Rising Magazine - Fall 2024

SJSU

FALL 2024

EdD Educational Leadership Program

RISING NEWSLETTER

https://www.sjsu.edu/edd/

CONNIE L. LURIE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Director's Message

03

New EdD Students

04

New EdD Core Faculty

21

New Student Orientation Pictures

26

Summer 2024 Global Field Pictures

28

CPEDC - Hawaii

30

EdD Informal Thanksgiving

32

Alumni Achievements

34 44

Faculty Achievements

Doris Prince 2024-25 Awardees

23

Doctoral Students Defending This Fall

24

https://www.sjsu.edu/edd/

CONNIE L. LURIE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

DIRECTOR‘S MESSAGE

Dear Colleagues: This past summer, 34 new amazing individuals joined our EdD Educational Leadership Program. Like in our previous fall issues, I am honored to introduce our Cohort 11! Their research interests and content expertise are very diverse, but they are united in their commitment toward change through transformative leadership.

Our program is growing! With more students, it means needing to collaborate with more SJSU faculty to advise our students. In this newsletter, I’m happy to introduce to our community six new tenured and tenure-track faculty from several departments at SJSU. I am also pleased to share with you recent awards and activities. Thanks to our generous donor, Ms. Doris Prince, five of our EdD students received a $15K award to help support their coursework and research. Also, four doctoral students successfully defended their dissertation projects. Furthermore, students from Cohorts 9 and 10 went to Cordoba, Spain last summer for their optional global field experience, and six students went to Honolulu, Hawai’i and presented their dissertation research at the Carnegie Project for the Education Directorate.

We close this newsletter with pictures from the New Student Orientation Day and the EdD Thanksgiving Celebration, plus some impressive accomplishments from our current and former students and core faculty.

Sincerely, Ferdie Rivera

FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Yvette Adams Undergraduate: B.A. | Psychology | California State University, Stanislaus.

Graduate: M.A. | Emancipatory School Leadership | San Jose State University Research Interests: Equitable access for all students and the ways in which access to social emotional wellness resources and geography impacts student outcomes.

Louis Adamsel Undergraduate: B.A. | Communication/Ethnic Studies | California State University, San Marcos Graduate: M.S. | Homeland Security | San Diego State University Research Interests: Advancing educational equity, fostering positive change, and empowering future generations through effective leadership in education.

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Essy Barroso Ramirez Hometown: Santa Cruz, California Undergraduate degree: 5 AAs in Bilingual-Bicultural Studies, Communication Studies, Health Science, Liberal Arts and Spanish. BS in Public Health Graduate degree: Master of Library and Information Science Research Interests: Research interests include (but are not limited to) the experiences of Latina/e/o/x, first-gen academic librarians, equity as it relates to minoritized communities and access to information and higher education, bilingual early literacy, Mexican ballet folclorico, and chola scholarship.

Personal Interests: Traveling, Mexican Ballet Folclorico, oldies, reading for leisure and spending time with family and friends.

Briauna Bailey Undergraduate: B.A. | Psychology | California State University, Stanislaus.

Graduate: M.S. | Sport Management | Georgia Southern University | M.Ed. | Higher Education and Student Affairs | Hardin-Simmons University Research Interests: Imposter syndrome among the African-American student population in the CSU system; the attention African-American students are receiving in higher education in a system that is primarily PWI, HSI, and AAPI.

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS David Bickel Undergraduate: B.A. in Music Education | B.M. in Music Performance | University of California, Los Angeles Graduate: M.A | Higher Education Leadership | San José State University Research Interests: Student Participatory Leadership, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, International Collaboration Personal Interests: Jazz Music, Travel, Biking, Family, and Pugs

Susan Blanco Undergraduate: B.S. | Human Development and Family Studies | Cornell University Graduate: MS | Reading Education | Elmira College Research Interests: Literacy, with focus on closing the achievement gap Personal Interests: Cooking and baking, running, reading, hiking

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Ricky Chan Undergraduate: B.Sc | Computer Science | Double Minors: Management Information Systems and Mathematics | San José State University Graduate: MBA | San José State University Research Interests: Utilizing artificial intelligence tools to identify and analyze the crucial factors that significantly enhance the chances of success for entrepreneurs.

Personal Interests: I play table tennis, manage startup acceleration training programs for startup founders, and run a startup company specializing in rental investment.

Emily Chan Undergraduate: B.A. | Biological Sciences | Grinnell College Graduate: MLIS | Library and Information Science | San José State University Research Interests: Scholarly communication, publishing and collections, open access, research administration Personal Interests: spending time with family, being outdoors

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Alaysia Brooks-Young Undergraduate: B.A.| Anthropology/Sociology and Black Studies | Denison University Graduate: M.A | Social Work | University of Southern California Research Interests: Impact of University Policies and Resource Accessibility on the Mental Health of Pregnant/Parenting Undergraduate Students Personal Interests: Being the best mother I could possibly be.

