Help us welcome the members of the 2023-2024 Student Board by the AJE Editors
This is a forum of the American Journal of Education. It is a space for readers of the journal—researchers, students, and policy makers—to engage in dialogue on both of-the-moment issues enduring themes in education from pre-K through university. The forum is led by a Student Board and is mentored by the Journal’s senior editorial staff. These students both contribute new work to the Forum, review submissions, and engage in editorial work and professional development during their own course as graduate students. This year, we have featured a series on the lingering effects of the pandemic and pieces on a wide variety of topics in K-12 and higher education, including curriculum control policies and the politicization of education, student-centered leadership, computer science education, teacher burnout, teacher pay, the role of coaching support to school networks, and student labor unionization. Please welcome this year’s Student Board!
The members of the 2023-2024 Student Board are:
Ghadir Al Saghir is a second year PhD student in the Educational Theory and Policy program at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests focus on the development and reform of equitable educational policies and practices on the classroom-, school-, and district-level. Her work focuses on the impact of student voice on students and institutions, civil rights within an educational setting, and different equity and inclusion initiatives that target low-income and minoritized student populations. Ghadir’s interests go beyond k-12 education, as she works on providing an inclusive learning environment to international students in Higher Education, as well. Ghadir is also a Teach for Lebanon Alumna in 2019, and a Foreign Language Teaching Assistantship (FLTA) Fulbright Alumna at the Pennsylvania State University for the academic year 2020-2021
Ari Castonguay works full-time as the Data Accreditation Analyst at the George Washington University Law School, and is a part-time Ed.D. Higher Education Administration student at GWU as well. She has her M.S. and B.S. in economics from the University of Maine. Ari is primarily interested in conducting research on higher education access, attainment, and postgraduate outcomes. Her ultimate goal is to do higher education policy analysis work in Washington, DC.
Kayla Gill (She/her)is PhD student in the Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation program at the University of Kentucky. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Houston and B.A. in Social from the University of Kentucky. Kayla is currently the Senior Program Advisor for First-generation Student Services in the University of Kentucky’s Office for Student Success. Education has always been a powerful force in Kayla’s life, and her own journey as a first-generation college student served as a catalyst for her academic pursuits. In her role, she has a specialized focus on diverse first-generation student experiences and addressing educational inequities and advocating for marginalized students. In her research, Kayla aims to investigate policies and practices that can enhance the support systems for diverse first-generation students and promote their academic success, navigating campus culture and developing a sense of belonging.
Jingjing Liu (she/her) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Educational Policy, Planning & Leadership Program concentrating in Higher Education Administration at William & Mary. She is a Holmes Scholar and a Social Justice & Diversity Graduate Research Fellow at William & Mary, where she also teaches an English Language Course for international students. Her research interests include college access and success, college transition, and STEM education.
Martha Kakooza is a PhD student in Higher Education Administration at Morgan State University. She is also the Program Coordinator for the Women and Gender Resource Office at Johns Hopkins University and an instructor of International Perspectives of Women at Towson University. Currently, she is learning to become a scholar-practitioner whose work (both in scholarship and practice) is focused on the intersection of gender, immigration, and race. Her practice and programming are rooted in Africana womanism with the hopes of documenting lived and felt experiences through narrative inquiry. She holds both a BSc and MSc in Women and Gender Studies from Towson University.
Isaiah Moore is a Ph.D. student in the Educational Leadership, Policy, and Justice program at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a Research Assistant on a Spencer Funded Grant exploring race-conscious education policies and adaptive anti-discrimination in a divided, multi-racial democracy. Prior to doctoral studies, he attended Morehouse College and received a Bachelor of Arts in English. Soon after he obtained his Masters of Arts in Education from the College of William and Mary’s School of Education. Isaiah then worked as a Lead 8th grade English teacher. Drawing upon his experiences as a public school educator, Isaiah developed a line of research that investigates the intersections between communities and Full-Service Community School instruction, particularly how gentrification impacts community cultural wealth and policies that govern Community-Connected Instruction. His other areas of interests are school segregation, learning in non-traditional spaces, education federalism, the sociology and micropolitics of education, and curricular reform.
Trang Pham-Shouse is a PhD Candidate in Educational Leadership at Penn State, USA. Besides being a former English teacher at Foreign Language Specialized School, ULIS-VNU, she’s also the president, a co-founder and guest speaker of some community organizations/ projects for Vietnamese youth such as Water Wise Vietnam, CozyVil and MediaME. She got an MA in English Linguistics from Vietnam National University and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Penn State. Her research interests are pre-service teachers’ motivations and attrition; teacher education policy and professional development; service-learning and youth empowerment; teacher leadership and principalship in international contexts. Her current projects with colleagues are Vietnamese teachers’ intention to teach, and teacher leadership and well-being.
