2021 Outstanding Graduates

Meet Michelle Lopez, a bilingual educator dreaming of new possibilities for her school and community

Anonymous — Thu, 06 May 2021 17:08:41 +0000

Meet Michelle Lopez, a bilingual educator dreaming of new possibilities for her school and community Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/06/2021 - 11:08

Michelle Lopez’s Colorado roots run deep, and her family histories and culture have helped shape her work as a bilingual teacher.

The lucha (or struggle) toward truth can sometimes feel overwhelming and daunting, but it can light the path toward unity and harmony. Completing this program represents a fight for what is right, and I am proud to lead others in the same direction."

Lopez grew up in Denver, where she spent several of her formative years with her grandparents, who originated from San Luis, the oldest continuously inhabited area of Colorado. Decades earlier, her grandparents moved their six children to Denver seeking a life where their children could flourish. As part of that vision, her grandparents did not teach their children their native language, Spanish, worried it could interfere with their success. Two generations later, Lopez yearned to learn more about her family’s past and speak Spanish as beautifully as her grandparents.

“I eventually learned Spanish, embarked on a journey toward cultural self-discovery, and became a dedicated bilingual teacher for Denver Public Schools,” said Lopez, who has been teaching for more than 10 years.

After researching her family history, Lopez was moved to incorporate her students’ family knowledge and histories into her teaching of 4th grade at Garden Place Elementary. Each year, she leads a family engagement project in which students interview family members and journal about their experiences. Lopez draws on that storytelling to inform her curriculum and instruction for the year.

Project Recuerdo was inspired, in part, by the stimulating community of professors and learners she found in her CU ��«��Ƶ Master’s in Educational Equity and Cultural Development cohort, who share her passion and “live and breathe for bilingual education.”

“My incredibly talented classmates contributed to a community full of passion and dedication,” she said. “Thus, it became inevitable that I would dream big, as the love for our bilingual community was alive and well.

“Project Recuerdo became a way for all families to contribute to their children’s education and a chance for them to shine.”

Lopez often draws on her experiences to relate to her students, and her graduate studies gave her additional strategies and knowledge she could apply directly to her classroom. Additionally, she found a space to explore her social justice commitments.

“I honed my skills through this program, but more importantly, I found my voice and place as a teacher of social justice,” she said. “I feel more motivated than ever to serve my school community, but I also feel more empowered than I ever have to go forward in fulfilling that duty.”

Lopez leads by example and believes educators can put their whole heart into their work.

However, she did not always possess this impassioned love for education, nor did school represent a welcome space for her when she was young. She faced a number of challenges and was seen as an “at-risk” student, a label rooted in racial injustice and inequities. Now, she sees graduating from the Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity program in the CU ��«��Ƶ School of Education — not to mention being named the 2021 Outstanding Graduate for the program — as an act of social justice itself.

“Now, I can tell my daughter, my two sons, my students, and the community that I represent that it is, in fact, possible,” she said. “As a single mother, it’s important for me to show my children that self-love and community connections foment endless possibilities."

“The lucha (or struggle) toward truth can sometimes feel overwhelming and daunting, but it can light the path toward unity and harmony. Completing this program represents a fight for what is right, and I am proud to lead others in the same direction.”

Lopez’ familia and comunidad continue to inspire her, and she hopes others will join her in dreaming big.

“I see a remarkable amount of knowledge, skills, wisdom, beauty, and love that has yet to shine in all corners of this country,” she said.

“I take it upon myself to develop awareness of these treasures among each child and adult that cross my path. I have complete and utter faith in them. I stand for all who cannot speak. My belief in our capacity as a united people remains eternal.”

Michelle’s advice for students:

Put your heart into it. This world will improve if we all commit to being our best selves as community members and individuals. Come from a humble place as you listen to your professors and classmates, but be fearless and confident when you ask questions and propose ideas. Lastly, dream big despite the doubt you hear from others. This is an opportunity to explore and imagine endless possibilities.”

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Meet Lauren Gaona, teacher and lifelong learner

Anonymous — Wed, 05 May 2021 23:46:28 +0000

Meet Lauren Gaona, teacher and lifelong learner Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/05/2021 - 17:46

Lauren Gaona’s students are often her best teachers. After teaching in Thailand, her Thai students taught her the true essence of being a teacher is about building trusting relationships and creating a space for everybody to bring their whole, authentic selves into the classroom.

As a teacher, it’s ok to admit what you do not know. I work to build organic relationships with students and make space for them to showcase their expertise in the classroom. This also helps position the classroom as a place where everybody has something to learn from one another.”

That experience also taught her that she wanted to enroll in graduate school to earn a master’s degree and teacher licensure. Gaona applied to the CU ��«��Ƶ School of Education because the school’s values mirrored hers.

