About Me

My mom and I practicing writing (as always!)

Background

I am a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Michigan where I study the relationship between structural racism, urban development, and technology. My research projects engage with structural of racial and and economic hierarchies as it manifests in the platform gig economy. 

I would describe myself as a globetrotter from birth. I was born in Japan and moved around frequently as a child. My international upbringing is a context that has informed my perspective that society is interconnected on a global scale. In an increasingly globalized world, I'm constantly thinking about my research within my multicultural, historical, and racialized lens

My paternal great-grandmother, shortly before moving from New Orleans to Los Angeles.

A collage of my paternal grandmother.

My parents, my maternal grandmother, and me.

At the University of Michigan, I study how platform technologies shape patterns of inequality and racism at the intersection of consumerism, labor, and health. Through a reparative lens, I examine how historical racial inequities influence contemporary disparities in material challenges, employment access, and physical and mental well-being. I explore how these historical patterns should inform present and future racial equity efforts. I investigate the impact of public policies on these experiences and trends, and consider how the integration of platform technologies—such as store-to-door delivery logistics, platform app-based gig work, and predictive algorithms—shapes inequalities. This involves exploring how people perceive the utility and impact of platform technologies and how these impacts may vary across different populations.

I am grateful to have my work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and institutions within the University of Michigan, including the National Center for Institutional Diversity and the Institute for Social Research-Population Studies Center.

If you were looking for a more formal bio, please view my CV.