Samantha (she/her) is a doctoral student studying language and literacy education. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland College Park and an M.A. in TESOL  from Georgetown University. She taught English as a Second Language at Baltimore/Washington area community colleges for three years before coming to UCSB. Her research focuses on the intersections of language, race, and education with a specific focus on heritage language learners and students classified as English Learners. She currently works as a coordinator and instructor for the School Kids Investigating Language in Life and Society Program (SKILLS) and TA's in the Asian American Studies Department.