“I chose to attend CU ��«��Ƶ for my master’s because the School of Education’s strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusivity in education aligned with my own vision for what teaching and learning should be,” she said. “I learned here that the pursuit of teaching for equity and social justice will require an enduring open-mindedness throughout my career. I am grateful to my professors in CU Teach for supporting me as a lifelong learner.”

Gaona’s mentor teachers recognized her for her commitments to promoting social justice and remaining inspired and engaged, despite constant change and the challenges of teaching both hybrid and virtually during an unusual school year that was disrupted by a global pandemic.

“My student teaching semester was an experience I’ll never forget,” she said “In the face of immense adversity during online learning and throughout the pandemic, my students taught me the true meaning of resilience and determination."

“Despite being physically separated online, we built relationships and created a sense of classroom community that reframed my view of what is possible with online education.”

Through it all, Gaona prioritized her students and recognized their unique potential. At the beginning of the semester, she wrote and mailed notes home to parents about the amazing things their children were doing in her classroom, a practice she continued throughout the semester. She also recognized it was OK to be herself and approach teaching and learning with humility.

“As a teacher, it’s ok to admit what you do not know,” she said. “I work to build organic relationships with students and make space for them to showcase their expertise in the classroom. This also helps position the classroom as a place where everybody has something to learn from one another.”

Throughout her time in the classroom — whether it be a CU ��«��Ƶ or in a K-12 school or an international locale — she realized that students and communities have many unique things to teach teachers.

“Working with young people is what drives my passion for teaching — building relationships, learning from them, helping them grow, and providing a context where curiosity can flourish,” she said. “I am so excited to get to know my students and to work with them to create a science learning community that is accessible, relevant, and inclusive for all people.

“Part of my vision is to broaden what counts as participation in science, so that all students feel they belong as powerful doers of science — inside and outside of the classroom.”

One of Lauren’s greatest lessons:

My student teaching semester was an experience I’ll never forget. In the face of immense adversity during online learning and throughout the pandemic, my students taught me the true meaning of resilience and determination. Despite being physically separated online, we built relationships and created a sense of classroom community that reframed my view of what is possible with online education. My mentor teacher, Kristin McLaurin, exemplified what it means to learn about and support the unique needs of each individual student — she is the kind of mentor I hope to be for my own students in the future."

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Meet Corey Ferraro, extraordinary educator in extraordinary circumstances and beyond

Anonymous — Wed, 05 May 2021 23:36:04 +0000

Meet Corey Ferraro, extraordinary educator in extraordinary circumstances and beyond Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/05/2021 - 17:36

Corey Ferraro had his sights set on two things: becoming a teacher and attending the ��«��Ƶ. The Master’s Plus Teacher Licensure program in the School of Education allowed him to check both of those boxes in just one year.

Becoming a teacher is a life change I have wanted for many years. Finally putting myself in the position to do this is a dream come true."

“It has been a desire of mine to get into teaching for several years,” said Ferraro, who grew up in Trinidad, Colorado. “Finally, last year I decided to make the attempt for my Masters + Certification. I have wanted to attend the University of Colorado from a very early age and finally being able to do so was an amazing experience. Graduating from CU represents a massive accomplishment for me.”

Not only is Ferraro graduating, but he has also been named the Outstanding Graduate for the MA+ program in Humanities Education, one-year immersive graduate program that leads to both a master’s degree and teacher licensure in English language arts or social studies teaching.

Ferraro’s professors commend his embodiment of the program’s commitment to teaching for equity and justice.

“Inquisitive and reflective, Corey is an exemplary student who embraces every learning opportunity and considers always how what he is learning applies to his work as an educator,” said Wendy Glenn, professor of Literacy Studies and chair for the Secondary Humanities program. “He pushes himself and his classmates to think more critically about course content and brings a positive, yet realistic, outlook to his work.”

The immersive program features a summer start and student teaching along with coursework during both fall and summer semesters. As a student teacher, Ferraro holds a deep sense of care for his students, and he draws upon his commitments to social justice to create a transformative and affirming classroom space.

“Corey is the type of teacher that students approach easily,” Glenn said. “He works with students to uncover the many unspoken complicated truths that exist inside them and the history books. It is inspiring to see Corey's students making their own apps to conceptualize the Industrial Revolution or analyzing historical art.”

Throughout what has been such a difficult year for many educators, Ferraro has demonstrated grace and positivity in his education courses and student-teaching classrooms. He will also draw on the connections he made in his program as he leads his own classroom next year.

“The greatest experience was being involved with such an amazing cohort of peers and an outstanding group of teachers,” he said. “Our program feels like a family, and I appreciate the relationships I have made and look forward to collaborating with this outstanding group for years to come.”

