blog posts

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  Hanna Kim

  Dec 1, 2021 1:15 pm703 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

• Alicia L. Ross, ABD (She/hers)

  May 5, 2022 11:45 am51 views

  I am a doctoral candidate excited about the experiences I have had at UIUC. My research focuses on DEI in international education and leadership. I have presented at several conferences including NAFSA (Nat&Reg), IEI, HEI Butterfly, LINKS Incorporated. My volunteer experiences include AERA, NAFSA, IEI, UNDP, UIUC-GSC, and Alumni Club(s) of University of Chicago.

  Teaching Assistant: Communications Department-Public Speaking

  Publication: "Digital Divide In Developing Countries". GIMPA Journal, Ghana.

  Certifications: Learning Design Leadership (LDL)

  LinkedIn Profile

  Inspiring Others

• Paapa Nkrumah-Ababio

  May 9, 2022 1:45 pm141 views

  Paapa Nkrumah-Ababio is a doctoral student in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership with a double concentration in Global Studies in Education and Social Science and Education Policy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Paapa's research interest lay in the intersections of education and national development in African countries centered around literacy, citizenship, human development, and educational funding issues using quantitative research methods. Paapa is an international student from Accra, Ghana and is driven in his doctoral journey by the desire to bring a world-class education to the doorstep of every African child.

  Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Hinze-Pifer

  Expected Graduation: 2025

  Academic Background:

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

  M.S. Ed., Higher Education and Student Affairs, Baylor University, Texas

  B.S., Petroleum Engineering, Marietta College, Ohio

  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paapa-nkrumahababio

• Kelsey W. Knutson, Ed.D Student (she/her)

  Jun 13, 2022 4:30 pm208 views

  Program of Study, Research Interests & Professional Profile:

  Kelsey Knutson is a doctoral student of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, concentrating in Global Education and Diversity and Equity at the University of Illinois. Kelsey's continued research and studies center on inequities in access to digital learning, teacher-student relationships and the intersections of race, sexuality, and gender, grading bias in multicultural and multiracial classrooms, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and sustainable international education policy. Kelsey has recently entered the world of education consulting and is in a 6-month doctoral internship for the education sector of the U.N., specifically the Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems and Teacher Development departments, at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris. Kelsey is a full-time social studies teacher, D.E.I. facilitator and coordinator, and newly appointed travel and foreign exchange director in Phoenix.

  Advisor: Dr. Hyun-Sook Kang

  Expected Graduation: 2025

  Academic Background:

  • Ed.D., (In-progress) Global Studies; Diversity & Equity, in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
  • M.Ed., Education, Arizona State University, 2016
  • B.A., Global Studies: Human Rights & Justice; Spanish, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 2013

  LinkedIn: /kelseyknutson or Kelsey W. Knutson's LinkedIn

• Derek Meyer, EdD (he, him, his)

  Aug 23, 2022 9:30 am60 views

  Derek Meyer is a doctoral student in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Global Studies in Education and a graduate minor in Gender Relations in International Development. Derek’s research focuses on connections between China Studies, Chinese education policy, comparative US-China ethnicity studies, gender studies, DEI in higher education, and the internationalization of higher education. Derek currently serves as the Senior Manager of International Affairs at Westlake University in Hangzhou, China where he leads international recruitment and admissions for PhD programs and undergraduate study abroad programs.

  Graduate Advisor: Dr. Allison Witt

  Expected Graduation Year: 2025

  Academic Background:

  EdD (in progress) Education Policy, Organization & Leadership – Global Studies in Education – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  EdM Education Policy, Organization & Leadership – Global Studies in Education – University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - 2019

  B.A. International Relations – Kent State University – 2016

  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-meyer-德瑞-96809447/

   

• Yaning Cao

  Aug 24, 2022 10:00 am187 views

  Yaning Cao is a doctoral student in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership. Her concentration is Global Studies and her research is in international higher education collaboration. Her work experience in a one joint-venture university in China leads her to consider efficient ways for higher education institutes to collaborate and in what ways education policy can benefit students to become global citizens in the future.

• Aigul Rakisheva, PhD (She/Her)

  Mar 29, 2023 9:00 am252 views

  Aigul Rakisheva is a doctoral student in the Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership Department, with a concentration in Global Studies in Education. Her research interests include initial teacher education focusing on Information and Communication Technologies and Virtual Exchange, the rural and urban gap in education, gender equality in higher education, and international/comparative research. Aigul utilizes mixed methods and art-based methods in her research approach.

  • Advisor: Dr. Allison Witt 
  • Expected Year of Graduation: 2027 
  • Educational Background: 
  • Ph.D. student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Concentration: Global Studies in Education 
  • M.Sc. Educational Leadership: Higher Education, Nazarbayev University 
  • M.Sc. in Geography, Pavlodar State University 
  • B.Sc. in Geography, Pavlodar State University 

  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aigul-rakisheva/

• Israt Z Nipa (She/her)

  Jan 6, 2024 7:15 pm38 views

  Israt Z Nipa is a student in the Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a concentration in Global Studies in Education. She has more than 5 years of teaching experience at schools and universities. She worked as a lecturer at a university back in Bangladesh and taught undergrad students. Her research interests lie in the international students' experiences, internationalization of higher education, and equity in girl's education. 

  • Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Taylor 
  • Expected Year of Graduation: 2027 
  • Educational Background: 
  • Ph.D. Student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Concentration: Global Studies in Education 
  • M.A. in English Literature, Premier University
  • B.A. in English Literature, Premier University

• Logan Tayler Pender (he/him/his)

  Jun 25, 2025 6:00 pm0 views

  Logan Tayler Pender is a graduate student in the Education Policy, Organization & Leadership (EPOL) program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with a concentration in Global Studies in Education. His research interests lie in decolonizing U.S. higher education and education abroad systems, advancing education as smart diplomacy, and promoting equitable global engagement. He served as a 2024-2025 Gilman Alumni Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State, a 2025 LeadNext Global Ambassador Fellow with The Asia Foundation, and was selected as a delegate for the 2025 Sustainable Development League World Economic & Leadership Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Logan aspires to become a university president and diplomat, shaping educational policy and global cooperation through inclusive, future-focused leadership.

  Advisor: Allison Witt, Ph.D.

  Anticipated Graduation Year: 2026

  Academic Background

  • Ed.M. (in-progress) Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a Concentration in Global Studies in Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2026
  • B.A Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in International Education for Higher Education Administration (IEHEA) with a Minor in Social Sciences, Winthrop University, 2024

  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/logan-tayler-pender