As an accomplished teacher, emerging educational historian and rigorous scholar, PhD graduate Derek LeFebre demonstrates exemplary passion and commitment to his work. 

A Colorado native raised in Aurora, Colorado, LeFebre taught history, science and Spanish in Greeley for over 10 years before starting his doctoral studies. He chose to complete his PhD in Educational Foundations, Policy and Practice at the CU Boulder School of Education to work with renowned Professor Rubén Donato, as LeFebre was familiar with Donato’s educational history research into the experiences of Mexican Americans in Colorado. Instead of Colorado, his research, however, focuses on northern New Mexico, where he and his family have deep roots.

LeFebre’s dissertation examines how Hispano education evolved in relation to the Hispano land rights struggle from 1846 to 1919 in Northern New Mexico after the U.S. occupied New Mexico in 1846. His dissertation argues that Hispanos (individuals with multigenerational roots in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico) established schools to defend their land and autonomy, and his research “underscores how Hispano schools strengthened and fueled the land rights struggle during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.” 

To complete his research, LeFebre poured over primary source documents from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including Spanish-language sources by Hispano educators and community members. In doing so, he also found and told stories of educators who became leaders in the struggle for Hispano land rights.

“Derek illustrates early examples of social justice educators in the late 19th century, including principles of social justice unionism, wherein education was oriented toward social change, linguistic preservation, and critiques of power and domination,” said Donato, his award nominator and dissertation advisor.

LeFebre’s outstanding dissertation and commitment to telling these untold histories of a community not well-represented in history is why the Donato nominated LeFebre for the 2024 Outstanding Dissertation Award. 

“He is one of the hardest-working students I have advised through my 35-year career in higher education. As a committed and rigorous scholar, Derek has demonstrated to be a remarkable student, instructor, researcher and community member with true critical consciousness of racial inequities within the educational system.”

LeFebre is excited to share his research with relatives and community members who, like his family, have deep roots in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. 

After graduation, LeFebre will begin preparing for the 2024 Western History Association Conference in Kansas City, where he will present on a panel, “Pedagogies of Liberation.” Not only does this graduation represent a significant milestone for LeFebre, it also marks Donato’s retirement after multiple decades. The legacy of scholarship documenting the many powerful contributions of Hispano educators and activists is in good hands as Donato passes the torch, and leaders like LeFebre take up this impactful and overdue scholarship.

In his own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

  I was born in Denver and raised in Aurora, Colorado. All my K-12 schooling experiences occurred in Colorado public schools. I graduated from high school in 1999 and became the first-generation in my family to attend and graduate from a university in 2004. I earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish and master's degree in history from the University of Northern Colorado. I chose CU Boulder because I wanted to study the history of education in northern New Mexico with Dr. Rubén Donato.”

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter of your life?

  I learned a lot about generosity during my time at CU Boulder. There were so many generous people who assisted and supported me on the PhD journey. For example, Bill and Connie Barclay funded my dissertation research with a Miramontes Doctoral Scholars fellowship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many generous archivists and librarians who digitized archival sources and opened archival repositories for me. My advisor, Dr. Rubén Donato, was especially generous with his time. He spent hours reading and discussing my dissertation drafts. Finally, there was family. My primos Marc and Ida in Albuquerque hosted me during several research trips, discussed my project, and helped me translate old archival records. My wife, Elizabeth, and my children, Elias and Sylvain, were especially generous as they allowed me the time and space to complete this work. I am inspired by these acts of generosity. In the next chapter of my life, I am excited to be similarly generous to others.”

What does graduating from CU Boulder represent for you or your family/community?