All combined, Ferraro is an extraordinary educator under extraordinary circumstances and beyond.

“Becoming a teacher is a life change I have wanted for many years,” he said. “Finally putting myself in the position to do this is a dream come true.”

What graduation means to Corey

Graduating from CU represents a massive accomplishment for me. I wanted to attend the University of Colorado from a very early age and finally being able to do so was an amazing experience. Becoming a teacher is a life change I have wanted for many years. Finally putting myself in the position to do it is a dream come true.”

Corey’s special thanks

First, I would like to thank my family! My wife Lindsey inspires me to reach for more and fully supports me.Second, I would like to thank the amazing School of Education faculty and staff. Israel is the best Academic Advisor out there. Wendy, Bethy, Sara, Kent, Andrea, Ben, Chelsea, and Dan are the dream team of teacher education! You all made this experience amazing. Thank you."

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Meet Lianna Nixon, whose lens on climate communications is changing education and activism

Anonymous — Wed, 05 May 2021 23:18:44 +0000

Meet Lianna Nixon, whose lens on climate communications is changing education and activism Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/05/2021 - 17:18

Lianna Nixon is an environmental photographer and activist, but on Earth Day 2020, she was not thinking about marches or demonstrations. That was the day she found out if her spot on the world’s largest polar research expedition was still on despite the spread of a global pandemic.

Photography and film are really great spaces to hold people. I am still learning and it’s a big learning process, but my goal is never to inundate people with the fear of climate change or environmental destruction. It is about inquiry and joy — to get people to fall in love with these wild spaces, so that maybe they can do something to help."

A few weeks later Nixon’s bags were packed, and she was aboard the Polarstern research vessel with nine cameras as part of MOSAiC, the Multidisciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate. She joined researchers from over 30 nations for almost six months of studying and capturing the dynamic beauty of the Arctic region and its implications for global climate change.

It was the trip of a lifetime, and yet Nixon’s powerful work at the intersection of photography, activism, and education has been budding for a long time.

Even as an inquisitive child, Nixon has always been interested in the interconnections between the natural world and humankind. As a 19-year-old filmmaker, an internship allowed her to document rhino poaching in South Africa and organize activism back in the U.S. Now in her 20s, she frequently photographs in the Katmai National Park in Alaska to chronicle how the Pebble Mine threatens the last, largest sockeye salmon fishery that sustains massive ocean and coastal ecosystems and 14 indigenous communities.

Nixon mindfully works to bring these global issues and wild places home to connect with people’s hearts and minds no matter where they live or fall on the political spectrum.

“Photography and film are really great spaces to hold people,” she said. “I am still learning and it’s a big learning process, but my goal is never to inundate people with the fear of climate change or environmental destruction. It is about inquiry and joy — to get people to fall in love with these wild spaces, so that maybe they can do something to help.”

From polar bears to vibrant blue sea ice, Nixon’s breathtaking photography and savvy social media skills offer an educational lens on climate by tapping into our shared humanity and forging bold but accessible conversations about humans and the environment.

As an undergraduate at CU ��«��Ƶ, Nixon took an education course that resonated with her social-justice orientation and questioning of conventional education. The Learning Sciences and Human Development master’s program in the School of Education just clicked. She is the program’s 2021 Outstanding Graduate to honor her research’s ability to invite understanding, experience, and action.

“The learning science degree has been really transformative,” she said. “It reminded me that learning doesn't happen just in my head, it’s also embodied, holistic, and interconnected with the things that we do in our everyday lives.

“It also helped me ground myself in what kind of community I want to surround myself with — a community that challenges you can hold space for you to thrive and be supported as well.”

With mentorship from Learning Sciences Professor Susan Jurow, Nixon weaves together her expertise in environmental and social justice and the arts to design transformative learning experiences. She integrated MOSAiC filmmaking into her capstone project, where she uses educational equity and social justice frameworks to examine questions of power, justice, and learning in climate communications.

Her film is an exciting task with substantial responsibility, as she applies the anti-oppressive pedagogies of her education studies to address story bias and missing voices and ultimately change the best practices for inclusive storytelling.

“I was depending a lot on the script style of Sir David Attenborough of the BBC, and while he is influential in my storytelling, he also is a privileged, white, male scientist and asking my narrator Elmahdi, an African male, to embody that was wrong on many levels,” she said. “It took that kind of work and humility to realize those things, and sometimes we need that as storytellers.”

Nixon also acknowledges the privileges that have afforded her experiences, and she is paying forward by working to change climate communications and nature photography, both predominantly white and male, by honoring mentors and mentoring young women.

