As the world contends with a global pandemic, climate catastrophes, white supremacy, coloniality, and concurrent genocides my attention splinters. In an act of futurity, or future making, I ask myself: "What is needed to move from this place toward softer, more liberatory futures?" This body of work finds its answer in exploring two…

College student employment has become an important aspect of life for many students pursuing higher education. Student employment programs provide students with the opportunity to earn income while learning skills that contribute to their personal and professional development. The impact of student employment on student development and the overall…

The purpose of this action research study was to identify needs and improve higher education administrators' digital technology knowledge and skills. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of structured interviews and observations of subjects who, through academic credentialing or career attainment, were considered experts in the use…

In higher education settings, minority BIPOC students have a harder time attaining wellness compared to their majority student counterparts. This may impact their level of functioning, leading to an overall unpleasant college experience. The covert and overt racism, injustice, and social unrest that exist in today's society hinders students from…

This project investigates the effectiveness of the Digital Discipleship Model at Zoe Ministries in enhancing online engagement among its predominantly Black congregation. Prompted by the digital divide seen during COVID-19, particularly among older members, the initiative centered on a six-week digital literacy workshop via Zoom and Zoe's Virtual…

This ethnographic dissertation research project focuses on a digital storytelling workshop called Food/Stories which took place in collaboration with Black Yield Institute in Spring of 2023. The Food/Stories workshop is the case study that I used to explore the effectiveness of Collaborative Visual Storytelling, a methodological approach that…

The escalating challenges faced by educators highlight the urgent need to understand factors influencing their wellbeing. Teachers in the United States education system are stressed, burnt out, and leaving the field in unprecedented numbers (Sparks, 2022; Camera, 2022; Zamarro et al., 2021; Dabrowski, 2021; Hill-Jackson et al., 2022). It is…

University students are increasingly coming together to take action for racial justice and equity. Anti-racist student organizing includes how students collectively work to address racism and oppression at their institutions or beyond through sociopolitical engagement and action (e.g., protests, political education). Minority-serving institutions…

Roughly one in four adults in the United States have some type of disability. In the general workforce, individuals with disabilities that are of working age are employed at less than half the rate when compared to individuals without disabilities. Despite this, the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is more than double that of…

Research suggests that school climate is a critical component in a student's sense of safety within a school and is the foundation for student-staff relationships. Despite this recognition, school staff demonstrate an insufficient intention to intervene on witnessed acts of gender- and sexuality-based inequity and grapple with discerning what…

Healthcare teams are comprised of several individuals from various backgrounds who must respect each other and understand each other's roles and responsibilities while effectively communicating to work toward the shared goal of quality patient care. Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares health professions students for collaboration and…

Educators throughout the United States report high levels of mental distress, anxiety, depression, and stress and difficulties with physical health. Educational systems have limited ability to address the well-being of faculty and staff in primary and secondary schools. Existing interventions are not always adequate and often do not reach the…

To meet an increasingly complex set of global challenges, undergraduate programs need innovative, well aligned curricula that prepare students to effectively address those challenges. This is especially true in programs such as sustainable food systems education (SFSE) where students learn to think systemically, critically, and reflectively, and…

Education is a constantly evolving field that requires continuous professional development. While policymakers continue to implement school reforms, many of them depend on teachers' ability to learn and improve instruction to increase student learning. Teachers have a double role in educational reforms by being simultaneously subjects and objects…

The study examines how a training workshop on teaching in a recently introduced active learning classroom at Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan) helps faculty participants integrate active learning and shift their teaching to an active learning classroom. A case study approach was employed, with data collected through surveys, interviews, and…