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EPOL Department - Student Spotlight

Meet our EPOL Graduate Students!

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  • Alejandro J. Suñé

    Alejandro (Alex) J. Suñé, M.S. (he/him/his)

    Dec 10, 2021 10:30 am |  91  Views

    Alex is a doctoral student in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership with a concentration in higher education. His specific focus of research is on food insecurity within the college environment. Alex currently serves as Senior Associate Director for Student Engagement and Assistant to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success & Engagement at Illinois. In these roles, he oversees Student Org Development & Administration (SODA), the Student Org Finance Center (SOFC), student spirit and tradition initiatives. He also serves as the advisor to Illinois Student Government. He's worked at Illinois since 2014. Before joining the Illini family, Alex worked at Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity Headquarters, Northwestern University, and Texas A&M University.

    Advisor: Dr. Denice Hood

    Anticipated Graduation: December 2022

    Academic Background:

    • Ph.D. (in progress), Education Policy, Organization & Leadership | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
    • M.S. Counseling & Student Development | Kansas State Unversity
    • B.S. Management Information Systems | Kansas State University

    LinkedIn: Alejandro J. Suñé

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    Sean Reeder

    Dec 10, 2021 8:45 am |  51  Views

    Sean is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education.  His research focus is in higher education finance and he currently serves as the Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer at Eastern Illinois University.

    Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Delaney

    Anticipated Graduation: 2022

    Academic Background: 

    Ph.D. Candidate, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership with concentration in Higher Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    M.B.A, with concentration in Finance, University of Ilinois at Urbana-Champaign

    B.S. General Engineering with concentration in Control Systems, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-reeder-973aa33/

     

     

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    Anna Barkley

    Dec 9, 2021 10:15 am |  231  Views

    Anna Barkley is a doctoral student in the department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership. Her research interests include the P-16 pipeline, college access, and transitions. Currently, she is interested in student-centered development of college readiness policy.

    Advisor: Dr. Adrienne Dixson

    Anticipated Graduation: 2025

    Academic Background

    • PhD, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
      • Concentration: Social Sciences & Education Policy
    • EdM, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
      • Concentration: Social Sciences & Education Policy 
    • BME, Choral Music Education, Winthrop University

    LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-barkley-77b219226/

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  • ACP Stonehenge

    Alicia Cabrera-Prado (she/her)

    Dec 8, 2021 1:15 pm |  51  Views

    Alicia Cabrera-Prado is a doctoral student in the Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

    Her research interests include Dual Language teacher training and study abroad programs. 

    Prior to coming to UIUC, Alicia worked in education as a National Board Certified high school Heritage Spanish teacher, a department chair for World Languages, and as an assistant principal. 

    Graduate Advisor: Dr. Allison Witt

    Expected Graduation Year: 2023

    Academic Background

    Ph.D. Student, Global Studies, Organization & Leadership in Global Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    M.A., Educational Leadership, Concordia University

    M.A., Secondary Education in World Languages, Roosevelt University 

    B.S., Mass Communications, Illinois State University 

    LinkedIn: ACP

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  • Jennifer Hain Teper

    Dec 8, 2021 10:15 am |  146  Views

    Jennifer Hain Teper is a part-time doctoral student in the Education Policy, Organization, & Leadership Department with a focus on the History of Education. Her research interests lie in the development of formal education pathways for art and cultural heritage conservators and understanding the historic and current barriers towards increasing racial and ethnic diversity within the profession. Jennifer is trained as a book and paper conservator and serves as Velde Professor and Head of the Preservation Services Unit at the University Library at UIUC. She is also adjunct teaching faculty for the ISchool. 

    Advisor: Dr. Christopher Span

    Anticipated Graduation: 2025

    Academic Background:

    Ph.D. (in progress) Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Concentration: History of Education

    M.S.L.I.S. and Certificate of Advanced Study, Conservation and Preservation of Library and Archive Materials, The University of Texas at Austin. 

    M.S. Biology and English, University of Richmond. 

    https://experts.illinois.edu/en/persons/jennifer-hain-teper

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    Hanna Kim

    Dec 1, 2021 1:15 pm |  446  Views

    Hanna Kim is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Global Studies in Education (GSE). Her research interests lie in a sense of belonging and identity development among Asian international graduate students at US universities as well as Asian American history education. She has worked for the College of Education’s International Program, the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies (CEAPS), as well as the Global Leaders Program in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. She currently serves as a research assistant for the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) project. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D. program, she worked for World Vision Korea (NGO) as a broadcast filing coordinator and studied for her master's in Applied Linguistics and TESOL at the University of Mississippi. She hopes to contribute to creating a welcoming climate in academic communities where all students feel they belong to the department and university. 

    Advisor: Dr. Yoon Pak

    Anticipated Graduation: 2026 

    Academic Background: 

    Ph.D. Student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  

          Concentration: Global Studies in Education 

    M.A., Modern Languages with a concentration on Applied Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, University of Mississippi 

    B.A., International Cultural Studies with Education in Early Childhood Education, Soonchunhang University 

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hanna-kim-487ba81b0 

    Additional Resources:

    CV

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  • Jasmine Porter-Rallins

    Nov 29, 2021 9:00 pm |  210  Views

    Jasmine Porter-Rallins is a doctoral student in the Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

    Her research interests include the history of African American boarding schools, the evolution and impact of the Afrocentric school model, and the relationship between sense of belonging and academic achievement for Black students. 