Despite its occasionally daunting nature, the collective work on climate action gives her hope for the future.

“Part of this activism work has been about handing over the power to the youth, the ones who are heirs to our planet and whose futures are at stake,” she said.

“I am in Susan Jurow’s class called ‘radicalizing possibilities.’ I think that’s really where the future is going to be. We’re just emerging, and the future is really challenging, innovating, and supporting an incredible space that will make room for a lot of possibilities.

“I’m optimistic about what the future holds for education and the climate because of the passionate people that are in this community.”

Lianna’s advice for students

It sounds very cliche but don't lose sight of your strengths and your passions. I think those are really key drivers and sometimes in academia, we can lose ourselves within it. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done in how we protect ourselves in the academy. Allow yourself to explore. I wouldn't have been as successful without taking some theater and community engagement classes. Going into other schools, colleges, and institutions and having those intersect with your degree in education can be really helpful and transformative in how you are looking at what you want to do in your life, as well for the School of Education.”

Graduation, A Poem by Lianna Nixon

From the North Pole to Zoom meetings,
Blazing Trails and shattering ceilings
Coming together for justice and equity
Contributing to practice and pedagogy
Intrinsic, expansive, challenging
Dedication to education everlasting
As tassels take place on my left endless possibilities begin to unrest
I am thankful, I really am for all of you
For your support and kindness rings true
For this community hold each other up
Now it is my turn to pass on its love
Here’s to the challenges and opportunities ahead
It’s time we part ways, no important words unsaid
I am an Education Buff, I always will be
Looking towards horizons of curiosity"

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Meet Jax Gonzalez, striving for liberation in education, sociology and everything they do

Anonymous — Wed, 05 May 2021 18:05:31 +0000

Meet Jax Gonzalez, striving for liberation in education, sociology and everything they do Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/05/2021 - 12:05

Jax Gonzalez’s impressive academic accomplishments and educational pursuits would astound even their former self.

I strive for liberation in everything that I do, and teaching is an opportunity to dream about building a world we all want to live in."

“As a first-generation college student, to complete a graduate degree in curriculum and instruction is an accomplishment that 17-year-old Jax could not have imagined when they dropped out of high school,” Gonzalez (they/tem) said.

“Graduating from CU ��«��Ƶ represents both perseverance and growth for myself and continued dedication to anti-oppressive teaching methods.”

While also completing a PhD in Sociology at CU ��«��Ƶ, Gonzalez is graduating with a Master’s in Curriculum & Instruction and Humanities Education from the CU ��«��Ƶ School of Education and has been named the program’s 2021 Outstanding Graduate for their relentless pursuit of liberation.

“I strive for liberation in everything that I do, and teaching is an opportunity to dream about building a world we all want to live in,” they said.

At every turn, Gonzalez has demonstrated their commitment to K-12 teaching, anti-oppressive pedagogy, and justice-centered teacher education.

A queer activist, Gonzalez has dedicated their academic career to emancipatory sociology that centers and uplifts youth voices in the classroom. In 2016, they earned a Master’s in Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Brandeis University, which established their research agenda examining personal identity at the intersection of education, embodiment, and health.

Gonzalez’s education mentors at CU ��«��Ƶ commend their commitments to justice and their thoughtful contributions to the Humanities Education program. In particular, the faculty lauded Gonzalez’s enthusiastic interest in additional coursework in theory, pedagogy, and practice related to K-12 teaching, collaborations with classroom teacher colleagues and students in schools, and ability to complete a master’s capstone project while designing a dissertation study. Their dissertation investigates the problems of and solutions to heteronormativity and white supremacy in schools by collaborating with teacher educators and teacher candidates to explore how disrupting heteronormativity in teacher education programs impacts teachers’ ideologies and practices.

Likewise, Gonzalez is grateful for their interactions with education colleagues, and their most impactful education lessons from the School of Education are almost too numerous to count.

“In Queering Literacy with Sara Staley and visiting scholar Mollie Blackburn, we deeply interrogated norms and ideals in literacy education that helped me build my anti-oppressive educator toolkit,” they said.

“In a course with Arturo Cortez and José Lizárraga, we engaged play as a pedagogical tool that centers youth knowledge and leverages their interests in learning spaces. This practice helped me to further question what counts as learning in teaching, and how to push up against those boundaries in collaboration with my students.”

Perhaps the high school Gonzalez is surprised to see where they are today, but this is one educator who has found their calling and will continue to fight for liberation in education and beyond.

What does graduation represent to you?

As a first-generation college student, to complete a graduate degree in curriculum and instruction is an accomplishment that 17 year old Jax could not have imagined when they dropped out of high school. Graduating from CU ��«��Ƶ represents both perseverance and growth for myself, and continued dedication to anti-oppressive teaching methods.

