Change the Narrative

Candice is a second-year sociology PhD student at The Ohio State University and currently resides in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to moving to the midwest, Candice served as a Program Analyst at the Vera Institute of Justice and spent time as a writing tutor with New York University's Prison Education Program. She considers herself an avid reader, researcher, and strives to bridge the gap between the social sciences and community advocacy. 

In February 2020, Candice earned a Master of Arts degree in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University. While at Columbia, she engaged in interdisciplinary coursework, taking classes within the Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Department of Sociology, and Columbia Law. The coursework alongside personal and professional experiences led to her MA thesis, "Collective Action Behind Bars: Examining the Conditions Under Which Incarcerated Individuals Strike."
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Seeking to incorporate the human rights framework in all endeavors, her research interests include: the commodification of punishment, the experiences of incarcerated laborers, collective action, and more. She often writes about incarceration, and has started a research project centered around monetary sanctions, debt accumulation, and financial precarity amongst formerly incarcerated individuals. 

A 2018 graduate of Penn State University, Candice obtained dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Criminology and Communication Arts and Sciences. While there, she was involved in the Presidential Leadership Academy, Schreyer Honors College diversity task-force, and co-founded The Underground, an independent, multicultural student-run media site devoted to sharing the untold stories on campus. 

Candice remains heavily involved with Penn State, serving in the Presidential Leadership Academy Alumni Program Group. She was also a founding member of Columbia University’s Human Rights Graduate Group. 

Relying on her personal motto, “change the narrative,” Candice believes that every person has a story to tell and hopes her research may provide  an opportunity to further uplift the experiences of those impacted by the U.S. punishment system. 

Candice alongside Penn State University President Eric Barron, Vice Provost of Educational Equity, Marcus Whitehurst, and other students during a weekend centered on diversity and inclusion