Outside the lab (though I’d argue it isn’t really outside), I organize.

DeFlock Emory

I helped lead the DeFlock Emory Coalition, a cross-campus effort to remove Flock Safety’s automated license-plate readers from our campus. We collected over 1,000 petition signatures, built relationships with AAUP and student groups, and produced teach-in, op-ed, and outreach materials that made the stakes legible to our community.

September 2026: Emory discontinued its Flock contract and the cameras came down.

Campus surveillance is not abstract for undocumented people, and I’ve spoken publicly about what it costs to be watched at the place where you work. There is more to do, but it was proof that when we organize together, the university has to listen.

Coverage of the campaign is collected on my In the News page.

Where I Sit

  • HHMI Gilliam Advisory Council, elected representative (2026–2027). I work with HHMI and the Gilliam team to strengthen communication with the Fellows community and to shape the Gilliam Fellows Program through concrete recommendations.
  • Emory University Senate, Community Life Committee, appointed graduate student representative (2026–2027).
  • VP of Communications for EmoryUnite!, our graduate-worker union, elected by the membership. I also lead the International Student Working Group.

I’ve also led a session on anti-racist practices in my PhD program and pushed for a more transparent, equitable recruitment process, and I mentor undergraduate researchers, because who gets to do science matters to me as much as the science itself.

Why

I organize because the people who do the teaching, research, and care work that keep a university running deserve a real say in their conditions, and because international, undocumented, and other vulnerable workers are too often left out of that conversation. Again and again, I’ve watched decisions get made for marginalized communities without their input, by people who assume they already know what’s best.

On the Record

I’m a DACA recipient, and I don’t hide it. I almost didn’t make it to college. DACA students in Georgia can’t access federal aid or state tuition assistance, and I’m here because of programs like TheDream.US Opportunity Scholarship and people who decided to invest in me. Staying quiet keeps no one safe, so I use whatever platform I have to help the people coming up behind me and to improve conditions for the people under attack right now.