  My family is very proud that I will graduate from CU Boulder. They are proud that I will earn a PhD in Education. Many of my relatives and community members are also excited to read my research about the history of education in New Mexico. I have already shared it with several individuals who, like me and my family, have deep roots in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

  Start writing. Dedicate an hour of time to writing in the early morning. Write at your local coffee shop. Be the first one to order a drink. Get to know the baristas. They should expect to see you every day. Keep a journal. Write a term paper. Compose a letter to your grandmother. It does not matter what you write. It matters that writing becomes a normal part of your daily routine. You will thank yourself for establishing this habit. Writing your dissertation will not be easy, but with a writing routine in place, it will come more naturally. You might even enjoy it. So...start writing.”  

What are your next steps after graduation?

  After graduation, I will begin preparing for the 2024 Western History Association Conference in Kansas City. I am one of four historians who will present on panel called, ‘Pedagogies of Liberation.’” 

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A veteran educator with nearly a decade of experience practicing as an elementary school teacher and administrator in New York City, Elizabeth Tetu is well acquainted with the common themes that affect teachers in their first years of teaching. 

“Feelings of overwhelm and failure, a sense of having been inadequately prepared, and a reported lack of support to navigate these experiences,” said Tetu. She also experienced “tensions between what I had learned and come to value through my early justice-centered teacher preparation as an undergraduate, and the practices and expectations in my school environments.”

It was these tense experiences that led Tetu to first apply to graduate school, where she was able to unearth the focus of what her research and teaching would ultimately be.

“Both my research and teaching have come to focus on supporting new teachers to find community and self-efficacy to support them to enact their values,” she said. 

With an abundance of opportunities to work with pre-service teachers in the Elementary Education program and the School of Education’s commitment to equity, inclusion, diversity and justice, Tetu was drawn to the research potential that the Teacher Learning, Research & Practice (TLRP) program offered. 

The TLRP program area offered Tetu a unique opportunity “to learn from/in a community of faculty and graduate students who care deeply AND theorize richly about teachers and teaching,” she said. “Being in community with peers and mentors who move with great authenticity and integrity has taught me ways of integrating my values and ways of being into my identity as a scholar.”

This integration of values that Tetu has learned to harness and utilize in her work were applied well in her time teaching in the Elementary Education program. 

“Elizabeth’s attention to equity and justice has been a hallmark of the courses she has designed and taught in the undergraduate Elementary Education program,” said her award nominators, Associate Professors Jamy Stillman and Melissa Braaten.

Gaining the respect and admiration of her faculty mentors, peers and students, Tetu was proudly nominated as the recipient of the 2024 PhD Outstanding Teaching Award. 

“Elizabeth’s concerted focus on teaching and teacher education — including her efforts to empirically explore questions about teaching/teacher education in the context of her own practice — have resulted in teaching excellence that far exceeds what is typical for doctoral students.” said Tetu’s nominators. “Elizabeth has excelled as a course instructor while making immeasurable contributions to the Elementary Teacher Education program through her teaching, course development, leadership, and scholarly activities.”

As the first graduate of the TLRP program, Tetu’s trailblazing contributions to the Elementary Education program during her doctoral program are only the beginning, and she is excited to be returning to the School of Education as an Assistant Teaching Professor at the end of this summer.

Before Tetu returns to the Elementary Education program, she has another important goal to accomplish in Europe this summer, hiking the famed Camino de Santiago.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

  I grew up and attended public schools in southeastern Pennsylvania, and I attended college/graduate school in NYC. I was an elementary school teacher and administrator for nine years in New York City. In my different roles, I saw (and experienced myself) some common themes in the first year of teaching: feelings of overwhelm and failure, a sense of having been inadequately prepared, and a reported lack of support to navigate these experiences. In my own early teaching career, I also experienced tensions between what I had learned and come to value through my early justice-centered teacher preparation as an undergraduate, and the practices and expectations in my school environments. This problem is what made me want to apply to graduate school, and ultimately both my research and teaching have come to focus on supporting new teachers to find community and self-efficacy to support them to enact their values. I chose CU Boulder for a few reasons: (1) the TLRP program area and the unique opportunity it offered to learn from/in a community of faculty and graduate students who care deeply AND theorize richly about teachers and teaching, (2) the school's commitments to equity, inclusion, diversity, and justice, and (3) the abundant opportunities available here to teach and work with pre-service teachers in the elementary education program."

