On My Heart, Chaylah Williams

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

I never thought that when I would start traveling internationally that it would be alone I always imagined it with my family, but never did I imagine traveling to really interact with the communities either I always thought of traveling as leisure. I guess I could say this impression was not implemented when OI started traveling as I started to notice how I didn’t want to do touristy things and I really just wanted to be. To be there to be present to be aware and I think that is what I enjoyed the most about my trip to Costa …

A Worthwhile Perspective, Delaney Rendon

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Opening your mind to a new wide perspective can shed light onto the knowledge and culture that another country can show you. There is much beauty in Costa Rica but also struggles that need to be shared.

“Feel The Rain On Your Skin”, Alexia "Lexie" Pineda

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

In the face of immense social and global crises, from genocides to overlapping racial, political, and environmental struggles, 19 students chose connection and healing through artistry. This shared experience in Costa Rica was a transformative journey aimed at reigniting hope, compassion, and responsibility.

Leading With Love, Xion Nelson

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

The travel experience to Costa Rica, how love is important in these travel experiences. Community is something to be thankful for, being able to learn to protect your communities.

Cries Of Injustice, Isabella Madrid

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

The injustices that occur in Costa Rica, the life that Costa Rica is filled with. Testimonies and tragedies that inspire and stick with you.

Costa Rican Culture Of Love, Melissa Johnson

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This collection of photographs explores how the collectivist and vibrant culture of Costa Rica manifests as a profound sense of love, shared among humans, animals, and the land. This project celebrates the spirit of Costa Rica as a whole, where human connection, respect for the environment, and a genuine sense of community intertwine.

A Story To Tell: My Unforgettable Experience, Isabela Jimenez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

A personal reflection about an unforgettable, eye-opening experience in Costa Rica. Meeting locals in different destinations, learning new lessons.

Global Parallels: A Reflection On Civil Rights And Ethical Consumerism In Costa Rica, Anonymous

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This reflection on the First to Go trip to Costa Rica examines the civil rights issues faced in the country. In particular, it highlights the significant parallels with the United States, especially concerning immigrant communities. During our time there we specifically talked about the exploitation of immigrant labor on pineapple plantations by corporations like Del Monte. This trip underscored my understanding of ethical consumerism and a new approach to mindful purchasing.

What Is A "Pure Life"?, Ailani Anglin

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

A personal reflection about encountering new experiences in Costa Rica. The comparision between living in Costa Rica and the U.S, how fortunate we are to have many opportunities in this country.

Costa Rica, Costa Rica, Natalia Zevallos

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Short poem about the unique experiences while in Costa Rica.

Esa Mariposa, Carolina Hernandez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This free-write poem was written with a purpose of making meaning of the Blue Morpho butterfly I continuously saw abroad in Costa Rica. Being able to have captivating conversations with locals all while being comforted by the country’s blanket of communal love was an unforgettable experience. As a metaphor for change, growth, and transformation, I found this remarkable butterfly to be a highlight of my time in Costa Rica. As a symbol of my late father, it called for reflection and sitting with suppressed emotions. For that reason, I wanted to depict how its reappearing presence became a hopeful reminder …

Radical Love: Embracing Connection And Dismantleing Shame, Lisette Gonzalez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

It is essential to maintain love, care, and connection in the face of oppressive systems. There needs to be a call for bravery to get through the challenges that many face, Costa Rica being one of them.

Introduction

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Inside the introduction of "Pure Vida: Reflections from Costa Rica", readers will find an illustration by Leyna Tran, “Meet the Team” section and a detailed table of contents, guiding readers through this edition.

Critical Conversations On Teaching And Learning Decolonial Narratives: A Duoethnography Of Firekeeper’S Daughter, Erica England, Shain Wright, Dion Crommarty

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Exploring the role of diverse young adult (YA) literature in fostering social justice awareness, this paper focuses on the YA novel Firekeeper’s Daughter as a tool for understanding decolonization and our own individual privileges and responsibilities as they relate to colonization. Three researchers, each with differing positionalities and worldviews, employ a polyvocal methodology of duoethnography to examine the text's challenges to settler colonialism and its illumination of historical and systemic injustices. Through our dialogic exchange, we aim to contribute to a wider conversation about the potential of literature storytelling, and authentic, vulnerable conversations to inspire transformative change.