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Meet Katharine Lindauer, student-athlete advisor and advocate

Anonymous — Wed, 05 May 2021 17:00:40 +0000

Meet Katharine Lindauer, student-athlete advisor and advocate Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/05/2021 - 11:00

As an academic coordinator for student-athletes, Katharine Lindauer is used to supporting varsity student-athletes as they pursue success on the playing surface and in the classroom, but in the Master’s in Higher Education program, Lindauer is the student, learner, and supporter for classmates.

I'm so appreciative of the opportunity to attend school while working full-time, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from my classmates and the faculty. It may sound cliché, but I strongly believe that I am a better human and professional due to my time in the Master’s in Higher Education program."

Lindauer enrolled in the School of Education program to grow as an individual and professional, and she experienced that and more.

“I'm so appreciative of the opportunity to attend school while working full-time, and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from my classmates and the faculty,” she said. “It may sound cliché, but I strongly believe that I am a better human and professional due to my time in the Master’s in Higher Education program.”

Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree from CU ��«��Ƶ in 2013, Lindauer has served various roles in the Herbst Academic Center for CU ��«��Ƶ varsity student-athletes, including academic assistant, tutor coordinator, academic mentor, and learning facilitator, before taking on her current role as academic coordinator. As a higher education student, she has developed a new lens for her work, and her studies gave her an opportunity to examine her own educational experiences, conduct research that’s integral to her position, and write an advising philosophy, which she uses today in her work with student-athletes. An early class reading of Inside Higher Ed even led to her ongoing penchant for reading the publication and passing along readings to family and friends.

Lindauer is known for her generous and encouraging presence for classmates in the Higher Education program. In particular, she completed her degree during the beginning of the pandemic, in its earliest and most uncertain moments. Nonetheless, she offered grace and compassion to herself and others, giving her time to support other students as a peer reviewer, friend, and colleague. The human qualities of care, generosity and warmth, her sharp work as a scholar, and her thoughtful work with student-athletes led the education faculty to select her as the 2021 Outstanding Graduate for the program.

Her professors were particularly impressed with her capstone project, which reviewed the research on student advising—especially the trend towards “proactive” advising models—with a critical eye. She analyzed this shift in advising practice and raised incisive questions about power and control for student-athletes.

“Because of her rigorous analysis and her professional role on campus, her capstone is potentially transformative in terms of improving student-advisor relationships and empowering student-athletes to have more agency and autonomy in their education as they navigate the many demands unique to their roles on campus,” one instructor notes.

Lindauer’s new campus connections from the Higher Education program and her deepening relationships with her students, drive her passion for working in higher education beyond graduation.

“I will continue to lean on what I’ve learned and learn after graduation, and I have a great resource in the education faculty and program,” she said. “Working for CU, I believe we are all here to learn and develop, whether it be a subject or as people.”

Katherine’s advice

#1) You get out what you put into the program. You learn and grow when you engage in the coursework, readings, and discussions. #2) Use your coursework as an opportunity to dive deeper into your career or other interests. There is quite a bit of flexibility so make it your own! Plus, as an added bonus, writing is easier when you like the topic you're writing about. #3) Stay organized, disciplined, and use your classmates and professors as a support network. I really valued the classmates who I could share ideas with and the professors who were always willing to give me feedback."

What graduation means to you

It is validating to know that all the hard work and evenings spent in class or on Zoom have paid off. It may sound cliché, but I strongly believe that I am a better human and professional due to my time in the Master’s in Higher Education program."

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Meet Jason Buell, a compassionate advocate for teachers

Anonymous — Tue, 04 May 2021 22:51:29 +0000

Meet Jason Buell, a compassionate advocate for teachers Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/04/2021 - 16:51

As a former elementary and middle school teacher interested in the intersections of race, science, and education, Jason Buell enrolled in doctoral studies in education because he deeply cares about teachers.

I think it is important to not just think about teachers in relation to students, but that teachers themselves are human beings and have their own needs for being whole. The School of Education gave me tools to begin to understand about how to best support teachers as human beings, and I hope to make contributions to doing so in the future.”

“I think it is important to not just think about teachers in relation to students, but that teachers themselves are human beings and have their own needs for being whole,” he said. “The School of Education gave me tools to begin to understand about how to best support teachers as human beings, and I hope to make contributions to doing so in the future.”

Buell also chose CU ��«��Ƶ’s STEM Education program in the School of Education for the opportunity to work with his advisor, Erin Furtak, who shares his commitment to “working with teachers and being a co-learner alongside them rather than simply providing expertise advice or doing research on them.”

