Research & Writing

My earliest research examined how communities form identity and how shared values guide public life. At Malone University, I explored whether church-based sports programs should promote competition — a study that informed a public forum titled “The Competitive Edge: The Role of Christians in Sport.” The framework that emerged from this work directly shaped youth sports programs across multiple countries, many of which adapted the CLAY Team Sports developmental model I helped design.

I later expanded this inquiry, presenting with the Christian Society of Kinesiology and Leisure Studies on theological and ethical foundations for personal wellness. These projects deepened my interest in how ethics informs systems — from youth development to institutional design.

During my graduate work at The Ohio State University, my research explored civic structures and public responsibility. I published a lesson plan through OSU’s Origins magazine examining the international ripple effects of the American Civil Rights Movement, highlighting how movements for justice travel across borders and shape global democratic discourse.

I also presented research on:

• combatting the school-to-prison pipeline, focusing on equity and institutional accountability
• how national origin shaped refugee experience during the early stages of the Russo-Ukrainian War, integrating comparative politics with real-time humanitarian dynamics

During this period, I served as a panelist for the Barna Group’s “State of the Church: Columbus” report release, offering insights into generational engagement, public life, and civic responsibility.

This body of work reflects my ongoing interest in how individuals understand — and are shaped by — public institutions and global events.

Teaching government, constitutional law, international politics, and Model UN has kept my research grounded in current events and institutional behavior. My curriculum work continually integrates breaking news, legal developments, international diplomacy, and civic processes, helping students connect public systems to the world they encounter on social media and in daily life — especially during election cycles.

This real-time civic research and curriculum design strengthens my understanding of how democratic systems function, where they break, and how people learn to engage with them.

My recent research focuses on the ethical, civic, and legal implications of emerging technologies. I have conducted applied research in:

• AI ethics and human-centered design
• responsible AI use in education and business settings
• transparency and documentation in algorithmic systems
• policy literacy for non-technical institutions

I have submitted proposals to national audiences, including AERA, and continue to expand this work toward future scholarship and publication.

This research connects directly to my legal studies, particularly in areas of administrative law, data governance, and accountability systems.

Several ongoing writing projects extend the themes of my scholarly and professional work:

1. A Daily Devotional Based on a Seven-Year Curriculum

A long-term synthesis of leadership development, ethics, scripture, and formation — connecting individual growth with communal responsibility.

2. The FiftyOne Project

A book examining civic literacy, polarization, and the future of democratic culture, tied to an emerging nonprofit initiative focused on civil discourse, youth empowerment, and community-building.

These projects allow me to weave together ethics, civics, and governance into forms accessible to broader audiences.

Across these diverse projects, my research consistently returns to core themes:

• how values shape public life
• how institutions guide (or fail) human flourishing
• how law and governance can protect justice and accountability
• how emerging technologies challenge existing systems
• how education prepares communities to navigate civic complexity

This work informs my developing identity as a legal thinker and public-interest practitioner, grounding my study of law in lived experience, cultural awareness, and a commitment to ethical systems.