UM Institute for Social Change 2023

This week (May 10) I had the opportunity to serve on a panel for the University of Michigan Institute for Social Change alongside Dr. Lilia Cortina (University of Michigan) and Dr, Rahul Mitra (Wayne State University). I am honored to have been invited to join alongside these outstanding senior scholars and learned so much from each of them in our time together.

Thank you to Dr. Joseph Cialdella for your work with the Rackham Program in Public Scholarship and for the Institution for Social Change in particular.

The Institute for Social Change (ISC) is a cohort-based spring program that allows students to explore the conceptual and practical dimensions of public scholarship—the diverse ways we can create and circulate knowledge for and with publics and communities. The program introduces graduate students to an array of publicly engaged scholarship, pedagogy, and practices focused on social change and university-community partnerships.

As a doctoral student, I participated in the Rackham Program in Public Scholarship and highly recommend the programs to those who are at the University of Michigan. This program has helped me to think about my pedagogy, my commitments to social justice, and my actions towards public scholarship and also also funded my work with the Teen STEAM Cafe Project, a public scholarship partnership with the Ypsilanti District Library.

CREATE Center Conversation Series

CREATE Center Conversation Series

Conducting Critical Qualitative Dissertation Data Research Online: Challenges and Creative Opportunities

We invite you to join us for an engaging and informative conversation about strategies for conducting critical qualitative dissertation research online amidst the continued complexities of the pandemic. Current doctoral students at different stages of their online dissertation work will share their critical reflections, wisdom, and tips to lend peer mentoring and support to other students. Participants will speak to the challenges and creative opportunities of engaging students, educators, schools, and communities in research, whether locally, across the U.S., or internationally. This student-centered event will be moderated by recent School of Education alumna Dr. Laura-Ann Jacobs. While we will prioritize offering other students who attend the session the opportunity to dialogue with the participants, insights shared will surely enrich faculty and staff too. Together, session participants will offer diverse perspectives given their distinct positionalities, different research designs, and varied research topics. Their topics span K-12, community-based, and higher education matters. All are welcome!

Reuben is a fourth-year doctoral candidate studying Higher Education at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE). His research interests include college access, enrollment management, sense of belonging, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Reuben is committed to expanding college access for first-generation, low-income, and students of color, in addition to helping students navigate the challenges of a rapidly-changing higher education landscape.

Paulina is a doctoral candidate in Educational Studies at the School of Education. As a first-generation Filipina American, Paulina's dissertation project is centered on historical preservation, community partnerships, and collaborative education, specifically focusing on Filipinx communities. She also works with the Ginsberg Center where she facilitates workshops to support students doing community-engaged work.

Andwatta Barnes is a former elementary school, adult school, and university lecturer currently working towards her PhD in the Teaching and Teaching Education program at the University of Michigan. Her research currently focuses on examining issues surrounding racialized teacher identity across international teaching contexts. Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, her professional experiences involved teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Japan and China; teaching English literature and assessment as an English Language Fellow (ELF) in Qatar; pre-service teacher education and ESL at the university level in the United Arab Emirates; and several years as an assessment specialist developing standardized assessments in the areas of ESOL teacher licensure and English language proficiency at Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Margaret O. Hanna is a doctoral candidate of Literacy, Language and Culture at the University of Michigan School of Education and former bilingual elementary school teacher. She is an instructor of elementary teacher education and a collaborator in school-university partnerships and urban community-focused literacy initiatives. Her area of inquiry is focused on family engagement through literacy programs in school and community-based settings. She believes that care and building community are tools for resisting systemic inequality.

Laura-Ann is a postdoctoral research fellow with the National Center for Institutional Diversity Stepping uP Against Racism and Xenophobia (SPARX) Project. Laura-Ann graduated in 2021 from the University of Michigan with a doctorate in Educational Studies with a specialization in Literacy, Language, and Culture. Her dissertation focused on preparing secondary English Language Arts teachers for antiracist pedagogical change. Her current work centers around how people individually and collectively translate our stated commitments of justice into action for the purpose of social change.