Eulogio Alejandre

Hometown: Ogden, Utah

Degree: B.A. in Secondary Education, M.S. in Language Acquisition

Research Interests: Education Equity, Undocumented Students' Access to Education, Language Acquisition, and Dual Immersion Language Education.

Hobbies Interests: Hiking, Sports, specifically soccer and football

Favorite Quote: All words have the 'taste' of a profession, a genre, a tendency, a party, a particular work, a particular person, a generation, an age group, the day, and hour. Each word tastes of the context and contexts in which it has lived its socially charged life... Bakhtin 1981:293

Josephine Amoakoh

Hometown: Ghana, West Africa

Degree: M.Ed. Education, Culture & Society

Research Interests: As an African from a multilingual society with over 45 dialects, I am highly interested in issues related to language learning such as language ideologies and policies and how they impact the academic and social lives of students from diverse background. I am also interested in the assessment of English language learners in mainstream classrooms and have been the instructor for ECS 5645/6645 (Assessment of Linguistically Diverse Population) for the past two years. 

Hobbies/Interests: Teaching & singing

Adrienne Andrews

Hometown: South Weber, UT

Degree: M.S. Women's Studies; M.A Political Science

Research Interests: social justice movements and activity; leveraging institutions of higher learning to cultivate community through education; building community through civic engagement, cross-cultural conflict resolution and mediation; community development through service learning and so much more.

Hobbies/Interests: I love to create - quilting, knitting, spinning wool, writing, paper crafting and the list goes on. I love to travel - I'm at 47 countries and counting. I believe in service work, listening and creating spaces for critical conversations. I also love to spend time with my partner and playing Cribbage.

Interesting fact: I am bionic - I have a titanium plate and four screws holding up my head, this means that I am lots of fun at the airport! I climbed to the Tiger's Nest in Bhutan. I lived in a convent for a year and was not a novice or a Catholic.  

Augustin Diaz

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Research Interests: - Critical Rhetoric and Critical Race Theory, Pacific Islander and Latin@/Chican@ youth and family educational decision-making, 12-16 pipeline; higher-education, School-community-family partnerships, storytelling

Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with family; Game of thrones; reading Afro-Latino literature, Indigenous histories, and poetry--globs of it; Ancient military history fan; Age of Empires game fanatic; Immigration activism...and lately really interested in documenting the relationships between Pacific Islander and Latin@/Chican@ youth.

Favorite Quote: By Drey Vazquez (ECS Alumni) "I'm going to write an open letter to my hair, and apologize for the many times I complained about it, and the many times my parents tried to tame it…they didn't know better. And I'm going to try to explain to it that yes, womyn love it, and yes everyone wants to touch it, but that it also makes people uncomfortable. That it scares people. That it scares people because in it you can find traces of my mother, and her grandmother, and all the womyn before that. That in this map you can outline a genealogy all the way back to that muxer that was enslaved, brought to the center of the world, beaten and sold. A womxn so powerful, they had to make sure we never knew who she was."

Kona Eldredge

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Undergraduate: University of Utah

Major: Linguistics (TESOL Certificate) & B.A. International Studies

Research Interests: I have lived in two different countries and been exposed to two different languages and cultures. For this reason, I have naturally become interested in bilingual. biliteracy, and bicultural education. As an immigrant myself and English teacher for immigrants (mostly refugees), I am highly interested in language and culture education for immigrants as well.

Interesting Fact: Used to sing in a Jazz band.

Ivy Patricia Farguheson

Hometown: Lynn, Massachusetts

Research Interests: Role of schools on racial and ethnic identity formation of young immigrants and first- and second- generation Americans; identity formation and schools

Hobbies/Interests: Running (especially marathons), watching football, playing basketball, talking politics, yoga

Favorite quote: Do your job. - Bill Belichick

Juan Carlos Fernandez

Hometown: Madrid (Spain)

Previous Education: History Major; Art History Master’s degree

Research Interests: I am interested in gaining a better understanding of the racial ideologies at play in education, especially in Spanish-English bilingual programs. More specifically, I would like to comprehend the role of colonial epistemologies as an indicator as to whom we privilege in education.

Hobbies/Interests: Watching movies with my family, snowshoeing, reading and traveling.

Favorite quote: If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;
If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
(From If by R. Kipling)

Melissa Flores

Hometown: Provo, Utah

Research: Racial battle fatigue; critical race theory

Hobbies/Interests: Movies, traveling, reading, and hanging out with my family

Jacob Jobe

Hometown: Missoula, Montana

Research Interests: Postcolonial and Neocolonial theories, Third Space Theory and applications in the classroom, English Learners and immigrant students in content-area classrooms, Native American students in secondary classrooms. 

Hobbies/Interests: Skiing, backpacking, playing and coaching soccer, trail running and marathons, Real Salt Lake fan, literature and poetry.

Jimmy Kendall

Hometown: Lafayette, CA
Research Interests: Pedagogies of consumption, neoliberal educational reform, social justice studies, critical race theory, queer/radical pedagogy, whiteness pedagogy, performativity, rhetorics of destabilization and resistance, culture jamming.

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, writing, teaching, biking, fishing, skiing, finding time to explore the great outdoors, digging for good vinyl, music and more music. 