Why Wasn’T Participation In Government Enough?: A Historical Policy Analysis Of Pig And The Seal Of Civic Readiness, Karen M. Poland, Ed. D., Elizabeth A. Falzone, Ph.D., Dana F. Serure Edd.

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

New York State has long been a leader in educational reform, including initiating efforts to enhance civic education. For example, in 1985, concerns regarding the civic and economic literacy of the state's youth prompted the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to mandate a fourth credit in social studies education. This fourth credit required students in their senior year to take two new half-credit courses, Participation in Government (PIG) and Economics. When President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, its emphasis on college, career, and civic readiness provided an additional incentive for NYSED to …

Ua64/2 The Challenge: Magazine For The Center For Gifted Studies (No. 57 Fall 2024), Elizabeth Joyce Editor

Gifted Studies Publications

Magazine created by and about the WKU Center for Gifted Studies.

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Student Engagement In The Urban Elementary Classroom: A Qualitative Case Study, Lavern M. Mcneil

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

are responsible for providing opportunities to use learning strategies in the classroom. The students’ engagement shows an observable reflection of the educator's teaching practice. This qualitative case study highlights teachers' perceptions of student engagement in the urban elementary classroom. The research questions asked about teachers’ perceptions of student engagement and the contribution to student engagement. The research questions also asked about the resources and barriers to student engagement. The theory used for consideration was the bioecological framework by Urie Bronfenbrenner. The theory connected to the importance of systems' role in a child's growth and how they have a crucial impact …

Providing End-Of-Life Counseling: A Narrative Inquiry, Carol Hecht, Sibyl West

Adultspan Journal

This qualitative study aimed to address the gap in the research related to end-of-life counseling by exploring the experiences of counselors working with clients at end of life. While counseling literature and education are lacking regarding end of life, many counselors will work alongside clients approaching death. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to better understand the nuanced experiences of counselors providing end-of-life counseling and (b) to explore the supports and preparations helpful for counselors to provide end-of-life counseling. A narrative approach, using the Listening Guide (Gilligan, 2015), was employed to analyze and present the stories of three …

Considerations Of Medicare Telehealth Services With Older Adults, Sonah Kho, Amanda Dediego

Adultspan Journal

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic set in motion a rapid expansion of mental health services offered via telehealth. With this rapid expansion came the need to examine how policy and practice should be shaped in a future where telehealth is considered common in counseling practice. For counselors to understand how to support older adult clients in using telehealth services, they must understand telehealth policy. Following the eligibility of licensed counselors to participate in Medicare, counselors need to stay abreast of regulatory changes regarding restrictions and regulations on use of telehealth for mental and behavioral health services, including video and …

Los Tecolotes: Chicana And Chicano Studies: Reflections On The Past For The Future, Jaime S. Cruz, Juan Gómez-Quiñones, Teresa Mckenna, Ernesto B. Vigil, Irene Vásquez, Alvaro Huerta, José Ángel Gutiérrez, Blanca Gordo, Minnie Ferguson, Marcos Aguilar, Devra Weber, Elias Serna, Steven Castro

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

This texts documents a panel organized on August 20, 2019, that included Chicana/o educators, activist, and supporters of Chicana/o Studies attended the “Los Tecolotes – Chicana and Chicano Studies: Reflection on the Past who participated in the Future” symposium at Virginia Avenue Park in Santa Monica. The event sought to bring attention to the social, political, and educational challenges the Chicana/o community has and is presently encountering. The symposium was also organized to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of the Chicana/o Moratorium and to share recent findings related to the assassination of Los Angeles Times journalist and KMEX correspondent …

Institutional Education: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, Kyle D. Trott Ph.D.

Virginia English Journal

The author provides a historical critique of the American institution of education identifying the major shifts in pedagogical philosophy that have shaped the enthymemic discourse of schooling. The purpose is to identify and track the social history that shaped American education so that change can happen moving forward.

