Aukeem Ballard is a former secondary public-school educator, organizer, and school leader whose pedagogy and practices remain grounded in critical love. Aukeem is currently a PhD candidate in the School of Education at UC Berkeley where his research focuses on the gendered and racialized educational experiences, conditions, and practices that constitute (and are shaped by) hard-to-trace phenomena such as love, hope, healing, and courage as mediated through, thereby informing, often oppressive and dehumanizing spaces. Aukeem seeks to highlight and examine under-investigated, yet...
Makaela E. Jones is a PhD candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Education, where her research interests are Black, radical feminism, the school-prison nexus, and how these areas call for the need of politicized care. She received a B.A. in Psychology and Exercise & Sport Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a M.Ed in Mental Health Counseling from Boston University. Makaela was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland and spends her free time tending to her houseplants.
Jeremy Martin is a doctoral candidate and Eugene Cota Robles Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. He studies the politics of philanthropic organizations and their involvement in K-12 public education with a particular focus on foundations that are created by Black people. More broadly, Jeremy’s research explores the politics of elite and non-state actors in public education. He holds a M.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Jennifer is a graduate student at the Goldman School of Public Policy at University of California, Berkeley, actively pursuing her master's degree in Development Practice with a specialization in Education and Youth Development. With a comprehensive skill set in both qualitative and quantitative research, she is in her 3rd semester serving as a Graduate Student Researcher for Dr. Travis Bristol from the Berkeley School of Education. Together, they have focused on utilizing a qualitative approach to assess the Oakland Teacher Residency program.
Maya Schoucair (she/her) is a second-year Master's student in the School of Information, specializing in data science and information policy. The focus of her academic and professional work has always been rooted in a commitment to social impact, a passion that stems from her upbringing in the Philippines. She is dedicated to leveraging data in socially and ethically responsible ways to drive meaningful community outcomes. As a Graduate Data Corps member, she will be working on mapping teachers represented by the National Board Resource Center (NBRC) in the East Bay. She holds a...
Ashley Zhou is a PhD student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University. Originally from New Jersey, she has worked in public and charter schools in Washington, D.C. Her research is interested in the labor of paraprofessionals in special education, with regards to race, class, gender, and ability.