Taylor Knuth

Hometown: Provo, Utah

Previous Education: B.A. Musical Theatre, Weber State University, M.A. Arts Administration, Southern Utah University

Research Interests: Ask me again next year! haha

Hobbies/Interests: Performing Arts, Historic Architecture, Community Advocacy and Engagement.

Interesting Fact: By the age of 25, I had both hips replaced!

Ashley Seitz Kramer

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Degree: M.A. English, M.F.A. Writing

Research Interests: Literacy studies and L2 learning, writing/center pedagogy, the creative arts, narrative theory, feminist studies, equality and diversity in higher education, community engagement/advocacy

Hobbies/Interests: Hiking, biking, camping, reading, writing poetry and fiction, loving and protecting animals, volunteering, all things epistolary

Interesting Fact: My first full-length book of poetry, Museum of Distance, won the Zone 3 Press First Book Award and comes out in September 2015. I’ve taught college English/writing courses for over a decade and have worked in college administration for over 6 years.

Loni Manning

Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah

Degree: Graphic Arts, Museum Studies, University Studies, Education, Communication

Institute of American Indian Arts, Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, San Juan College

Research Interests: Indigenous language revitalization programs. Cultural museum education and community involvement. Indigenous visual rhetoric and visual art in education. Indigenous giftedness identification and evaluation.

Interesting Fact: I've met more than 30 movie stars and heads of state

Hobbies or Personal Interests: Arts/Music-sumi-e ink painting; botanical illustration; photography; bead work; woodcarving; weaving; pottery; guitar, native flute; song-writing; Hawaiian, Japanese, and Navajo art, music, languages and dancing. Sports/Outdoor-camping, fishing, hiking, snowshoeing, gardening. 

John Murphy

Hometown: I am originally from Rye, New York but have lived in Salt Lake City, UT since 2015.

Previous Education: B.A. English, University of Utah, M.A. English Education, New York University

Research Interests: Education and Power, Language and Power, Critical Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies

Hobbies/Interests: Skiing, Hiking, Drumming

Interesting Fact: I am a drumset musician in my free time

Sonny Partola

Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT

Previous Education: B.S. Humanities, University of Utah. M.A. Community Leadership, Westminster College

Research Interests: Family School Engagement

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, traveling, and hiking

Interesting Fact: I love to draw and learn about art

Danny Piper

Hometown: Kaysville, UT

Undergraduate: Cultural Anthropology

Research Interests: Reversing language shift and counteracting language oppression, Language policy and planning, Indigenous second language acquisition, Educational linguistics, Indigenous bilingual and bicultural curriculum, Minority language rights, Historical and modern context of American Indian Education, Critical Indigenous theory. 

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, drawing, playing music, and exploring the outdoors.

Interesting fact: Novice Celtic harpist

Analis Carattini-Ruiz

Hometown: Lehi, Utah

Degree: Masters in k-12 Administration and Supervision

University of Phoenix

Research Interests: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Education Segregation and Inequities, Social Justice, Bilingual Programs and Dual Immersion Programs.

Interesting Fact: Born and raised in Puerto Rico

Hobbies or Personal Interests: Loves Latin music and dancing. My hobby is Crossfit!

Eliot Sykes

Hometown: Andover, Massachusetts

Research Interests: Critical Race Theory, Multiculturalism, Colonialism, Curative Education

Interesting Fact: I like building bicycles

Favorite thing about Utah: The clean air during the winter.

Ulysses Tonga'onevai

Hometown: West Valley,Ut

Degree: Master's Education

Research: Race and Sport, Sociology of Sport, Immigration and Education, Pacific Islander Education

 Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my spouse and children, bodybuilding, football & rugby coaching, strength and agility training for youth and college athletes, research topics related to both Pacific Islander & American history, community service projects, cooking Polynesian BBQ and eating!

 Favorite Quote: "Don't forget your history, nor your destiny" Bob Marely

Tanjerine Vei

Hometown: South Weber, Utah 

Research Interests: Critical media literacy, identity-based curriculum, and healing in education. 

Interesting Fact: I love plants. A lot. 

Hobbies or Interests: Painting and other mixed media visual arts. 

Favorite thing about Utah: The mountains, seasons, and Utah's delightful plant life. 

Adelmira Ynostroza

Hometown: Texas

Degree: M.Ed. in Biliteracy/Curriculum instruction

University of Texas at Austin

Research Interests: Hornberger's biliteracy and transnationalism are of great interest to me. I taught for 13 years as an elementary teacher and throughout my career experienced many inner-identity conflicts. As a bilingual educator, I am responsible for the community. Critical Race Theory is with me every day. As a bilingual educator I witness racial oppression and the negotiations in the curriculum. This area is of great interest to me as I study Soloranzo, Delgado and Ladson-Billings.

Interesting Fact: Texas & Border History

Hobbies or Personal Interests: I love to create poetry, write novels and paint on canvas. Most of my creations are tied to my Transnational identity. I enjoy being a hyphen!

Meghan Zarnetske

Hometown: Guilford, Connecticut

Previous Education: B.S. Geoscience, Environmental Studies, M.S. Applied Environmental Geology, M.A. Teaching and Learning

Research Interests: Equity work in schools, de-centering whiteness, youth development, critical pedagogy

Hobbies/Interests: Playing outside, spending time with my dogs and partner, writing, seeking solace

Interesting Fact: I can't swim, I have two spleens, and I used to run ultramarathons for fun.