Nora Reikosky (she/her) is a joint PhD Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania in the Education, Culture, and Society division of the Graduate School of Education, and in the political science department, where she specializes in political theory and American Political Development. Her research critically explores the impact and stakes of private philanthropic actors in the democratic institution of public education, particularly where these actors intersect with and influence workforce and career readiness efforts—such as computer science for all—to educate students for future economic participation. Nora is the Program Co-Chair for the AERA Philanthropy & Education SIG. Prior to pursuing a PhD, Nora worked in the Google, Inc. legal department and at a national charter management organization implementing personalized and blended learning.
Becky Rock is a 2nd year Ph.D student in Educational Theory and Policy at Penn State University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English education from BYU-Idaho and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Policy Studies from BYU. She is a former middle school language arts and creative writing teacher. Her broad research interests center around the intersection of political science and public education, including teacher policy, school choice, accountability, and educational policy processes. Her current work centers around the political engagement and influence of K-12 teachers.
Elisa Serrano is a PhD student in the Curriculum & Instruction program at Penn State University. She holds a M.A. in Rhetoric & Composition from Texas State University and a B.A. in English from Texas A&M University. She is a research assistant and is currently involved in projects related to asset-based pedagogies and dialogic teaching. Elisa’s research interests, at a very general level, revolve around asset-based pedagogies, ethnic studies, and translanguaging pedagogical practices. More specifically, Elisa is interested in linguistic justice and restorative education for language-minority students, particularly for Latinx students, like herself.
Brendon Soltis is a PhD student in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education program at Michigan State University. He is a research assistant with the Neighborhood Student Success Collaborative, supporting college access programs. His research focuses on multiraciality discourses in higher education, multiracial identity and categorization, and multiracial college student experiences. Before joining Michigan State University, he served as the Assistant Director for Residential Education at Tufts University. Brendon earned a BS in Computer Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an MA in Student Development Administration from Seattle University.
Kate Steilen is a PhD student in Educational Administration in the Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo-SUNY. She has served as the Managing Editor for the Journal of Educational Change for the past two years. Her research focuses on leadership and work intensification, the politics of education, schools as workplaces, and the sociology of work generally. Kate became interested in this field through organizing work in the Buffalo Public Schools, working on school board campaigns while serving on a non-profit at an elementary school. She holds an M.F.A. in Fiction from Columbia University, a B.A. from Northwestern in English Literature and German. She has taught English in Germany, worked as an administrator in higher education and as a freelance writer and editor.
Veronica Stephenson is a PhD student in the Educational Leadership program at Auburn University. She holds a master’s degree in secondary English education from Harding University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Auburn University. She taught all courses of English from junior high level to freshman composition for fifteen years and has been teaching and directing theatre for the past twelve years. Her primary research interest is the role of school leaders during and after a school-related traumatic event while also focusing on trauma-informed care, school safety, and community response to traumatic events.
Dominique “Dom” Turner is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education Administration program at Morgan State University and a Lifeways of Hope Fellow with the Center for Religion and Cities. His research interests are higher education governance, the historical development of church-based HBCUs, and graduate student development. Dom earned both his master’s degree in public administration and undergraduate degree in government from Bowie State University. Professionally, he is the Director of Non-Traditional Programs and an adjunct professor at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC).
Yuqing Qiu (She/Her) is a doctoral candidate in the counseling program in the George Washington University working on the dissertation. She is also a certificated LGPC in the D.C. area who has been in this profession for five years. The most recent position she got is a clinic supervisor at Community Counseling Service Center at George Washington University, where her primary responsibility is providing supervision for master’s level counseling interns and addressing administrative issues with other staff members.
Lillie Ko Wong (She/Her) is a Ph.D student in the Department of Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego. She received her master’s of education at the California State University, Sacramento. Prior to the program, she worked as a middle school history teacher with minoritized students in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through her experiences in education, she became interested in researching equity issues and the educational outcomes of students of color. Her research interests are in teacher education and equity policies.
Roy Anthony Zamora II is a PhD student in Educational Leadership Policy at Texas Tech University. He holds a M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.S. in Secondary Education – Social Studies from Texas Christian University. Prior to becoming a teacher he served in the United States Air Force as a Civil Engineer. He is currently the Coordinator for Performance Outcomes at a school district in North Texas. His research interests focus on evaluation and accountability systems, institutional change, and organizational theory.