Greg Garcia Undergraduate: B.A. | Philosophy | San José State University Graduate: M.A | Higher Education Leadership | San José State University Research Interests: Peer-assisted learning, transformative pedagogy, ethical usage of AI in academia, character education, leadership development Personal Interests: Martial arts, philosophy, movies, hiking, and taking pictures of my dog.

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Teri Faught Undergraduate: B.S. | Earth Science | Western Michigan University.

Graduate: M.A. | Education/Administration & Supervision | San José State University Research Interests: Equity, Curriculum, and Instructional Reform Personal Interests: Traveling, Hiking, Reading, Exploring New Cuisines, and Discovering Nature

Zoe Giatis Undergraduate: B.A. | Communication Sciences and Disorders | Chico State University Graduate: MS | Communication Sciences and Disorders | Chico State University Research Interests: AAC, Neurodiversity Affirming Practices in Education, Equity for Students in Special Education who are Nonspeaking, and Cultural Competency in Education Personal Interests: Traveling, crafting, ebike riding, trying new restaurants and spending time with loved ones and their cat, Lily Bear.

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Marysol Gomez Undergraduate: B.A. | U.S. History-Race, Ethnicity, Migration | University of California, San Diego Graduate: M.A.T | Teaching of History | University of Illinois Chicago Research Interests: Latinx engagement in educational spaces, culturally responsive pedagogy, community schools, active work in social justice and equity, San Diego/Tijuana border living and learning Personal Interests: Weight-lifting, cooking, scrabble, dog, Plantita

Mahjooba Emmy Hashimi Undergraduate: B.A. | Political Science, Pre-Law | California State University, East Bay Graduate: M.A. | Public Administration, Management | California State University, East Bay Research Interests: Equity in K-12 and Higher Ed., Visual Arts; Linguistic Racism; Teaching Children of War; Indigenous Cultures of Central Asia; Implicit Racism in Academia; Forgotten Art of the Muslim World Personal Interests: Physical fitness, writing children’s stories, songs; spending time with my beautiful family.

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Yurema Herreman Undergraduate: B.S| Psychology | San José State University Graduate: M.A. | Higher Education Leadership| San José State University Rsearch Interests: Meeting students’ needs within counseling, specifically mental health counseling. Understanding and supporting the mental health profession and services within higher education institutions.

Personal Interests: Spending time with family being a tia (aunt) and teaching my nieces to speak Spanish.

Gloria Higgins Undergraduate: B.A. | Political Science and Philosophy | Wheaton College, MA Graduate: M.A. | Educational Leadership | San José State University Research Interests: Raising the Professional Status of Teaching, Teacher Preparation and Professional Learning, Leadership Personal Interests: Hiking, Reading, Gardening, Textile Arts

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Van Huynh Undergraduate: A.A. | Math | B.A. | Child and Adolescent Development | San Jose State University Graduate: M.A | Teaching | San José State University Research Interests: Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion Program in Public School K-5: Instructional Teaching Strategies, Classroom Management Strategies, and Bilingualism and Biliteracy Goals Personal Interests: Studying, Execute, Teaching, & Mentoring

Rubindar Kaur Undergraduate: B.S. | Business Administration | California State University Sacramento Graduate: MBA | California State University Sacramento Research Interests: Equity for minoritized students in EOPS programs

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Kristine Kirkendall Undergraduate: B.A. Speech Communication | San José State University | B.S. Bible Theology | SJ Christian College Graduate: M.A. | Sports Psychology | San José State University Research Interests: Nature Based Education in Higher Education Personal Interests: Groupwork and teamwork, sports, hiking, backpacking, challenging and seeing people succeed.

Eileen Lindley Undergraduate: B.B.A | Saint Mary's College of California Graduate: M.A. | Education Curriculum and Instruction | San José State University Research Interests: Neurodiversity in Teachers and School Staff, Gender roles in education, Multilingual learning and community engagement.

Personal Interests: Gym, dance, home decor, writing, listening to stories, telling jokes

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Christina MacLean Undergraduate: B.A. | American Studies | University of California, Santa Cruz Graduate: M.Ed | Secondary Education | University of California, Santa Cruz Research Interests: Enhance school connectedness through the building of mutli tiered integrated support systems, Wellness Centers, Community Schools, and sustainable billing structures, incorporating explicit adult social emotional learning into our school systems and teacher education systems

Kelly Marquez Undergraduate: B.A | Liberal Studies with a Minor in Spanish | Cal State Fullerton Graduate: M.A. | Educational Leadership | San José State University.