Buell’s research focuses on supporting science teachers in learning to engage students in equitable and meaningful scientific practices. His dissertation was part of a long-term research-practice partnership with a local school district that he has been instrumental in cultivating. By drawing together readings from the philosophy of science, science studies, and science education, Buell developed a new framework for understanding the models students create to represent their understanding of everyday scientific phenomena.

During his time at CU ��«��Ƶ, Buell also mentored countless undergraduate and graduate students, served as a co-founder of the student-led journal focused on public scholarship, “The Assembly,” acted as an advisor to the McNair Scholar Program, and served as a board member for the Teachers of Color and Allies Summit. Buell’s many commitments to community building and community engagement contributed to his selection for the Outstanding Graduate Award for Community Engagement and Public Scholarship by the School of Education faculty.

“Dr. Buell went above and beyond as a student to actively contribute to the formation of a better community,” faculty nominators wrote. “His abiding care, thoughtfulness, and wisdom have helped countless fellow students, teachers, and community members.”

Even after taking a postdoctoral position at Northwestern University following his dissertation defense in the summer of 2020, Buell has continued to provide vital mentorship by attending and presenting at STEMinars and serving as a host to STEM Education PhD finalists.

Perhaps it is his experience as a teacher and love for educators that make human connection easy for Buell, but he credits the lifelong friends and colleagues he met at CU ��«��Ƶ as one the most important outcomes of his doctoral studies.

“One of the strengths of the School of Education is it is big enough to facilitate many different kinds of relationships but small enough that you can still feel like an individual,” he said.

Buell has long held a passion for justice education, and he was an original member of a team of educators of color who developed EduColor, a nationwide collective that mobilizes advocates nationwide around issues of educational equity, agency, and justice. He is hopeful about his CU ��«��Ƶ alma mater’s justice-centric work and future.

“I really like how the School of Education continues to grow and develop,” he said. “The school has done a wonderful job of bringing in diverse and justice-focused scholars and developing new programs that benefit local communities.”

Always the supporter of teachers and learners, Dr. Buell’s closing advice for incoming doctoral students includes caring for one another.

“Find other students that you care about and want to see succeed and then help them succeed,” he said. “Then no matter what happens you will have done something good with your time here.”

Jason’s advice for students:

Find other students that you care about and want to see succeed and then help them succeed. Then no matter what happens you will have done something good with your time here.”

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Meet Christine Zabala, a passionate educator working toward systemic change in higher education

Anonymous — Tue, 04 May 2021 19:06:33 +0000

Meet Christine Zabala, a passionate educator working toward systemic change in higher education Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/04/2021 - 13:06

After more than a decade embedded in her postsecondary studies, Christine Zabala is looking forward to more of the same — continuing to work with college students and teaching to transform higher education.

I continue to feel passion for working in higher education, because there is still so much work left to be done. No institution is perfect and working in higher education to break down barriers to success for marginalized students is critical."

“Earning my PhD has been the culmination of a very long time in higher education —11 years, in fact,” she said. “It feels like the end of a very long journey, in one regard, but the beginning of a lifelong journey in higher education that is just starting.”

Zabala completed both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in English and Literature in Texas, where she’s from. As a master’s student and graduate instructor, Zabala discovered she loved working with college students, as a teacher and a writing tutor. After spending a year as a professional writing tutor and adjunct instructor, she decided to return to higher education to earn a doctoral degree in education, so she could further develop her practice in working with college students.

“I was drawn to CU ��«��Ƶ because of their emphasis on social justice as well as the high level of research from this institution,” she said.

As a doctoral graduate in Literacy Studies in the School of Education, Dr. Zabala is commended for her deeply reflexive approach to teaching, one of many reasons she was selected for the Outstanding Graduate Award for Teaching by the School of Education faculty.

In her time at CU ��«��Ƶ, she led and supported several research projects, coordinated CU ��«��Ƶ’s Online Composition Hub, and was a graduate instructional leader for the Center for Teaching and Learning.

It’s not surprising that some of Zabala’s most impactful memories of her doctoral studies stems from teaching. In particular, she enjoyed and grew as an educator by teaching School and Society, EDUC 3013, a required diversity course for Arts and Sciences undergraduates and the School of Education’s most-enrolled class.

“Doing the important work with students of unpacking systems of oppression in the U.S. school system, exploring our complicity in those systems, and working on how to change them has been a learning and growing experience both for myself and for the folks enrolled in my courses,” she said. “The experiences and conversations from those courses are one of the things I value most from my interactions here.”