What is one of the most significant lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter of your life?

  I came to graduate school with very little knowledge about the academy and learned very early on that there are strong pressures in academic spaces to produce rather than humanize, perform rather than listen, and achieve rather than learn. My time at CU Boulder, especially being in community with peers and mentors who move with great authenticity and integrity, has taught me ways of integrating my values and ways of being into my identity as a scholar. I feel that this integration is the only way to do justice-centered work and remain whole in the academy, and I'm grateful to everyone who has helped me to see that."

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

  Doctoral education is full of difficult experiences: critically reflecting on your teaching, having conversations across infinite lines of difference, the big milestones (comps and dissertation) and so much more. Although these experiences contribute to a lot of individual growth and accomplishment, you in fact navigate them with peers and mentors. And there are SO many wonderful people teaching and working at CU Boulder. If I could give an incoming student one piece of advice, it would be to find people that you both respect and trust. Having the right people on your committees and collaborative teams can turn all of the challenges into precious gifts, as you are transformed by the expertise and generosity of others."

What are your next steps after graduation?

  First, I'm going to take half the summer off to hike the Camino de Santiago! I see it as an opportunity to reconnect with myself before moving into the next phase of my career. In the fall, I am returning to CU Boulder as an Assistant Teaching Professor in Elementary Education."

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Growing up in Kansas and venturing out for vacations only as far as the family car would reach, Molly Hamm-Rodríguez never dreamed she would find her calling in international education and the Dominican Republic. 

Now, she is graduating with her doctorate in equity, bilingualism and biliteracy from the CU Boulder School of Education, and her groundbreaking research in the Dominican Republic has led to her work being honored with the CU Boulder School of Education’s 2023 Outstanding Dissertation Award.

As a master’s student at Teachers College at Columbia University, Hamm-Rodríguez worked with a nonprofit organization in the Dominican Republic, where she was hired after graduation to support hundreds of young people through a youth workforce development program. There, she discovered the program’s international sponsors, including the U.S. government, imagined a linear path between education, employment, and economic mobility in the Caribbean nation, but that was not what she saw working alongside the youth. As someone tasked with grant writing and program assessment, Hamm-Rodríguez was positioned to replicate the existing narrative rather than question it. 

“I saw clearly how the local tourism industry constrained the jobs made available to youth and that, contrary to its promises, it could not resolve social inequalities,” she said. “It was undeniable that my own employment in a community where youth and their families struggled to make ends meet was part of the larger problem that I needed to question.

“I completed my dissertation research with these tensions at the forefront, and my work continues to be fueled by a desire to contest and deconstruct these inequities through ongoing collaborations with institutions in the Dominican Republic as well as through teaching, research, and service in my future job at the University of South Florida.”

Hamm-Rodríguez’s dissertation, “Re-Storying Paradise: Language, Imperial Formations of Tourism, and Youth Futures in the Dominican Republic,” focuses on the struggles of Black Dominican and Haitian youth who seek education and employment opportunities amidst the social stratifications generated by tourism in the island nation. Her research, weaving ethnographic methods and youth participatory action research, reveals how youth build solidarity across social difference and find commonalities in their struggles against anti-Blackness. 

Hamm-Rodríguez’s innovative scholarship was awarded support of many highly competitive national fellowships and grants, including the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, the Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant in Linguistics, the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship, the Philanthropic Educational Organization Scholar Award, and the Foreign Language Studies Fellowship for Haitian Creole. 

Hamm-Rodríguez’s approach to multilingualism, with a focus on the Caribbean, is grounded in sociocultural and critical theories of language and literacy development, and her interdisciplinary scholarship will be influential in the field of educational inquiry and beyond. 

