My students are skeptical that I will finish this book before the semester ends. Like most academics, my TBR quickly gets hidden by the ever-present to-do list.

We have 7 weeks left and I have 191 pages to go.

★ Think I can do it? ★

#researcher #professor #books #bookrecommendations #readinglist

“Hope absolutely has to be part of the strategy. They’ll need hope.” - Ashley C. Rondini

This article perfectly illustrates how I aim to encourage hope from my students.

Because if we want students to stay engaged, we have to help them believe in transformation: www.asanet.org/footnotes-ar...

Back to work means back to recruitment!

I am still looking to interview military spouses who have been surrogates and people who are in the surrogacy industry!

If you are interested in participating or learning more, please fill out the interview interest form: docs.google.com/forms/d/16Fm...

While my back-to-school to-do list is glaring at me, I at least know my earring game is on point for this first week of formal activities:

Day 1 ★ Welcome back meetings!
Day 2 ★ Meeting new students at convocation
Day 3 ★ Faculty Senate Retreat
Day 4 ★ Shaheen college meeting + student greeting

Hard to believe it has been 20 years since I snuck into my first ASA before starting grad school!

The plenary with Patricia Hill Collins was a true highlight and it was wonderful to see old friends, make new connections, and talk about surviving academia. And I got to do it with Colleen Wynn!!!

As a sociologist, I study surrogacy not just as a medical option, but as a reflection of how our society handles reproduction, labor, and inequality.

While my work dives into surrogacy norms in subgroups such as military spouses, I thought I’d pop on here to share a refresher on the basics.

When I started researching the world of surrogacy in the U.S. in 2012, Zsuzsa Berend reached out to me in the early days to share tips and insights from her own research. Since then she has been a treasured mentor and friend.

Searching for People to Interview!

I am expanding on my past research on military spouses who have experience as a surrogate.

This research project has been approved by the University of Indianapolis Institutional Review Board (IRB). V2 - Approval date 5/19/2025; Approval Number 02071.

I’ll admit, I watched my cat explore her new water fountain because the cuteness was too much to ignore.

But it also made me think about how scary new things can be and that it is ok to test stuff out (like dipping a paw in the water) 🐾

Commencement 2025 was such a wonderful day!! Always so bittersweet to see our students graduate.

Congrats to the class of 2025!

#classof2025 #commencement #graduation #uindy #uindyproud

Officially Recruiting People to Interview!

I am expanding on my past research on military spouses who have experience as a surrogate. This is a voluntary interview study aimed to better understand and contribute to the larger public and academic discussion on surrogacy, motherhood, and gender.

I am so excited to share that I have been promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure!!

There are so many people that supported me along the way and helped me get to this dream and goal. This is a road I definitely could not have made it on alone.

Congrats to all on their tenure and/or promotion!

New Book Alert! 🚨🚨🚨

I am honored to be part of this fantastic new collection: Understanding Reproduction in Social Contexts. The group of authors is astounding and it was so wonderful to work with the editor, the brilliant Caitlin Killian.

Stay tuned here as I continue to share my research!

“Why sociology?”

★ Why is one neighborhood funded and another neglected?
★ Why are some bodies policed more than others?
★ Why is success often a mirror of inherited advantage?

Sociology is about learning to see clearly, and choosing not to look away!

#sociology #sociologist #sociologyclass