Nina grew up in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area and completed her bachelor’s degree in English from UVA and a M.A. in Teaching from Mary Baldwin. She worked as a high school English teacher before earning her Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences from North Carolina State University. She has taught in Albemarle County Public Schools and served the Charlottesville community through AmeriCorps. Her research has focused on arts-integration, critical literacy, and anti-racist teaching practices in middle and high school classrooms and community-based organizations.