Graduate Research Month

Meg Knapik has 20 years of experience in education and is currently a Teaching & Learning instructor in the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago where she is also pursuing her doctorate in Curriculum, Culture, and Communities. Previously, she served as an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, PreK-8 Math Coordinator and Specialist, Middle School Assistant Principal, and middle school math teacher. Passionate about empowering educators, Meg advocates for authentic, student-centered learning experiences that foster equity, inquiry, community exploration, and whole-child development. She is a published author, an avid traveler, and the mother of two curious daughters. 

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Rob Staton is a doctoral student and graduate assistant in the School of Education’s Curriculum, Culture, and Communities program at Loyola University Chicago. A seasoned international educator, Rob has lived and worked with his family in multiple countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, and most recently China. His research interests lie at the intersection of history and education. Rob’s most recent research project examined the "mythical whiteness" of Greek and Roman statues; he presented these findings at the American Historical Association’s national conference in January. Rob is currently developing his dissertation, which aims to improve the experiences of international students at American universities.

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Yat Sum Leung is a second-year Ed.S. student in the School Psychology program at Loyola University Chicago. Her research interests focus on youth mental health, adverse childhood experiences, and factors that promote resilience among youth. She earned her bachelor's degree in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan, where she examined neural mechanisms underlying motivation and reward. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Yat Sum brings a cross-cultural perspective to her work with diverse student populations. She hopes to pursue a career that emphasizes prevention, intervention, and systems-level supports.

Amy Butler is an elementary literacy coach in Berwyn, Illinois. She holds a master’s degree in Literacy and is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum, Culture, and Communities (3Cs) at Loyola University Chicago's School of Education. Her professional experience includes work as a classroom teacher, literacy interventionist, and adjunct professor of literacy instruction. Her research and professional interests focus on curriculum implementation, teacher decision-making, and culturally sustainable curriculum and instruction.

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Dr. Anna Press completed her teacher training in Toronto, Canada before teaching full-time in Ankara, Turkey for two years. She then returned to Canada to complete an M.A., after which she transitioned to government work: first in labor relations and then policy. In 2020 she moved to the U.S. to begin her doctoral studies in the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago. In Fall 2025 she successfully defended her dissertation and received her Ed.D. from the Curriculum, Culture, and Communities program.  

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Cheetara Hudson is currently an EL Specialist with Chicago Public Schools. She has over 13 years of experience teaching elementary and middle school students in urban districts with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations.  In addition to her K-8 teaching experiences, Cheetara has taught undergraduate and graduate teacher education courses. Her research explores multicultural education, social justice education, and culturally responsive teaching in teacher preparation. 

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Greetings! My name is Keith E. Jones and I'm currently pursuing my EdD in Curriculum, Culture, and Communities (3c's). I have worked for the City Colleges of Chicago as a College Advisor since 2018 and an adjunct professor of Sociology since 2011. My interests include culture, technology and education, epistemologies, distance learning, and culturally responsive teaching. I'm especially interested in community college students' experiences with online learning. For my Dissertation-In-Practice, I will be performing an equity-focused evaluation of Wilbur Wright College's asynchronous online courses. My goal is to determine if this particular modality reflects the social justice and equity principles in Wright College's mission, value, and vision statements. 

My name is Emma Ockuly and I am a first year School Psychology Master's of Education/ Education Specialist student in the School of Education. I've been working with Dr. Fenning and her lab since the beginning of the school year and have benefited greatly from all of their insight on discipline advocacy. Before starting my graduate program at Loyola, I worked as a research assistant in the Autism Assessment, Research, Treatment, and Services Center at Rush University Medical Center. I worked on a randomized-control trial for a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention for autism treatment. I also co-led multiple clinical groups for individuals with autism. I gained my undergraduate degree in child and adolescent psychology at DePaul University. At DePaul, I worked in the Homelessness Advocacy, Research, and Collaboration Lab. I assisted in the research for a manuscript published in the American Journal of Community Psychology discussing the effects of police interaction on those experiencing homelessness. Currently, my research interests include school-wide mental health interventions focusing on parent-child relationships and discipline reform at the legislative level. 