One of Hamm-Rodríguez’s award nominators explained: “As an Afro-Dominican member of the academy, I have felt honored to have interacted with Molly, in whom I readily recognized an emerging scholar, and privileged to have been invited to participate on the dissertation committee,” said Almeida Jacqueline Toribio from the University of Texas Austin. “Her dissertation project is critical in situating the research squarely within Dominican institutions, instigating a thorough-going interrogation of the parallel prejudices of racial bias and standard language ideologies, which are perpetuated by the nation state and which prove particularly injurious to Dominican youth. 

“I have been especially impressed by Molly’s abiding attentiveness to understanding and centering the lived experiences of minoritized youth and with her attendant dedication to supporting and uplifting these marginalized groups through proposals for programmatic interventions.” 

Hamm-Rodríguez’s experience with youth in the Dominican Republic led her to seek a PhD in education to address her questions about education, society, and inequity. Now, she is leaving CU Boulder with a wealth of experiences, the ongoing support from her advisor, Mileidis Gort, and other faculty, and lifelong friendships from her doctoral cohort. However, Hamm-Rodríguez notes, she is graduating with even more questions than she started with—something she considers a good sign as a budding scholar. 

“Graduating from CU Boulder does not represent an end but rather a beginning to me, as learning and unlearning is a lifelong journey,” she said. “Rather than leaving with a title, I know that I am leaving with new ways of thinking and being that I will continue to use for social change.”

In her own words:

Please tell us a bit about yourself

  I was born and raised in Kansas and grew up taking road trips to Colorado in the summers, since my mom grew up here. We rarely took vacations and only to destinations where we could drive--I did not have the chance to fly on an airplane or see the ocean until I was 18. So I never imagined that my future education, work, and personal life would extend as geographically far as it has. I studied secondary education and English literature as an undergraduate at Kansas State University. After student teaching with 8th and 10th graders in Kansas City, I began a master’s program in international and comparative education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I was originally interested in studying bilingual education, but that program focus area was restructuring and I found more faculty support for research on education in Latin America. During the program, I worked with a nonprofit organization in the Dominican Republic and was hired for a full-time role upon graduation. After working there for five years, I became interested in doctoral programs and reached out to CU Boulder Ph.D. students a few times before finally deciding to apply. I was initially interested in CU because my parents and twin sister had moved to Colorado and I wanted to live near them, but after having a Zoom conversation with my future advisor, Dr. Mileidis Gort, and meeting my EBB cohort during finalist weekend (Becca Flores, Danny Garzon, and María Ruíz-Martínez) I was even more excited to bring my interest in studying bilingual education full circle."

What is one of the lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

  Meeting my best friend, Astrid Sambolín Morales. We were put in touch even before the program started, had a class together the first semester, and became fast friends. But our friendship deepened through our shared commitments to bring attention to the experiences of children and families displaced from Puerto Rico (Astrid’s home) after Hurricane María in 2017. We collaborated on a meaningful research project in Florida, traveling to both Orlando and Tampa together and creating many memories alongside having really difficult conversations. This experience led to collaborations with four high school teachers who joined us in Colorado for a conference on place and displacement sponsored by the URBAN Network. I have stayed in touch with one of the teachers, whose family is from the Dominican Republic, and met her extended family several times while in the country. Astrid and I talk almost everyday (despite her being in Ohio), sharing life’s ups and downs. There has been no greater gift from my time at CU! Staying connected to our support networks, no matter the distance, makes a world of difference..”

What does graduating from CU Boulder represent for you and/or your community?

  I started the PhD program because I had a lot of questions about education, society, and inequity, and I wanted to become better about deeply understanding and answering those questions. Well, I’m leaving with even more questions, which I consider to be a good sign that I’m in a better place than when I began. Graduating from CU Boulder does not represent an end but rather a beginning to me, as learning and unlearning is a lifelong journey. Rather than leaving with a title, I know that I am leaving with new ways of thinking and being that I will continue to use for social change.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

  Be open to surprises and follow your curiosity. Engage with the complexity of human experience. Seek feedback and be open to critique, give feedback generously. Read outside of your discipline. Do your best not to lose yourself on the journey, and don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. Center what matters to you and you will find your way.”

