Adrienne’s interest in media and communications research stems from her professional experience as a journalist, where she grew fascinated by the powerful effect of language on public perception of an issue or event. She earned master’s and doctorate degrees in linguistics from Georgetown University and UCLA, respectively, where her research focused on social and cultural aspects of language use — in particular, discourses around identity and group affiliation. She has investigated mass media narratives around political conflict in Kenya, group identification among indigenous Mexican immigrants in Southern California, and social determinants of mental health among schizophrenia patients in Mexico.

Prior to joining ReThink, Adrienne led research and communications projects in UCLA’s Division of Student Affairs. She has also taught linguistics at UCLA, Long Beach City College, and CSULB, and has freelanced as an annotator and editor for analytics companies and academic publishers.

When not obsessing over language and politics, Adrienne enjoys practicing yoga, wine-tasting in her native San Luis Obispo County, and cuddling with her terrier mix, Pablo.