Degree(s) and Year(s) Degree(s) Conferred: Ph.D., 2009
Graduate Academic Program(s) at Penn State: Mass Communications
Current Professional Title: Director of Education and Curriculum Reform, Hindu American Foundation
Current Employer: Hindu American Foundation
Briefly describe your professional career, including your employment history and notable accomplishments
I was a journalist for nearly a decade before coming to Penn State. While I was a doctoral student and journalism instructor at Penn State my research focused on political economy and mass communications, with a specialization on race. After my Ph.D., I was a professor. I served as the chair of mass communications at Lincoln University and then went to Temple University. I co-founded a media literacy non-profit in Philadelphia. In 2013, I became the director of education at the Hindu American Foundation, where I currently work.
Please list honors, awards, and professional achievements
- Fulbright Specialist (2012-17)
- Certified anti-bias trainer, Anti-Defamation League
- Author of The Professor and the Pupil: The Politics and Friendship of WEB Du Bois and Paul Robeson (Nation Books, 2007); co-editor of Desi Rap (Lexington, 2008) and Global Masculinities and Manhood (University of Illinois, 2011); and editor of Thinking Dead (Lexington, 2013)
- Owning Black Masculinity, named one of top journal articles of the year by ICA (2009)
- Graduate Teaching Award, College of Communications (2009) awarded for outstanding teaching and receiving the highest scores on student evaluations
- Honorable mention, William Snorgrass Award for outstanding minority journalism research, American Journalism Historians Association (2007)
- First place, Best Article on Immigrant Issues, Racial or Social Justice, New York Independent Press Association (2007)
- Lead author, Wilmington HOPE Commission Report (2006) published 55-page report on crime and economic disparities in Wilmington, Delaware, and solutions offered by 20-member commission
- Award for Exemplary Educational Service to Delaware Students, presented by Goldey-Beacom College (2005) awarded for promoting community awareness through journalism
- Asian American Journalists Association Chapter President of the Year (2005)
- South Asian Journalists Association National Board member (2003)
- Resolution honoring contribution to government and public affairs journalism, enacted by the St. Paul City Council (2002), awarded for dedication to civic journalism, as recognized by the city of St. Paul
Please provide any advice to graduate students related to career exploration
Keep options open. Academia isn’t the only path, and there are ways to leverage your skills to find jobs that fit what you want. Don’t be afraid to experiment in order to experience new professional opportunities.