Xiaoyue Zhang is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Pedagogy at George Washington University. She holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Pedagogy from Washington State University and a double bachelor’s degree in Musicology and Piano Performance from Sichuan Conservatory of Music, China. She was a professional piano player before she entered graduate school. This background of long-time professional training inspired her many thoughts about art and music and made her a hands-on art learner. Her research interests involve the arts and music in museums and informal learning environments (out-of-school learning). Her current doctoral dissertation addresses postwar art, music, contemporary philosophy, and post-qualitative inquiry.
Adeoluwa Folami is a second-year doctoral student at Morgan State University in the Higher Education Administration cohort. She has a postgraduate diploma in educational administration and a master’s in public administration. She is presently an adjunct at the Anne Arundel Community College, and a Graduate Intern at the Johns Hopkins University LEED Office. She is interested in research focused on students’ experiences with an institution’s student services. She loves reading, traveling, and meeting people. Her current project is learning ASL.
Natasha M. Rabinowitz is a second-year doctoral student at Auburn University in the Educational Leadership Program with a focus on Administration of Supervision and Curriculum. She has obtained two
masters degrees in Microbiology and Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Connecticut. She also earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of
Nevada – Las Vegas (UNLV) in Biological Sciences and a minor in Chemistry. Currently she is in her 12 year as an educator in Phenix City, AL under a TEAMS contract. She has been on the advisory boards for Infiniscope (a joint venture between NASA and Arizona State University) and the National Science Teaching
Association, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS@NSTA) advisory board. Her research interests are salary discrepancies between STEM (science technology engineering and mathematics) and Non-STEM teachers and teacher attrition. She is also interested in looking at teacher well-being (physical and mental health) and the effect these have on student achievement. She also enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Meredith Bittel is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of Educational Leadership and
Policy Studies at the University of Kansas. She received her MS in architectural engineering and worked as a professional engineer in Seattle and Kansas City before joining the Peace Corps as an education volunteer in Guinea, West Africa. Currently she works as a graduate researcher
across three different teams at KU:
1) the Center for Geography of Education Policy, 2) Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS) on the science Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) team, and 3) on a project funded by the Kansas Space Grant Consortium.
Meredith’s dissertation uses feminist qualitative methodologies at the intersection of anthropology and sociology to understand local perceptions of global science education policy discourses in the Global South. Additional research interests include equity in science/STEM/climate change education, science and society, and newcomer/refugee education.
In addition to her service on the Student Board at AJE, she also serves as a campus liaison for the Student Executive Board of AERA Division G, and last year she co-founded a Graduate Student Association for students in her department and currently serves as the Activities Coordinator for this group. In her personal life, she enjoys being a mother to her two wonderful children, Naomi and Desmond.
Jilli Jung is a third-year doctoral student in Education Policy Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests and experiences center around the rigorous examination of policy impacts on broadly defined education and health outcomes for adolescents, especially marginalized adolescents. Jilli’s recent work examines the impact of civics test policy on young people’s voter turnout. Her ongoing research projects include the effects of a later school start time policy on students’ sleep and health and transgender adolescents’ mental health and substance use. She is currently a managing editor of the American Journal of Education. She holds BA and MA in Ethics Education from Seoul National University, South Korea. Outside of research, she enjoys climbing and playing tennis.
Lori Rhea is a 2nd year PhD student in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Houston. She is a licensed master social worker interested in higher education policy change. She works as a graduate research assistant in an NSF-funded elementary after-school STEM program. Her research interests include undergraduate degree completion among underserved nontraditional adult learners, particularly parenting students. Her candidacy focuses on identifying factors that shape institutional mechanisms designed to promote degree completion among pregnant and parenting undergraduates.
Daniel Robotham is a 2nd-year Ph.D. student in the Educational Theory and Policy program at Penn State University. He holds an M.S. from Penn State in Agriculture and Extension Education and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Colorado State University. His educational interests are informed by his work in international and domestic educational institutions and his experience in Panamá with the Peace Corps. Daniel’s research interests center around student mental health, specifically, the impacts of institutional support structures and policies at the secondary and tertiary levels.
Semonti Dey is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education, currently working on her dissertation about Asian international students’ perceptions of sexual harassment. She works as the Managing Editor of the American Journal of Education where she supervises the graduate student board. She started as the Social and Networking Co-Chair of the Graduate Student Committee of ASHE where she coordinates various programs and events focused on graduate students while also connecting with current graduate student volunteers throughout the Association. Prior to coming to Penn State, Semonti received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Bengali Language and Literature from University of Calcutta, India. She also received a second master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from University at Buffalo. She is skilled in higher education admissions counseling, recruitment, leadership, and event planning. Further, she has experience teaching high school students for over 5 years. Her research interests include sexual harassment in higher education, the relationship between higher education and social stratification, international and comparative education, immigrants’ higher education, and higher education in the developing countries.
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