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Mary Kingsley Ndidiamaka Ezeh is a doctoral student in the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago, where she is majoring in Curriculum, Culture, and Community. Mary Kingsley is a dedicated researcher and advocate for sustainable development, with a particular focus on gender equity/equality and women’s empowerment in Africa, especially Nigeria. With a background in gender inclusivity and curriculum development, she has extensively analyzed the intersections of gender, political participation, and economic growth. Her work highlights the stereotypical gender structures in Nigerian politics and, in particular, investigates why women do not consistently support one another in political spaces. Drawing on data collection/ analysis and personal insights, Mary Kingsley seeks to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities involved in increasing women’s participation in Nigerian politics. She is committed to creating a fairer and more sustainable future for all, believing that gender equality and women’s political inclusion are not only social imperatives but also essential for the overall progress of Nigerian society. 

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Jessica Young-Eleazar (she/her) is currently the Professional Learning Coach Coordinator at Math Circles of Chicago. Additionally, she serves as the Associate Board Chair of Esperanza Community Services and as the Community Manager at DivaDance Chicago. Jessica received her bachelor’s degree in Middle School Education at Saint Louis University and her master's in Teaching and Learning – Reading Specialist (IL Certified K-12) at Roosevelt University. Additionally, she holds an Illinois teaching license for Middle School (grades 5-8) with endorsements in Mathematics, Language Arts, and Music. Jessica is in the Curriculum, Culture, and Communities Ed.D. program. Her research focus is on Asian American representation in curriculum. Growing up as an Asian American, she did not see her Filipino or Chinese identities mirrored in what she learned. Jessica hopes to cultivate curriculum that is more representative of the world these students live in now and show them the world that could be. While adolescents are on a journey to determine their place in the world, she strives to provide them with the tools and resources they need to be social justice advocates in their communities.

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Cing Deih Kim is a doctoral student in the Curriculum, Culture, and Communities (3Cs) program at Loyola University Chicago and currently serves as a Graduate Assistant. Originally from Myanmar (Burma), she was a 2023 Fulbright Foreign Student Scholar and earned a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in the same program in Spring 2025. Prior to her studies in the United States, she worked with several international non-government organizations (NGOs) in Myanmar, focusing on grant writing and humanitarian support initiatives. Her research interests focus on inclusive and culturally responsive education, emphasizing equity-centered and culturally sustaining approaches for immigrant and refugee students.  

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Hana Polachek is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology Ph.D. program. She has a wide range of professional interests spanning educational and clinical settings. She utilizes her background in mental health, multicultural affairs, and disability issues to be a student advocate.  Hana completed her predoctoral internship at a high school in Phoenix, Arizona. Presently, she works within the Arrupe College Writing Fellows Program. 

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Andrea Hércules is a doctoral student in the School Psychology program. Their research focuses on the unique experience of Latina girls designated as “at-risk” within schooling systems and how they resist systems of marginalization. Andrea is also interested in contributing to research on holistic mental health approaches for marginalized youth, with a focus on immigrant youth.

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Kayla Horne is a Black queer, bilingual woman from Indiana, currently pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology. Her upbringing in an international school deeply shaped her worldview, fostering a passion for understanding diverse identities and experiences. She is dedicated to empowering others through therapy, focusing on intersectionality, cultural humility, and mental health advocacy for marginalized communities. 

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This qualitative narrative case study explores the long-term value of preservice science teachers participating in a summer research experience paired with weekly professional learning. Using Wenger-Trayner and Wenger Trayner's (2020) Value Creation Framework, findings show shifting beliefs about the nature of scientific research and a reciprocal relationship between tangible and intangible potential values which led to more positive identities as scientists and science teachers.

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Mariana Hernandes Grassi is an English and Portuguese language educator with a deep commitment to creating inclusive and engaging learning environments. A Brazilian-born Chicagoan, she holds degrees in Education, TESOL, and Gender Studies. Her research focuses on Anti-Oppressive Pedagogies, Solidarity Economy, and Worker Cooperatives while pursuing a doctorate in Curriculum, Culture, and Communities (3Cs) at Loyola University Chicago. 

