Congratulations to the seven doctoral candidates in the Reich College of Education’s (RCOE) Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership who graduate at the end of the 2022 spring semester.
- Rebecca Burry
- Kimberly Nava Eggett
- Maria Conchita Genevieve Hernandez
- Laura Shears
- Cindy Stewart
- Heather Thorp
- Jennifer Wampler
Rebecca Burry & Kimberly Nava Eggett
Co-Dissertation Title: Leveraging Instructional Technology and Asset Based Pedagogy for Equitable Representation in Technology Opportunities
Dissertation committee: Dr. Patrick O’Shea (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Amy Washburn, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. JuanEs Ramirez, College Foundation of North Carolina; Dr. Tracie Salinas, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Rebecca Burry
Grants:
- Lowe's Hometown Grant
- Donors Choose Funding for Classrooms
Publications:
Interviewed for The Future of STEM: Changing Perceptions, TEACHMag
Conferences and Campus Presentations:
- EDL Doc Talk, February 2022
- EDL Doctoral Symposium, November 2021
- NCTIES featured presenter
“The doctoral program has fostered my growth as a leader in the field of instructional technology. I have refined my research work through my passion and theory to encourage a pedagogical shift in instructional technology for K-12 students. I will walk away from the program more confident in who I am as an educational leader and person.”
Kimberly Nava Eggett
Publications:
“Digital Pipeline: To Home and Back,” TEACHMag, September 2020
Awards and Honors:
NCTIES Impact Award Recipient, 2022
Conferences and Campus Presentations:
- DocTalk, February 2022
- Doctoral Symposium, November 2021
“This program not only helped me center my values as a leader, but, as a first generation college graduate, allows me to be a mirror for other Latinx educational leaders. The doctoral program at Appalachian State does not create leaders, but rather gives them time and space to cultivate their leadership from within and refine their work through rigorous reading and writing. The program allowed me to make meaningful professional relationships that built and sustained community, which was particularly helpful during a global pandemic.”
Maria Conchita Genevieve Hernandez
Dissertation Title: Appalachian Nepantlera Narrativas: Borderlands Mestizaje Feminist Queer Researx
Dissertation committee: Dr. Alecia Jackson (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Felicia Arriaga, Department of Sociology; Dr. Matthew Thomas-Reid, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
Grants:
Chancellor's Innovation Scholarship, 2020
Publications:
Another Chicago Magazine, "A Covered Dish to Hold Her,” 2019
Awards and Honors:
- Reich College of Education Inclusive Excellence Award, 2021
- LatinxEd Fellowship, 2021
Conferences and Campus Presentations:
- The Southern Sociological Society Roundtable: Grassroots Immigration Advocacy at a Rural PWI; 2022
- Decolonizing Education with Art, LatinxEd Facebook Livestream; 2021
- Immigrant Ally Training Series: Awareness, Skills, & Action | Appalachian State University - Boone, NC; 2020-2021
- Verse & Form: Using Form to Free Identity Expression | Broward College - Davie, FL; 2020-2021
- Neurodiversity in Professional Social Work & Contemporary Society | Appalachian State University - Boone, NC; 2020-2021
- Decolonizing Educational Research | Doctoral Symposium, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC; 2020
- Immigrant Ally Training Series: Awareness, Skills, & Action | Appalachian State University - Boone, NC; 2020
- Diverse Abilities in Recreation | Appalachian State University - Boone, NC; 2020
- Speak Your Truth Series: Nepantla – Creating Space for Intersecting Identities | Appalachian State University - Boone, NC; 2019
- Sustained Dialogue | Appalachian State University - Boone, NC; 2019
“The doctoral program helped me build a language to map my experiences as a Queer Latina so that I can communicate them to others as I embark on a life and a profession in community healing through educational leadership and narrative expression.”
Laura Shears
Dissertation Title: The Teaching and Practice of the "Yoga Body": A Poststructural, Queercrip Analysis of Yoga Education in the United States
Dissertation committee: Dr. Alecia Jackson (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Shawn Ricks, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Matthew Thomas-Reid, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
Awards:
Rhododendron Society Scholarship
“The doctoral program has given me the opportunity to explore, research, and think differently about education in its many forms. I have so appreciated the support and encouragement to be curious and creative, and to pursue my interests and passions in the wider field of education, rather than being fit into a pre-existing structure. My approach to education (and life) will never be the same!”
Cindy Stewart
Dissertation Title: The Fabric of Success: A Narrative Inquiry into Issues of Gender Equity for American and South African Women Educational Leaders
Dissertation committee: Dr. Barbara Howard (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Lynette Jacobs, University of the Free State; Dr. Vachel Miller, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Kimberly Money, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
“The doctoral program has given me the opportunity to grow personally, educationally, and professionally.”
Heather Thorp
Dissertation Title: Ongoing Curiosities in Post-Formal Education: Making Kin, Becoming Kin, and Becoming Kin(d) with/in a Story Family Sojourn
Dissertation committee: Dr. Brooke Hofsess (chair), Department of Art; Dr. Sally Atkins, Department Human Development and Psychological Counseling; Dr. Alecia Jackson, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
Jennifer Wampler
Dissertation Title: Re-Examining the Use of Educational Policy & Employee Use of Social Media in K-12 Schools: A Foucauldian Analysis of Discourse & Power
Dissertation committee: Dr. Alecia Jackson (chair), Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. Roma Angel, Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Dr. John Robinson, Newton-Conover City Schools
“The doctoral program at App State is outstanding! I chose App State because it is a rigorous program that challenges students to think and grow in their practice of educational leadership. I have had excellent professors who have engaged me in meaningful assignments related to theory and research. The program format is perfect for working students. I am proud to be a part of this program!”
Graduating Doc Students Spring 2022
