What our graduate students say
Thinking about applying to the College of Education? You'll be interested in these observations by our students and recent graduates in the following graduate programs: Cultural Studies & Social Thought, Curriculum & Instruction, Counseling Psychology, Educational Psychology, ELL/Bilingual, Language & Literacy, Mathematics Education, Master in Teaching, Special Education, Sport Management.
Cultural Studies & Social Thought
Sean
W. Agriss
Hometown: Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Degree program: Cultural Studies and Social Thought,
Ph.D.
There was never any question for me that I wanted to be involved in education. As a freshman entering my undergraduate program, I chose English education because it provided me an opportunity to continue literary study, which I loved, but also enabled me to be in a position where I could share that interest with middle and high school students. Since I entered college in 1995, I've been a student, a high school teacher, adjunct faculty at a community college and liberal arts college, full-time faculty at a tribal college, and now a doctoral student.
My research interests involve The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993. FMLA is the United States government's attempt to provide safety to those who might otherwise risk employment due to taking leave for family or medical purposes. By severely limiting a broad implementation of the FMLA, the federal government has established sanctions against families and individuals outside of the idealized norm of family structure. My research will explore the lived experience of faculty and staff in higher education who are outside of the established norm of family structure as defined by the FMLA. My goal is to capture a national picture of how the acts implemented by colleges and universities and used by faculty and staff.
I plan to work as a professor in higher education. I would like to find a position where I am able to balance teaching and research.
joan.O'sa Oviawe
Hometown: Benin City, Nigeria
Degree Program: Cultural Studies and Social Thought,
Ph.D.
My work experience spans several continents. I worked as an undergraduate research assistant on a UNESCO sponsored slave route project, and thereafter did an undergraduate research practicum with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. I later worked for a community development trade association in Boston. As a graduate student, I founded the non-profit Grace Foundation in Edo State, Nigeria, to serve as an intersection of theory and practice intersect.
I have presented at numerous national and international conferences. Notable among them are the World Congress of Comparative Education Societies in Havana, Cuba, International Association for Intercultural Education conference in Verona, Italy and the Caribbean Philosophical Association conference in Puerto Rico. I was invited by The Margaret McDonald Policy Management and Administration Center, Nassau, Bahamas, to give a speech on students' role in community building. I was also invited by UNESCO to participate in its "African Regional Conference on Dialogue amongst Civilizations, Cultures, and Peoples," in Abuja, Nigeria.
I co-guest edited a special issue: Quality Education in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for the International Review of Education. I am also a consultant, and have consulted for clients such as Sesame Street-Nigeria. I am working on a multi-country education initiative with UNICEF to help develop the knowledge production and dissemination capacities of African scholars. I am passionate about being a positive catalyst agent in Edo State, Nigeria and Africa and hope help move the state, country and continent forward.
Curriculum & Instruction
Becky Burk
Hometown: Pasco, Washington
Degree Program: Masters in Education
Specialization: Curriculum and Instruction
My first job as a teacher was in a Title 1 school where
there was a diverse population of high needs
students. I found that I was not adequately
prepared to meet all of their needs. Because
there is some flexibility in my field of study, I am
taking courses to help me work with students of diverse
backgrounds and abilities, learn the most appropriate
practices for working with at-risk students, and gain
knowledge in my content areas.
I am interested in studying the factors that are involved in the decision of middle school girls to choose (or not choose) careers in math and science. When I am finished with my masters, I hope to move back to my home town and teach middle school. I love the energy level of kids at this age. They are so full of life, love to learn, and absorb enormous amounts of information throughout middle school.
I recently started working for WSU as a teaching assistant for Dr. Leslie Hall. I consider it a great privilege and accomplishment to be involved in trainingthe next generation of teachers.
Jaclynn Claudon
Hometown: Auburn, Washington
Degree Program: Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.M.
As a new art teacher, I discovered that I was
passionate about teaching and learning, which led me to
pursue a master's degree. Graduate coursework at WSU
has helped me identify my interest in English language
learners, literacy, and technology. Thanks to dialogue
with my advisor and my peers, I decided to combine
those interests.
I enjoy researching ways to put these technologies to
work for students' learning.. In addition, I am
interested in arts curriculum issues, and arts-based
research. We take in the world with all of our senses,
and I believe the arts are a powerful tool expressing
our learning in a similar embodied fashion. I would
like to investigate the ways arts integration impact
student learning and how art can be used to disseminate
research.
I have worked as a graduate assistant, coordinating
events for teaching assistants for the Office of
Research and the Graduate School. I also have served as
the public relations officer for the Education Graduate
Organization, and have had the privilege to teach arts
integration to pre-service elementary teachers with Dr.
Pauline Sameshima. This year I will complete add-on
endorsements in ELL/bilingual education, reading, and
elementary education. In addition, I helped to
coordinate data collection for the Soma program (a
service of the Athletic Department's Academic Resource
Center that uses software to support students content
literacy needs).