Brody C. Tate is a doctoral candidate in the Ed.D. Program in Curriculum, Culture, and Communities at Loyola University Chicago. He currently serves as the Program Manager, Online for the M.S. in Applied Data Science at the University of Chicago. His research centers around queer identity development, rural education, critical reflection, and curriculum development. 

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Tyler Hughes is a second-year PhD student studying School Psychology and a proud DC Public School System and HBCU grad. Passionate about addressing educational disparities, their research explores creating inclusive learning environments and the concept of "Homeplace," as articulated by bell hooks, to support the well-being and success of Black students. 

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Leah Pope is a first-year student in the Research Methodology Ph.D. program and serves as a graduate assistant for their program. Leah earned their M.Ed. in Higher Education from Penn State University in May 2024 and is now pursuing a career in institutional research with the goal of engaging in equity-focused research for a college like Loyola.

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Dr. Leanne Kallemeyn is an Associate Professor in the Research Methodology at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education. She teaches graduate courses in program evaluation, qualitative inquiry, and mixed methodology. Her research interests include social justice in evaluation practice; innovating qualitative methods; and practitioner’s data use. She has been the principal investigator of multiple evaluation projects on educational initiatives. 

Kristlyn Thomas is a doctoral student in the Curriculum, Culture, and Communities program in the School of Education. She holds a Master of Science in Technology with a Certificate in Training and Development, and a Master of Science in Education with a Certificate in Reading Instruction, both from Eastern Illinois University. Kristlyn is the Associate Director in the Office of Online Learning at Loyola University Chicago, managing their instructional design support. Kristlyn’s research is focused on the experiences of students with dis/abilities in the online environment, guided by the theoretical framework DisCrit. 

Cheetara has a B.A. from DePauw University and an M.Ed. from Loyola. She is a doctoral candidate in the 3Cs program and an educator with 13 years of K-8 teaching experience. She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate TLSC courses. Her research explores multicultural education, social justice education, and culturally responsive teaching in teacher preparation.

Erika E. de la Riva is a Latina doctoral student in the Research and Methodology Program at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education. She has an extensive community-engaged and disparities research background in public health and higher education in the Latinx community. Ms. de la Riva’s research dissertation is focused evaluative capacity building employing anchored in Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) to examine and foster describe ECB efforts at the individual, team, program and organizational levels in a small Latinx/e community organization in the Chicagoland area. She is currently a graduate student and teaching assistant at Loyola University Chicago and serves as part-time internal evaluator at Frida Community Organization. She holds an MA from Northwestern University and a BA from the University of Chicago. 

Claude Louis, MA, LPC, a third-year Ph.D. student at Loyola University Chicago, researches freeing BIPOC individuals from racism and injustice, focusing on coping and healing. He's a licensed therapist with a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In his leisure time, Claude enjoys Jazz dance, concerts, reading comic books, and engaging in advocacy work in Chicago. 

Tiffany Fang, MA, LPC is a doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. She is currently completing her doctoral internship at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital with a focus in rehabilitation and health psychology. Her research interests center around ecologically valid interventions in healing from racism and intergenerational trauma. A proud resident of the South Side of Chicago, she enjoys slow mornings, boxing, and eating with loved ones. 

Jiwon Lee, MEd is a third-year doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. As a Korean Canadian, she is interested in researching the impact of racism and oppression on the mental health of Asian immigrants and people of color.  She enjoys crocheting and dancing during her free time.  

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Dr. Nicole Garrity is an assistant professor specializing in school psychology in the School of Education at the University of Delaware (UD). Dr. Garrity is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). She began her career in school psychology as a practitioner in public schools in various states (Pennsylvania, California, and Delaware). In her school-based practice, she had the privilege of working with pre-school, elementary, middle, high school, and post-high school students and their families and communities. Her primary focus was on supporting students with disabilities, particularly students with autism, and she fulfilled many capacities such as assessment, intervention, and consultation. Later, she became a training coach for the Delaware Network for Excellence in Autism (DNEA) at UD’s Center for Disabilities Studies (CDS). Dr. Garrity was also an adjunct associate professor and program coordinator within Wilmington University’s (WU) teacher preparation program. She is actively involved with the Delaware Association of School Psychologists (DASP) and serves in a leadership role as Government and Professional Relations (GPR) Committee Co-chair. Through her teaching and service at UD, including Project GROW, Dr. Garrity aims to promote the celebration and inclusion of diversity through school psychologists’ cultural responsiveness and systems change for social justice. Ultimately, Dr. Garrity hopes to enable school-based mental health professionals to provide equitable, inclusive, and accessible academic and social-emotional and behavioral health services and support to all children, youth, families, and communities.  In addition, Dr. Garrity is interested in developing and advocating for innovative solutions to address local and national school psychology shortages across the profession. 