What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?

   My passion for the work that I do has many roots, but a significant turning point began more than a decade ago when I supported hundreds of young people in the Dominican Republic through a youth workforce development program. During this experience, I found that international donors, such as the U.S. government, imagined a linear path between education, employment, and economic mobility. Having been hired to write grants and measure program outcomes, I was often positioned to replicate these discourses rather than question them. But this became increasingly more difficult to do. I saw clearly how the local tourism industry constrained the jobs made available to youth and that, contrary to its promises, it could not resolve social inequalities. And it was undeniable that my own employment in a community where youth and their families struggled to make ends meet was part of the larger problem that I needed to question. I completed my dissertation research with these tensions at the forefront, and my work continues to be fueled by a desire to contest and deconstruct these inequities through ongoing collaborations with institutions in the Dominican Republic as well as through teaching, research, and service in my future job at the University of South Florida. In the current political context, it is more important than ever to emphasize how attacks on public education and on racialized communities is not new and to continue educating young people for social justice.”

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A leader on campus in broadening participation in STEM education as the most recent director of the BOLD Center, Tanya Ennis is committed to developing and studying strategies that can create a more equitable environment for racially minoritized and first-generation students. 

Ennis studied electrical engineering at an Historically Black College/University, Southern University, and then computer engineering for her Master’s degree from the University of Southern California before coming to CU Boulder to direct the Engineering GoldShirt Program and now the BOLD Center in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Her work supporting underrepresented students to succeed as engineering students and her high regard for the School of Education doctoral program led her to enroll in the Learning Sciences and Human Development PhD program. 

I am a first-generation student and the first in my family to earn a PhD., and many in my family and my community have shared that I am an inspiration to them, and that my scholarly work has lasting impact. I stand on the shoulders of my parents, Ethel B. Davis and Ernest Davis, Sr., who did not have the educational opportunities I did. This is also true for many of the ancestors upon whose shoulders I stand today. I dedicate this award to my husband, Cedric Ennis, Sr., our children, parents, and ancestors.."

Ennis’ dissertation, “Yearning to Learn: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Black Engineering �鶹��Ժ Deciding to Stay or Leave Engineering Majors,” grew out of her desire to center and understand Black students’ experiences in engineering. She studied Black students’ decisions to stay or leave their engineering majors at a Predominantly White Institution, revealing the complexities of why Black students choose to stay or leave. Ennis’ findings emphasize the importance of friendships with peers who lend both social and academic support. Her impressive and comprehensive research has earned her the 2022 Outstanding Graduate and Outstanding Dissertation Award by the School of Education faculty committee.

“This is a critical insight that engineering colleges can act upon, through community-building programs and interventions that help create space for supportive peer interactions,” her nominators shared. “No other study has undertaken such a comprehensive look at their experiences to develop and test conjectures of just why students stay or leave.”

Her experience in the doctoral program at CU Boulder has also benefited from the support of faculty and peers. She credits these supports, her faith, and stepping into her power with helping her through the program while balancing her career in engineering and the adversity she has faced in her academic, professional, and personal life. Not unlike the students’ experiences she documented in her research, community and support systems make all the difference.

“I had great PhD colleagues,” she said. “We enjoyed learning together and formed very strong friendships during our time together.”

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Before enrolling at CU Boulder as a doctoral student, Caitlin Fine was a science teacher in a dual-language elementary school in Virginia, where she was often frustrated by her district’s narrative that teaching science in Spanish was a “nice bonus” and teachers need to prepare students for English-language multiple-choice state science assessments. She felt too little class time was spent on student engagement with and sensemaking about science phenomena, and she knew something needed to change. 

