I am a faculty member in the psychology program at the University of Louisiana Monroe, where I teach a range of undergraduate courses, including research methods, psychology laboratory, and capstone courses. My teaching emphasizes the development of critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and hands-on research skills, with the goal of preparing students for graduate study and professional careers. 

I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from the University of Louisiana Monroe , and my doctorate in education from the University of Louisiana Monroe . My academic training has shaped my interdisciplinary approach to understanding student learning, motivation, and performance in higher education. 

My research focuses on student success in higher education, with particular attention to general self-efficacy, academic motivation, procrastination, and fear of failure. I am especially interested in how these psychological constructs interact to influence students’ goal-setting, persistence, and overall academic performance. Much of my work examines how students’ beliefs about their own abilities shape their engagement in academic tasks and their willingness to pursue challenging goals. 

In addition to these primary interests, I explore personality factors and how they relate to academic behaviors such as entitlement, avoidance, and performance outcomes. My research often uses college student populations and aims to produce findings that can be directly applied to improving teaching practices and student support strategies. 

Beyond research and teaching, I am actively involved in mentoring undergraduate students in research, supporting their professional development, and engaging in community outreach, including work with veteran populations in Northeast Louisiana.