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Ryan was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and now lives on the far south side with his lovely wife, two dogs, cat, and a variety of scaled friends that crawl, slither, and swim. He likes to read, play video games, run, ride his bike, and swim (badly).  Science has been his favorite subject since he dissected his first owl pellet in 4th grade...which his wife thinks is gross. He is a current student in the 3C's doctoral program and his research interests are in urban science education, English learners, and participatory action research and citizen science around climate and community issues.

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In this presentation, Tinesh will outline the need to decolonize wellbeing practices on college campuses in order to improve overall student belonging and success. He seeks to apply critical social theories such as Mignolo and Walsh's ideas on the modernity/coloniality duality and pluriversality, Bourdieu's interrogation of unearned symbolic capital as well as reproductive educative practices, and Foucauldian discourses on power and knowledge to the college student wellbeing context. Such an analysis will ideally draw out the limitations of existing mindsets and practices, and will lead him to propose recommendations for college administrators to consider in their decision-making when seeking to address the increasingly prevalent issue of student wellbeing on college campuses. 

Tinesh Indrarajah is a PhD in Higher Education student at Loyola University Chicago researching on university wellbeing practices, minoritized student experiences, racial capitalism in education, reparative justice movements, and ASEAN regionalism policies. He is also the Managing Editor of the Comparative Education Review, the flagship journal of Comparative and International Education. He has 5+ years of experiences as a higher education professional with expertise in pastoral care, residential life, conduct management, and leadership programming. He graduated from Yale-NUS College with a B.A. with Honours in History and a Master in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. 

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This dissertation will examine how students of color experience Jesuit College Preparatory Education specifically in Cristo Rey Model Schools where students work in corporate settings in order to fund their education. The research strives to discover how a students “domestic curriculum” interacts, overlaps, intersects, and conflicts with both Jesuit College Preparatory and the Corporate Curricula.

Bernhard Walke's reserach interests include Culturally Responsive Education, Secondary Teacher Preparation and Coaching, Urban Education and the Cristo Rey Network Model, Ignatian Pedagogy, and Heritage Language Curriculum and Pedagogy.

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Sharnequa "Nikki" Hunter (she/her), is a School Psychology doctoral candidate at Loyola University Chicago and a fellow for the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Program (DFI). Nikki is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. She was born and raised in the Austin neighborhood on the west side of Chicago. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and certification in Education & Educational Studies and earned a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree from Loyola University Chicago in 2019. Her academic research interests lie at the intersections of youth mental and behavioral health, education equity, social justice advocacy, and positive identity development.

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This qualitative embedded multi-case case study focuses on the narratives of students and faculty to investigate how racially minoritized STEM transfer students (i.e., community college transfer to 4-year institutions) navigate the transfer process within institutions that make up Illinois Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (IL-LSAMP) alliance, a signature initiative of the National Science Foundation. In an effort to center student experiences and organizational-level processes, the study leverages Perna’s college access and choice model and Ray’s theory of racialized organizations. Findings reveal not only is the transfer process racialized, but racialization is mitigated differently by contextual layers including: (1) Tapping into Existing Expertise: Student Context, (2) Exploring Available Resources: Community College Context, (3) Considering Transfer Reception: 4-year Institution Context, (4) Investigating an Intervention: Alliance Context, and (5) Understanding External Forces: Social, Economic, and Policy Context. This manuscript discusses the student, community college and alliance context in-depth. Implications of the study address research and practice that could better identify the transfer landscape for racially minoritized STEM transfer students in the alliance and efforts to create a transfer affirming culture within the alliance.   