The most important part of my time at CU Boulder was growing as a scholar along with my fellow cohort-mates. Moving through all of the PhD milestones from attending our first AERA conference through dissertation defenses and navigating the job market has deepened our relationships. I am excited to continue to grow as a scholar with the group of critical friends that I developed during my time at CU Boulder."

The School of Education and the Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy program faculty’s critical stances and interdisciplinary nature attracted Fine to CU Boulder, where she hoped she could influence educational change. 

Beyond her own exemplary teaching, Fine has made significant contributions – both with her research and her service – to teaching and teacher preparation more broadly. 

As a doctoral student the Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy program with a focus on STEM education, Fine was instrumental in shaping the redesign of science and assessment coursework in elementary teacher education, in supporting alignment in the elementary teacher education program and in redesigning and delivering coursework in culturally/linguistically diverse assessment for the program’s master’s program. 

Fine’s contributions to elementary teacher education have gone far beyond the typical participation of a graduate student. In addition to working closely with Melissa Braaten to design and teach the Science Methods course, she served as the course designer and was the first instructor for both Assessment for Bilingual Learners, one of the culturally and linguistically diverse education endorsement courses, and the STEM Module for fourth year students focused on reading and STEM assessment. 

At the master’s level, Fine significantly updated and taught Diagnostic Assessment, a required course for the culturally and linguistically diverse education endorsement.

“Caitlin's relentless insistence on asset-based stances and actions when working with minoritized communities, her thoughtful design of pedagogical tools, and her deep understanding of the complex contexts of K-12 schooling make her a powerful teacher educator,” said the faculty nomination committee that selected Fine as one of the 2022 Outstanding Graduates for Teaching.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

  I am from Virginia. Before coming to CU, I worked as a science teacher in a dual-language elementary school in Arlington, VA for 7 years. In that capacity, I understood my job as both a science teacher and a Spanish language teacher, but I would often get frustrated by the district narrative that teaching science in Spanish was a nice bonus, but we needed to prepare students for English-language multiple-choice state science assessments. I felt that much of my time was spent introducing and practicing vocabulary words in both Spanish and English and little time was spent on actual student engagement with and sensemaking about science phenomena. I chose CU Boulder because of the critical stances of the Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy faculty and the willingness of the STEM Education faculty to work with someone like me whose research interests cross disciplines.”

What is one of the lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

  It may sound cliche, but the most important part of my time at CU Boulder was growing as a scholar along with my fellow cohort-mates. Moving through all of the PhD milestones from attending our first AERA conference through dissertation defenses and navigating the job market has deepened our relationships. I am excited to continue to grow as a scholar with the group of critical friends that I developed during my time at CU Boulder.”

What does graduating from CU Boulder represent for you and/or your community?

  This accomplishment was definitely a group effort. Completing a PhD during a global pandemic while also being a mother of two young children is no easy feat. All along the way, I have had the unwavering support of my amazing husband. He spent many weekend days over the last six years entertaining the kids while I worked at a local coffee shop. We are also fortunate that my mother lives nearby - she was integral in supporting me last year while I completed my dissertation. She spent several days a week at out house helping the kids with 'crisis schooling' so I could focus on writing.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

  I think my best piece of advice is to be sure to maintain your hobbies and fill your life with multiple things that bring you joy outside of academia. Be sure to prioritize time for these elements as much your assigned readings and term papers. Professor Gort told me early in my time at CU Boulder that an academic life is a marathon not a sprint. She is so right. I have found that spending time with family, running on local trails, and taking weekend trips to the mountains are what fills my cup and makes the academic work possible.”

What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?

  I am driven by the continued imperative that we work with K-12 teachers to reflect on their own linguistic ideologies and the ways those open and close opportunities for students to engage in meaningful sensemaking in science and in schools in general.”