Zabala’s dissertation, “The Role of Queer Literacies in a Required Diversity Course,” incorporated that growth by studying her own teaching and investigating the impact of curricular and instructional innovations related to critical pedagogies and queer literacies in EDUC 3013. Her work explores how failure and discomfort in teaching and learning can and must be reframed as necessary aspects of undergraduate courses, particularly when the content requires students and instructors to do the vulnerable work of critical examination of self, others, and systemic oppression.

Zabala’s passion for transforming higher education has been an undercurrent throughout her decade-long studies, but that work is ever-present and ongoing.

“I continue to feel passion for working in higher education, because there is still so much work left to be done,” she said. “No institution is perfect and working in higher education to break down barriers to success for marginalized students is critical.

“As the child of an immigrant from Mexico, I know how the education system continues to function as a space for white supremacy in many regards, and it will take educators who are dedicated to making systemic changes to shift that reality.”

Christine’s advice for students:

My best piece of advice for incoming students, especially for graduate students, is to find space to do things that you enjoy. There will always be more things that you could be doing and attempting to finish any program at a sprint is a recipe for burnout. I became a lot happier here once I was able to let go of trying to complete every single thing to perfection.”

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Meet Taphy Tivaringe, changing the education system from the inside out

Anonymous — Mon, 03 May 2021 20:39:24 +0000

Meet Taphy Tivaringe, changing the education system from the inside out Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/03/2021 - 14:39

College opportunities, not to mention graduate studies, were rare in the small Southern African country of Zimbabwe where Tafadzwa Tivaringe grew up. With unyielding support from his parents, his community, and mentors, Tivaringe, or “Taphy” as he is known, did his undergraduate and postgraduate training at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and now Tivaringe is earning his PhD in Learning Sciences and Human Development from the CU ��«��Ƶ School of Education.

Through rigorous research, I am committed to understanding how education policies and learning environments can be inclusive and democratic. That way, we can get closer to Mandela’s vision of education’s role in transforming society."

Even though a doctoral degree is often called a “terminal” degree, Dr. Tivaringe is just getting started, as he works to transform the educational system from the inside out.

Much of Tivaringe’s passion stems from his lived experiences. In his parents’ colonial Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia, the education system of their youth was designed for them to complete high school and to be absorbed into the work force as “semi-skilled workers,” but his parents and many others in the community strived for new educational futures for their children.

“While my childhood friends and I took our parents’ wishes to heart, the reality for many of us was that the pathway from high school to college was marred by barriers and potholes that made it incredibly difficult to access college education,” he said.

Tivaringe credits good fortune, amazing mentors, pathway programs — such as an undergraduate fellowship that allowed him to conduct research early in his postsecondary studies— and family and a community that unflinchingly believed in him to be able to access college and graduate education.

In 2014, Tivaringe was appointed a local researcher on the International Study of Youth Organizing, a project that led to a fateful collaboration with Ben Kirshner, CU ��«��Ƶ learning sciences and human development professor and the study’s co-director. Kirshner was committed to understanding the story of youth in Africa and he took an interest in Tivaringe’s development as a person, both in ways that were refreshingly nuanced.

“Our great working relationship culminated in him taking me under his wing to pursue a PhD in Education at CU ��«��Ƶ,” he said. “Beyond that relationship, I was drawn by the school’s strong reputation in two of my core areas of interest, human development and ed policy.”

Finding like-minded mentors, who care for their colleagues and students on a personal level made all the difference for Tivaringe. Graduate studies can be seen as an isolating and self-driven experience, but he found mentors make up one’s team, and success is tied to how well that team works together.

“I have learned that doing good scholarship and being a good person are two sides of the same coin,” he said. “It’s commonplace for people in the academy to focus on the academic project and lose the basic understanding that we are all just human beings who thrive if we center basic care for each other — what we call Ubuntu back in Southern Africa.

“In my experiences with faculty and staff at CU ��«��Ƶ, particularly in the School of Education, I’ve observed that people care about academic rigor as much as they care about being great human beings.”

For Tivarange’s mentors and peers, the feeling is mutual. He is well-liked and well-respected by professors and peers.

During his time at CU ��«��Ƶ, he contributed to public scholarship in a multitude of ways, including skillful evaluation of CU Engage programs and his dedication to collaborative partnerships with the Research Hub for Youth Organizing. In 2019, Tivaringe received a prestigious invitation from the United Nations to attend the WIDER Development international conference due to his work in Cape Town and doctoral research. The faculty selected Tivaringe and his impressive three-article dissertation, “The Possibilities and Limits of Using Education as a Lever for Structural Transformation,” for the 2021 Outstanding Graduate Award for Outstanding Dissertation.

“I am most impressed by the rigorous and nuanced approach he takes to examining the social world and the role of education in it,” wrote one faculty nominator. “Indeed it is remarkable that in the arc of Taphy’s 3-article dissertation, some of which is already published in top-tier journals, he manages to offer a sobering yet powerful analysis of both the possibilities and limits of public education in efforts to improve social mobility for historically marginalized groups.”

