is a doctoral candidate and critical communications scholar at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism who studies Black women’s activism, affective labor, and online social movements. Nicole is interested in how Black women and femme activists’ digital labor practices constitute an affective discursive structure that allows this group of activists to further their social movements and create a more liveable life for themselves and others in this late-stage capitalist moment. Nicole is currently collecting data and performing interviews for her dissertation in this area under the guidance of her co-chairs, Dean Sarah Banet-Weiser and Dr. Allissa Richardson. Nicole will receive her doctorate in Communication with a certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Spring of 2025. 

Nicole graduated from Pepperdine University in 2017 with a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication. Bush also holds her Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California (2010) and received her BA in English from Georgetown University (2009). Bush’s work has been included in the handbook, The Rhetoric of Social Movements: Networks, Power, and New Media (Crick et al., 2020), as well as in the Journal of Children and Media. Bush has also presented at the 2021 National Communication Association Conference and the 2022 Cultural Studies Association Conference.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Nicole is deeply passionate about movement and the wellbeing of her community. As a nationally certified Pilates and meditation instructor, she actively promotes physical and mental wellbeing for other Black women and femmes in her community. Nicole understands that our communities desperately need care in this unique moment of human history. Through her research and practical engagement, she aims to promote new ways of thinking about and understanding social media activism, community care, and wellbeing in this late-stage capitalist moment.