Research Interests: Math narratives, counter-narratives, professional learning communities, collective teacher efficacy, organizational behavior & change.

Personal Interests: Hiking, cycling, tv/film, self-improvement, food, fashion, arts & crafts, volunteering

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Tunicia McDowell Undergraduate: B.A. | History | California State University, Sacramento Graduate: M.A. | Management and Leadership w/an Emphasis in Health Administration | Webster University Research Interests: Intersectionality, systemic racism and oppression, community resilience, Black Feminism, workplace inequality, and impact of Veteran Status on employment Personal Interests: Reading and Literature, traveling, continuous learning, and video games.

Mirel Mejia Hometown: Salinas, California.

Undergraduate degree: Liberal Studies and Human Development from CSU Monterey Bay. Graduate degree: Educational Leadership and Administration from Cal Poly SLO Research Interests: Alternative Education best practices, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Personal Interests: I enjoy traveling to Mexico and going on weekend trips with my family.

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Shaheen Mohammed Undergraduate: B.S. | Management Info Systems | Menlo College Graduate: MEd | Urban Education | Holy Names University Research Interests: Exploring parents’ educational level and experiences within the U.S. educational system and bridge gaps in their knowledge so that they may better support and advocate for their children

Farah Mouhana Hometown: Lebanon Undergraduate degree: BA in Management.

Graduate degree: Master's in management.

Research Interests: Teacher’s leadership and empowerment.

Personal Interests: playing music, basketball, video games (call of duty).

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Nha-Nghi Nguyen Undergraduate: B.S. | Business of Admin | San José State University Graduate: MBA | University of Phoenix Research Interests: To explore the generational differences of the VietnameseAmerican women in the higher education administration role.

Personal Interests: Mentorship, entrepreneurship, education, cultural activities, languages, music, science, reading, camping, swimming, hiking, planning events, design, travel

Amanda Olivas Undergraduate: B.A | Criminology, Law and Society | University of California, Irvine Graduate: Master of Public Administration | Public Administration | CSU Long Beach Research Interests: Intersectional experiences of women of color in higher education, examining the use of storytelling in higher education for students historically under-represented, women of color in higher education Personal Interests: Strength training, reading, going to amusement parks, hiking, baking

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Seshadri Paravastu Undergraduate: B.E. | Electrical and Electronics Engineering | Andhra University Graduate: M.S. | Electrical Engineering | State University of New York | MBA | Drexel University Research Interests: Enhancing Ethical Awareness and Learning Outcomes: Assessing the Impact of AI-powered Language Models on Students' Long-Term Memory and Critical Thinking Skills

Gianna Shields Undergraduate: B.A. | Cognitive Science & Spanish | University of California Berkeley Graduate: M.A. | Educational | San Francisco State University Research Interests: Mathematics education, Equipping preservice teachers with the tools and strategies to integrate social justice into math instruction.

Personal Interests: time with my family, freediving, surfing, time in the ocean and connecting with friends.

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Thanh Van Thai

Undergraduate: B.S. | Information System| University of Quebec in Montreal Graduate: MS-ISE| MBA | San José State University Research Interests: To examine how institutional, environmental, and socio-cultural dynamics impact the educational journeys of first-generation and second-generation Vietnamese students Personal Interests: Inclusion, equity, witnessing or experiencing cultural and generational struggles, institutional improvements, amplifying the voices of Vietnamese students and their families

Capriccia Thomas Undergraduate: B.S. Nutrition and Food Science | B.A. Journalism | Sacramento State University Graduate: M.S. | Healthcare Administration | California State University, East Bay Research Interests: Nutrition-based curriculum and education to improve the social and health determinants, impact of health education to improve quality of life, tackling food insecurity and poor health conditions Personal Interests: Volunteering, reading, writing, dance, traveling, managing my business: Fascinating Health LLC

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FALL 2024

COHORT 11

NEW EDD STUDENTS Taylor Venice-Martin Undergraduate: B.S. | Communication Disorders | Xavier University of Louisiana Graduate: M.S. | Speech Pathology | Southern University and A&M College Research Interests: Utilize my knowledge to create programs that provide a just learning environment for those in special education

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New Core Faculty NavratI Saxena Associate Professor Computer Science