Victoria (Tori) Callais (She/Her/Hers) is a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education program at Loyola University Chicago and works in support of a number of projects with Dr. Demetri L. Morgan. Prior to enrolling at Loyola, Tori worked as a practitioner in the areas of orientation, first year experience, college access, and state government. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University with a major in liberal arts- concentration women and gender studies and minors in sociology and social work. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in Higher Education Administration from Louisiana State University. 

Carter Olson is an academic application administrator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and a master’s student at Loyola University Chicago in the Higher Education Administration program. Their research includes the construction of queerness on college campuses, the transfer experience of underrepresented minority students in STEM, and rural higher education. In working within higher education across a variety of capacities, including but not limited to faculty development, first-year student experience, and educational technology, they have both experienced and observed how colleges and universities address the needs of queer students without necessarily changing the fabric of the institution. As such, their research interrogates how this “fabric” remains rooted in higher education. 

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Learn about the importance of student research at Loyola and ask questions about graduate research initiatives with two of the School of Education's very own faculty. Listen to them share their experience with student research, and see how our students' innovative research inspires change.

	Eilene Edejer, PhD CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Dr. Eilene Edejer is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Research Methodology program. Her research interests include research Methodology, assessment & accreditation, and program evaluation. Watch the recording here.

	Seungho Moon, EdD  PROFESSOR

Dr. Seungho Moon is a Professor in the Teaching and Learning program. His research interests include curriculum studies and theorizing, qualitative research methodologies, cross-cultural conversation and transnational inquiry, and community-school-university partnerships. 

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Mariana Hernandes Grassi is currently a Women’s Studies and Gender Studies graduate student at LUC.  In addition, she is a first year doctoral student in Curriculum, Culture, and Communities (3C’s) from School of Education. She has been a foreign language educator (Portuguese and English to speakers of other languages) since 2010, with experience in Brazil and USA. Recently, she has joined the first international online teacher cooperative, My Cool Class, which was founded in 2020. Her research interest lies in gender equality within educational institutions.

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Kaelyn is a fourth year Ph.D. student in School Psychology. She is a south side Chicago Native, and enjoys traveling and trying new things around the city. She is a current DFI fellow and prioritizes research and teaching in her free time. She is currently at Rush Neurobehavioral Center (RNBC) for her advanced practicum on the diagnostic track and she is completing a supplemental practicum at Loyola Community and Family Services to get more experience with counseling and community mental health services.  Some of Kaelyn's research interests are black linguistics and assessment practices, intervention for race-based stress, equity, and school discipline reform.

Reese Hyzer is a third-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program. This year, she is completing her advanced practicum experience at Frost Academy, a public day school in Maine Township High School District 207. Reese is passionate about translational research and implementing evidence-based practices. Some of her research interests include adolescent mental health, culturally responsive practices, and school discipline reform. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to concerts, and traveling. 

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Maria Mendez is a fourth year Phd student in the School Psychology Program. She is a first-generation Mexican American student from Pomona, California. Prior to joining the School Psychology program, she obtained her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from DePaul University. Currently, her advanced practicum placement is at the Illinois Masonic Hospital Pediatric Developmental Center, where she provides diagnostic and therapy support services to children and their families. She is involved in two different research teams. Frist as a Research Assistant for the Greeley Center at Loyola, where she provides research support for evaluating the Greeley Centers instructional coaching services it provides to local catholic schools. Secondly, as an external evaluator for an identity affirming program for Black and Latino boys in Milwaukee Public Schools. In both roles, Maria strives to learn about the experiences of participants and improve programming for the most optimal learning and wellness outcomes for all students. In the future she hopes to continue research that supports the development, mental health, academic needs, and overall resiliency of all students.

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Reese Hyzer is a third-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program. This year, she is completing her advanced practicum experience at Frost Academy, a public day school in Maine Township High School District 207. Reese is passionate about translational research and implementing evidence-based practices. Some of her research interests include adolescent mental health, culturally responsive practices, and school discipline reform. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to concerts, and traveling. 

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