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As a doctoral student Astrid Sambolín Morales went above and beyond to actively contribute to the formation of a better community in the CU Boulder School of Education and the Puerto Rican diaspora communities of Florida, Denver, and Pennsylvania with whom she partnered. 

Make sure the work you do is something you are passionate about. You will dedicate a big chunk of your life to this. Surround yourself with people who see the value in what you do and what matters to you. You need your village, especially during the challenging times that make you want to quit."

From the moment Sambolín Morales arrived at CU Boulder, she became involved in key initiatives and service work that contributed to critical changes in the policies and practices of the School of Education. She joined the BUENO Center’s Strategic Planning Committee her first semester and the school’s Climate Committee shortly thereafter. In these roles she strongly and visibly advocated for student agency and voice across all program areas in the School of Education community, particularly those of her fellow BIPOC peers and those educated outside the mainland U.S. states. Sambolín Morales was one of the inaugural members of the Assembly Journal’s editorial review board and the planning team for the 1st year PhD Student Equity and Justice Workshop Series with Bethy Leonardi. 

These lived commitments fueled Sambolín Morales’ dissertation, which addresses a timely, significant, and largely invisible social and educational problem: the experiences and resiliency of Puerto Rican mothers–who were displaced alongside their families as a result of the devastating effects of Hurricane María on the island of Puerto Rico–as they supported the academic success of their children in the mainland U.S. school system and sustained the family in the new context. A native of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Sambolín Morales’ research and public scholarship is always close to her heart and homeland. Her work with Puerto Rican mothers fuels her work. She continues to leave a mark on the field just she brought about notable contributions and change to the School of Education for future scholars — some of the many reasons she has been named the Outstanding Graduate for Community Engagement and Public Scholarship.

“Astrid’s remarkable contributions exemplify the commitments, spirit, rigor, and achievements represented by this award,” the faculty nomination committee contends.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself

  I was born and raised in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. I originally wanted to pursue a career in information sciences after I completed my B.A. in English literature, but a part-time job as a tutor for the HEP program made me realize I loved working with students. I completed a M.A. in English Education at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus and was accepted as a PhD student at The Ohio State University, where I worked with Millie Gort. When she made the decision to accept a position at CU Boulder, she invited my husband and me to come with her. We accepted and, after finishing our first year as PhD students at OSU, we packed our bags again and moved to CU Boulder. The rest, as they say, is history.”

What is one of the lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

  I always tell anyone who will listen that I was lucky enough to have an incredibly supportive community at the School of Education. My wonderful colleague, Molly Hamm-Rodríguez, gave me the idea to conduct a pilot study in Florida to research the experiences of displaced Puerto Rican students and families post-disaster, and my committee members fully embraced the way I shifted gears for my dissertation and engaged in work that was so meaningful to me. The dean provided funding for the event Molly Hamm-Rodríguez, Francisco Torres, and I organized to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria's downfall in Puerto Rico. Finally, Millie Gort and Jamy Stillman encouraged me to apply for a Spencer award, a step I wouldn't have even thought of without their support and encouragement. All these experiences taught me the importance of a supportive community of scholars that believe in you and your work. Without this community, I don't think I would have completed my degree.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

  Make sure the work you do is something you are passionate about. You will dedicate a big chunk of your life to this. Surround yourself with people who see the value in what you do and what matters to you. You need your village, especially during the challenging times that make you want to quit.”

What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?

  My work with Puerto Rican mothers. Building a community with them, learning with and from them.”

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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 Boulder’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 Boulder, 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 Boulder 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 Boulder 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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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 Boulder 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 Boulder, she led and supported several research projects, coordinated CU Boulder’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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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 Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Boulder,” 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 Boulder, 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 Boulder, 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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Will Lindsay comes from a long line of educators and CU Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Boulder, so his experience has been a homecoming. Every member of his immediate family has a degree from CU Boulder, and that means he has “finally joined the herd,” he said.

Following graduation, Lindsay will continue his work at CU Boulder 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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