Colette Rabin, Professor Teacher Education

Melody Moh Professor Computer Science

New Core Faculty Wendy Quach Professor Communicative Disorders & Sciences

CJ Duh Associate Professor Psychology

Zachary McNiece Assistant Professor Counseling Education

2024-25

DORIS PRINCE AWARDEES

Yvette Adams Cohort 11

Marysol Gomez Cohort 11

Janet Martinez Cohort 9

Veronica Meza Cohort 10

Gianna Shields Cohort 11

DOCTORAL STUDENTS WHO DEFENDED THEIR DISSERTATION RESEARCH THIS FALL James Aguirre (Cohort 9) Title : Queer Educators in Affinity Family PersonalProfessional Development Chair: Robert Marx Members: Veneice GuilloryLacy, Trudy Gross

Prabhjeet Kaur Brar (Cohort 9) Title: Addressing Equity Gaps in STEM: A Self-Study Chair: David Whitenack Members: Tammie Visintainer, Misty Stroud

DOCTORAL STUDENTS WHO DEFENDED THEIR DISSERTATION RESEARCH THIS FALL Kalpana Galagali (Cohort 9) Title: Cultivating Belonging: Empowering Hispanic Parents in the U.S. Education System.

Chair: Luis Poza.

Members: Veneice GuilloryLacy, James Anderson

Kevina Brown (Cohort 7) Title: How Can We Do Better?

Understanding Student Experiences and Support Needs During and After the Covid-19 Pandemic Chair: Roxana Marachi Members: María Ledesma, Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION DAY MAY 25, 2024

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION DAY MAY 25, 2024

Summer 2024 Global Field Pictures JUNE 30 - JULY 14, 2024 CORDOBA, SPAIN

Summer 2024 Global Field Pictures JUNE 30 - JULY 14, 2024 CORDOBA, SPAIN

Pictures from the Carnegie Project for the Education Doctorate Convening OCTOBER 14-17, 2024 HONULULU, HAWAII

Pictures from the Carnegie Project for the Education Doctorate Convening OCTOBER 14-17, 2024 HONULULU, HAWAII

EdD Thanksgiving Celebration November 23, 2024

EdD Thanksgiving Celebration November 23, 2024

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Abigail Smurr (Cohort 9)

Presented at the CPED Convening 2024 in Honolulu Received a Jeffrey Scott Johnson Memorial Scholarship award

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Marysol Gomez (Cohort 11)

Awareded a Doris Prince Scholarship

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS My Ngoc (Amy) Nguyen (Cohort 9)

Presented a poster at the CPED 2024 Convening Received a Graduate Equity Fellowship award Serves on the Student Success Committee for SJSU’s Academic Senate

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Anthony Alvarado (Cohort 8)

Awarded the ACSA Region 8 Administrator Rookie of the Year (2023-2024)

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Phoebe Paxton (Cohort 10)

Received the SJSU Black Masque Scholarship

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Erika Vargas (Cohort 10)

Promoted to permanent Dean of the School of Health & Human Development, School of HHD- West Valley College

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Zoe Giatis (Cohort 11)

Presented a seminar on Neurodiversity Affirming Practices and AAC at the ASHA National Conference in Seattle, WA (Dec 6, 2024)

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Ricky Chan (Cohort 11)

Won the championship in the CCHC Table Tennis Competition Became Chief Strategy Advisor for Collegebot.ai, an SJSU startup Secured over $320,000 in funding with 20,000+ student users benefiting from AI-powered productivity tools

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Janet Martinez-Angeles (Cohort 9)

Received the Doris Prince Scholar Award

ALUMNI AND CURRENT no. 5 STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENTS Amanda Olivas (Cohort 11)

Amanda Olivas

Served on the planning committee for the 33rd annual UPCEA MEMS Conference Co-chaired the National MEMS conference and presented at the newcomers’ session

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS no. 5

Wendy Quach (Core Faculty)

Published research articles on Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Co-authored studies on communication access for marginalized communities

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS no. 5

Allison Briceño (Core Faculty)

Finalist, 2023 Excellence in Equity Award: Best Book for Educators (Conscious Classrooms) Published articles, book chapters, and opinion pieces on multilingual education Keynote speaker at multiple national literacy and education conferences

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS no. 5

Megan Thiele Strong (Core Faculty)

Published op-eds: Progressive: "Preserve democracy: End the Electoral College" and San Francisco Chronicle: "Kamala Harris left out of vote"

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS no. 5

Melody Moh (Core Faculty)

Published research on computing education and AI in top conferences Panelist on "Intersection of AI and Cybersecurity" at Silicon Valley Summit Secured a $1M grant for cybersecurity education and workforce development

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS no. 5

Ferdinand Rivera (Core Faculty)

Published STEM Learning in Extended Reality: Research, Design, and Examples (Springer, 2024)

RISING Fall 2024

https://www.sjsu.edu/edd/