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About

I'm a sociologist and ethnographer who earned my PhD in 2023 from Cornell University. I'm currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity at the University of Notre Dame. My research interests include race and ethnicity, the criminal legal system, and schools.

My current work explores the nexus of race, place, and punishment in schooling in the Louisiana Delta. Based on over a year of in-depth ethnography at a public middle school in northeast Louisiana, I explore how cultural, political, and historical factors intersect to shape the disciplinary climate and experiences of Black students in school.

Before Cornell, ​I spent 4 years as a Research Analyst at Westat, a social science research firm in Rockville, MD, and also worked in research and evaluation at education nonprofits, including Facing History and Ourselves and Big Brother Big Sister of America.

In addition to my academic work, I've spent years consulting and serving as a Director of DEI in the corporate sector, blending research, storytelling, and strategy to drive systems and culture change in organizations.

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I grew up in a small town in Maine, and then worked my way down the East Coast, pursuing my BA at Emmanuel College and a Master of Public Health from Drexel University, where my work focused on racial health disparities. 

When I'm not working on manuscripts or crunching on Takis with middle school students, you can find me listening to 90s neosoul, being the most amateur of photographers, making a mess in the kitchen, and training my nieces and nephews in the art of a well placed side eye.

An old picture of Meaghan, around age 5, sitting on a low wall with relaxed posture and one leg tucked under her. She's wearing a yellow t shirt and has on oversized sunglasses.
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