Research As Activism: Bridging Knowledge And Action For Transformational Change, Ardavan Eizadirad, Jennifer Straub, Emin Kilinc

Education Faculty Publications

Research as Activism is the fusion of scholarly inquiry with intentional advocacy and action. It transcends academic exploration by actively challenging systemic inequities and injustices, engaging marginalized communities, and driving tangible social change (hooks, 2003). Research as activism embodies a commitment to using research methodologies, epistemologies, personalized and institutional privilege, and accessible dissemination to dismantle oppressive structures, promote justice, and empower and centre voices often unheard, dismissed, silenced, or marginalized in traditional academic discourse or in community spaces (Eizadirad et al., 2023; Battiste, 2013; Simpson, 2017). As Audre Lorde (1984) emphasizes, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle …

Undergraduate Student Process Reflections On Utilizing Photovoice To Learn Principles Of Feminist Research, Rachel C. Ormsbee, Ashtyn Winchell, Jenny English, Allie Martian, Molly L. Craig, Nikki M. Michaels, Amanda Haab, Abigail Girardot, Lauren Winter, Penelope Reed, Clare J. Hendricks, Alison Gaarsland, Elizabeth H. D'Amico, Alysah K. Southworth, Lilyanna Blevins, Tricia Saam, Genevieve R. Cox

Feminist Pedagogy

Photovoice is a qualitative research method often applied within participatory action research (PAR). Photovoice centers on the experiences and perspectives of its research participants, who capture photographs and develop narratives highlighting their communities’ strengths and concerns from their individual lens. Due to its connections with and development from feminist theories, Photovoice offers pedagogical potential in teaching feminist research principles. This article explores student process reflections on the application of Photovoice as a qualitative investigative method in an undergraduate capstone course where students act as the researchers. Integral to the course was the analysis of existing research, critical discussion, and Photovoice …

Queering Pa School: An Audit Of Augsburg University’S Physician Assistant Program Regarding Lgbtq+ Related Health Topics, Annika Kuchar

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Historically LGBTQ+ people have encountered discrimination in the world of medicine, and often providers are sometimes unaware of how to manage medical issues of these patients. In order to best serve queer and trans patients, a more coherent, consistent curriculum needs to be established so that all medical professions are capable of giving high quality treatment to these patients. Physician assistants (PAs) are advanced practice providers who take care of LGBTQ+ patients on a daily basis and are trained under a similar model as physicians. PA programs must also be up to date on the most culturally sensitive ways …

Community Health Worker Training In The Occupied Palestinian Territories: A Program Reflection, Jill Lyn Ridling, Jill Lyn Ridling

Capstone Collection

ABSTRACT

There exist many challenges concerning public health practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt) as the Israeli occupation has created literal and metaphorical roadblocks preventing Palestinians from accessing needed health services outside their towns and villages. Trained Community Health Workers assist in bridging this crucial health service need throughout the oPt. This qualitative study evaluates the Palestinian Medical Relief Society’s (PMRS) Community Health Worker Program (CHWP) in the West Bank of occupied Palestine. The research explores three facets of Community Health Worker (CHW) training and their roles in Palestinian society. The first question addresses the CHWP training goals, curriculum, …

The Perspective Of An Alumnus, Rifah Tasnim

Early College Folio

No abstract provided.

Editor’S Note, Amanda Landi

Early College Folio

No abstract provided.

Contributors

Early College Folio

Contributors, Early College Folio, Volume 3, Issue 1 (2024).

Policy, Practice, And Perceptions Of K-12 Social-Emotional Learning, Janice Filer, Ebony C. Cain, Della Thompson-Bell

Education Division Scholarship

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of K-12 school staff who participate in social-emotional learning (SEL). Since the global pandemic, several school districts have included SEL as part of the school curriculum. Teachers, counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and school administrators participate in SEL instruction and/or practices. Classroom teachers instruct students in SEL instruction and other school staff practice the SEL components of self-awareness, self-management, decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills through their daily interactions with students. This study was conducted in various schools throughout the Los Angeles area using open-ended interview questions that utilized focus …

Teaching To The Heart: A Grounded Theory Exploration Of Elementary Educators’ Journey Toward Teaching Mathematics For Social Justice, Breána Victoria-Delgado

Education (PhD) Dissertations

The current sociopolitical context of the United States has created a divide among the nation which has transpired into Kindergarten-12th grade public school settings. Throughout the United States school boards of education have banned books and Critical Race Theory while attacking social justice teaching pedagogies. Presently, there is growing empirical research on teaching mathematics for social justice in public elementary schools. This study explored the ways in which public elementary educators experience teaching mathematics for social justice in their classrooms across Southern California. Through qualitative research, this study utilized constructivist grounded theory methodology and methods to gain insight of the …