experience includes teaching at the primary, secondary, and postsecondary levels, and she has spent much of her teaching career in urban settings. Her research focuses on broadening the definition of literacy in an effort to better understand perceptions of literate behavior in academic settings, reconceptualizing literacy as a social practice, using literacy as means of developing social capital, and working with diverse student populations (first-year, first-generation).