I am deeply fond of the statement: Integrity is what you do when no one is looking. Integrity is “adherence to moral and ethical principles—soundness of moral character and honesty—being whole, entire, and undiminished.” I am committed to preserving the individual and collective integrity of all. I embrace spaces and opportunities to advocate, mentor, inspire and create. How I show up in the world reflects who I am when no one is looking. In my roles as educator, scholar, public sociologist, ally, mentor, colleague, and artist, I believe in one’s right to dignity, an ignited self-esteem, and wholeness. I am ungrudgingly committed to community, humanitarianism, and social justice. As such, my approach to teaching is derived from four concepts I developed to evaluate effective teaching: classroom proprietorship (how instructor and students demonstrate an observable sense of community), operativeness (behaviors and attitudes that communicate classroom efficiency and manageability), concerted enlightenment (conscientious efforts employed by the instructor to actively engage the students), and instructor transparency (instructor’s ability to demonstrate their authenticity, expertise, humanness, and credibility).

Intersectionality theory is central to my scholarship, instruction, and commitment to integrity. My instruction as well as student advocacy and allyship explores how the effects of social divisions such as race, gender, class, ethnicity, nativity, sexual orientation, ability, and political affiliation, influence worldviews and life chances. I consider overt and covert biases in the materials I select as an instructor and in my own interpretations. I attempt to integrate diverse philosophical perspectives and interdisciplinary theories to query knowledge and knowledge formation. I encourage my students to critique the texts, perspectives, and various resources I provide for their instruction. In addition, I encourage them to deconstruct internalized ideas about power dynamics—even as they relate to our own student/instructor relationships. I remind them that they are not required to be representatives of a group or population and instead emphasize to them that their unique experiences narrow stereotypes and generalizations and add depth and dimensions to their wholeness.

To preserve and advance my students’ wholeness and integrity, I advocate for their holistic well-being. I have noticed a pattern among several of my BIPOC students to mention mental and emotional health struggles yet avoid student disability resources. In addition, first-generation college students are sometimes less aware of the various resources and university-wide opportunities available to them. As such, I am committed to destigmatizing mental health in my classroom and promoting opportunities on and off campus for my students. I utilize my social network to introduce students to research and relationships that align with their interests and career goals. I write letters of recommendation, chaperone student travel to Africa, incorporate virtual reality into my curriculum, mentor, and attend concerts, fashion shows, and ball games. I host on-campus meditative sound baths during midterms and finals for student mental health and provide research assistance and publication opportunities for students. At my students’ request, I recently designed the special topics course, From Start-up to Exit: The Sociology of Entrepreneurship & Cooperative Enterprise. This class examines entrepreneurship from a sociological perspective and pays particular attention to systemic gendered racism, racial solidarity, and intergenerational transfers of status and resources. Above all, I hold space for my students to tap into their wholeness and encourage them to see themselves as agents of social change and members of local and global pluralistic communities.