He sees his own story as representative of the potential for change among communities that, like his, remain underserved and marginalized by various systems.

“That potential demands that we create systems that ensure that graduands like me are not merely a function of a fortuitous alignment of key determinants of college success,” he said. “We have to continue devising strategies that broaden access to education across all levels.”

However, Tivaringe does not believe stories like his should be left up to chance, but rather, his work and passion center around change.

As inspiration, he cites Nelson Mandela’s famous quote, “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” and he argues for the need to continue the legacy and work of transformative leaders like Mandela.

“Unfortunately, many people across the world still do not have access to education and/or their experience of education is truncated by unwelcoming environments and/or pedagogies that are marginalizing,” he said.

“Through rigorous research, I am committed to understanding how education policies and learning environments can be inclusive and democratic. That way, we can get closer to Mandela’s vision of education’s role in transforming society.”

Taphy’s special thanks

I would really like to thank my academic mentors, Ben Kirshner, Terrenda White, Susan Jurow, and Roudy Hildreth from the School of Education and Andrew Philips and Srinivas Parinandi from Political Science who invested so much in my development as a scholar.”

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Meet Will Lindsay, a teacher turned researcher looking to broaden STEM education

Anonymous — Mon, 03 May 2021 17:17:30 +0000

Meet Will Lindsay, a teacher turned researcher looking to broaden STEM education Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 05/03/2021 - 11:17

Will Lindsay comes from a long line of educators and CU ��«��Ƶ alumni. Naturally, he followed in the footsteps of his family members and became a high school science teacher in Colorado Springs and later Denver after graduating from Colorado College. He loved teaching, but he could not shake the desire to change science education at the system level, which led him to doctoral studies in STEM education in the CU ��«��Ƶ School of Education.

I am motivated by the potentially millions of students and educators whose experiences learning science may improve with free access to research-based instructional materials that promote equity, empowerment, interest, and students figuring out scientific knowledge for themselves."

“As a classroom teacher, I became frustrated with a lack of systemic support for the implementation of research-based science instruction, especially in schools serving students from historically minoritized groups,” he said.

“I decided to enter a PhD program to learn more about supporting wide-scale science education reform. CU ��«��Ƶ was the only program I applied to, and I was thankfully matched with a program and advisor that always promoted my interests and personal growth.”

Lindsay’s advisor, Valerie Otero, an accomplished researcher and professor of STEM education, said that working with Lindsay and growing together has been a highlight of her career.

Lindsay is known as a consummate teacher educator, who creates empowering learning environments, where students learn to advocate for themselves using evidence and consensus rather than appealing solely to the textbook and teacher for answers. His impressive work with teacher candidates is one of the many reasons he was selected for the Outstanding Graduate Award for Teaching by the School of Education faculty.

His humanistic approach to teaching also shows up in his research on institutional change, where he rejects traditional notions of success and failure in education reform and repositions reform into a realistic, ongoing, and human experience.

Lindsay applied these perspectives to his work with Otero and the Learning Assistant (LA) Program, for undergraduate students who use research-validated teaching and pedagogical techniques to facilitate student discussions and active engagement in STEM courses. Recognizing the particularly significant need to build community following the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lindsay established a program for returning Learning Assistants and hosted biweekly professional learning sessions. The program was such a success that it will continue after he graduates.

Lindsay’s family of educators has always been supportive, and they are proud to see him become the first in his extended family to earn doctoral degree. He is grateful that his grandmother, a former educator, was able to take part in his dissertation before she passed away recently.

“She was able to read my dissertation and attend my defense, which I know was a great source of pride for both of us,” he said.

Lindsay grew up in ��«��Ƶ, so his experience has been a homecoming. Every member of his immediate family has a degree from CU ��«��Ƶ, and that means he has “finally joined the herd,” he said.

Following graduation, Lindsay will continue his work at CU ��«��Ƶ as a Research Associate for the Institute of Cognitive Science, where he and a team of teachers, administrators, and researchers are developing a high school science curriculum that will be adopted by over 20 states and made freely available to all educators — a dream come true for this teacher turned researcher.

“I am motivated by the potentially millions of students and educators whose experiences learning science may improve with free access to research-based instructional materials that promote equity, empowerment, interest, and students figuring out scientific knowledge for themselves,” he said.

Will’s advice for students

Do not forget the passion that made you apply to your program in the first place, and make sure that passion continues to be reflected in your studies and work. For me, that meant teaching as much as possible while I was a PhD student, even though some academics suggested that I needed to prioritize research and writing.”

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