Erika is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus - Asia Division. Prior to moving to Japan, she was a Assistant Professor at Eastern Florida State College after 8 years as a writing consultant for their Writing Center and as an Assitant Professor English instructor. She received her Master's degree in English from Morehead State University with her thesis focusing on creative writing, specifically poetry; her works illustrate motherhood and maternal relationships within Latinx families.

Erika served as the managing editor for the 2016/2017 edition of the Titan Promethean. She also presented "Let’s Talk Over Some Coco: Culturally-infused Concepts of Death and Dying in Children Fantasy Narratives from Coco to Kena: Bridge of Spirit" at the 2021 Popular Culture Association conference which explored death and dying in children's media.