    Prior to coming to UIUC, Jasmine worked in education as a middle school science teacher in Boston Public Schools (MA) and Fulton County Public Schools (GA), a program director for the federally funded Upward Bound Program, and as an adjunct professor at Tufts University and Northeastern Illinois University. 

     

    Graduate Advisor: Dr. Yoon Pak

    Expected Graduation Year: 2023

    Academic Background

    Ph.D. Student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in Social Sciences & Education Policy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    M.Ed., International Education Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education

    B.A., Economics, Spelman College

     

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-porter-rallins-22244620

     

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  • Shang Li (she/her/hers)

    Nov 28, 2021 9:00 am |  106  Views

    Shang Li is a doctoral student in the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, with a concentration in Human Resource Development at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and also serves as an instructional design assistant at the eLearning Office in the Gies College of Business. Her research interests explore the influence of mobile learning on undergraduates' academic performance, learning motivation, and learning readiness.

    Advisor: Dr. Wenhao David Huang

    Expected Graduation: 2023

    Academic Background

    • Ph.D. student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in Human Resource Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • M.S., Business Administration, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • B.S., Business Administration, East China Normal University

    Linkedln: www.linkedin.com/in/shang（lisa-li-53844541 

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  • -

    Ayinde Rochon

    Nov 25, 2021 1:45 pm |  166  Views

    Ayinde Rochon is a doctoral student in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership with a concentration in higher education. His research interests focus on identity and efficacy development of Black students on college campuses. By using autoethnography, photography, and filmmaking as methods of collecting and displaying research, Rochon brings both the arts and academy together as one. He serves as a research assistant for the Office of Community College Research and Leadership and a teaching assistant for the College of Education.

    Expected Year of Graduation: 2025

    Advisor: Dr. Christopher Span

    Education

    Ph.D., Student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    Ed.M., Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

    B.A., Political Science, Indiana University Bloomington

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  • Jessica Harless (she/her/hers)

    Nov 23, 2021 2:00 pm |  100  Views

            I am a doctoral candidate in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership, specializing in philosophy of education. My professional background in college access and student development, coupled with my academic philosophical training, has led me to research and write about the intersection of higher education, ethics, and educational & social theory. My current project explores the role of inquiry in campus debates about free speech and safe spaces.

            In my time at Illinois, I have served as teaching assistant for EDUC 201 and EPOL 406, as editorial assistant for the journal Educational Theory, and as research assistant for a project on ethics in higher education. Recent publications include a chapter in the book Ethics in Higher Education, an article in Educational Theory, and an article in Ethics and Education.

    Graduate Advisor: Chris Higgins

    Expected Graduation Year: 2022

    Education

    • Ph.D., Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • M.A., Philosophy and Education, Teachers College-Columbia University
    • B.A., Philosophy, University of Florida

    LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jharless

     

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  • Danté Studamire

    Danté R. Studamire (he/him/his)

    May 14, 2021 3:15 pm |  333  Views

    Dante Studamire is a scholar-activist who attributes social activism and purposeful scholarship as key motivations. Presently, a doctoral student in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership (EPOL), I also serve as a mentor through the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) and a Teaching Assistant within the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    My scholarly research activity engages, troubles, and interrogates experiences in academe across a multiplicity of identities. I bring intersectional framing and a critical theoretical lens to explore the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, and education. I aim to contribute counternarratives to dominant discourse and add to an emerging body of literature on African American social and educational resilience, but more largely, to provide visibility to a population that is often pathologically approached, if represented at all, in research concerning Black men in America and education scholarship.

    Advisor: Dr. Adrienne Dixson

    Anticipated Graduation: 2023

    Academic Background

    • Ph.D. Student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership,University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

             Concentration: Social Sciences & Education Policy

    • M. A., Africana Studies, Georgia State University
    • B. A., Africana Studies, Georgia State University
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  • Image of Chequita Brown

    Chequita S. Brown (She/Her/Hers)

    May 13, 2021 6:30 pm |  159  Views

    Chequita S. Brown, a Chicago native, is doctoral student in the Education Policy, Organization and Leadership. Professionally, she has 10+ years’ experience working in postsecondary administration, instruction, and course and program development.

    Chequita’s research interests center on the lived experiences of minoritized populations in higher education, including college access and retention, student engagement and development, and educational equity and diversity. Equally important, she works as a research assistant for Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) and a teaching assistant for College of Liberal Arts and Science.

    Graduate Advisor: Dr. Denice Hood

    Expected Graduation Year: 2022

    Education

    • Ph.D., Student, Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • M.S., English Studies, Illinois State University
    • B.S., Sociology, Illinois State University

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chequitabrown/

    Updated CV

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  • Image of Nathan Tanner

    Nathan Tanner (he/him/his)

    May 13, 2021 4:30 pm |  391  Views

    Program of Study, Research Interests, & Advisor

    As a doctoral student in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership (EPOL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign my research critically examines Whiteness in historic and contemporary educational contexts; I seek to document and illuminate its pernicious influence on educational opportunity structures, and the ways racially minoritized students navigate and resist oppressive educational configurations. A major focus of my research agenda is drawing educators and policymakers’ attention to the intersections in place, race, and religion on schools, past and present. I transitioned to doctoral studies and educational research after working as an ESL teacher in Tianjin, China and a public school social studies teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah.

    My advisor is Dr. Christopher M. Span.

    Expected Year of Graduation: 2023

    Professional & Educational Background

    •  Ph.D. Student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in Social Sciences & Education Policy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    • M.Ed., Educational Leadership & Policy, The University of Utah

    • B.A., History, Brigham Young University

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-tanner-a5b35439/

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