I am working on building a social network for
technology supported literacy development. However, my
greatest accomplishment in my time at WSU is fulfilling
my initial objective of returning to school. My
goal is to continue researching my areas of interest
while serving as a K-12 educator.
Counseling Psychology
Ladan Maleki
Hometown: Spokane, Washington
Degree Program: Counseling Psychology, Ph.D.
My interest in psychology became most apparent when I took undergraduate courses in introductory psychology, positive psychology, and sociology. I found myself reading unassigned chapters in my psychology texts. I excitedly imagined what it would be like to be a psychologist. I sought social service-related experiences, such as being a peer mentor at a juvenile detention center. At WSU, I've gained valuable experience working at Counseling & Testing Services.
My most enduring research interests include the study of happiness, gratitude, spirituality, meaning in life, identity, and self-esteem. My dissertation will aim to integrate spirituality, religiosity, meaning in life, and personality into a model that predicts life satisfaction and emotional well-being.
My career goals include providing therapy to multicultural adolescents and young adults. I also would like to teach college-level courses on positive psychology, emotional intelligence, theories of counseling, and stress and coping.
Monika Parikh
Hometown: Sugar Land, Texas
Degree Program: Counseling Psychology, Ph.D.
Specialization: Children and Adolescents
My interest in counseling psychology started in an
advance placement psychology course in high school. I
became intrigued by the interesting facets of human
behavior and development. I enrolled in psychology
courses as an undergraduate and started to intern and
volunteer at psychiatric centers and residential homes.
When I started to work at a residential treatment
center for abused and neglected adolescent girls in
Austin, I realized how much I loved providing the
opportunity for these troubled girls to foster their
growth and competence through counseling. Such
experiences confirmed my decision to primarily work
with children and adolescents.
I am interested in better understanding the unique
acculturation experiences of Asian Indians in the
United States. In particular, I am interested in
investigating the help-seeking behaviors and attitudes
toward professional psychological help among Asian
Indians to more effectively provide counseling services
to this underserved population.
As a third year doctoral student, I have almost
completed the required coursework and will apply for an
internship within the next two years. hope to co-author
an article examining the relationship between family
protective factors and community risk factors, and
academic success in middle school students. Ultimately,
I would like to practice psychology in a setting that
offers services to ethnically diverse populations.
Educational Psychology
Chad Gotch
Hometown: Severna Park, Maryland
Degree Program: Educational Psychology, Ph.D.
Specialization: Psychometrics
I chose my field of study because I want to develop
skills in advanced quantitative analyses, and have an
interest in issues of accurate assessment of
individuals in an educational context. It is an
exciting time to begin studying educational psychology
at WSU as it is an emerging program.
My research explores the psychometric properties of
testshow consistently they perform across groups
of people and if they truly measure what they are
designed to measure. Being able to draw reliable
conclusions from tests and other assessments is very
important to educational research and policy.
I picture myself working in the testing industry or as
a university professor. I hope to have the
opportunity to continue to evaluate educational
assessment instruments and to improve the methods used
to carry out such evaluations.
English Language Learners/Bilingual
Cara
Preuss
I view language as a resource and am fascinated by
countries and educational systems that manage to
educate their people and operate in more than one
language. I have studied Spanish, Azerbaijani,
Russian, French, and Bislama; visited Vanuatu, Fiji,
Uzbekistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Canada (Quebec); and
lived in Azerbaijan and Mexico. I am concerned about
the education of students in the United States whose
first language is something other than English and,
conversely, those students whose only language is
English.
Right now I'm gearing up to do research with Spanish
language child-care providers around multiple
literacies and the use of an on-line curriculum from
Mexico. I would love to continue working with minority
languages and language learners, working for social
justice.
Joanne Sellen
Hometown: Algonac, Michigan
Degree Program: Language and Literacy, Ph.D.
I have always loved languages. I studied Spanish,
French, Italian, Japanese, and German and became
interested in second language acquisition while I was
studying linguistics at the University of Michigan.
Through my work with students in Mexico, Vietnam, and
Japan, and with international students in the U.S., I
decided to specialize in teaching English as a second
language.
I am interested in critical pedagogy and its
application to the training of future teachers of
English as a second language, issues of migrant
learners, and second language acquisition. My career
goals include teaching and conducting research on
migrant language education at a university in the
Pacific Northwest.
I recently presented my work on Critical Pedagogy
and the teaching of argumentative writing to English
language learners at the National TESOL convention in
Seattle. I published an article on the status of
language teachers in higher education and issues of
burnout for Essential Teacher. I also
participated in a review of computer-assisted language
learning research which is presently under review for
the Modern Language Journal. Along with
my research and studies, I am the coordinator for the
American Language and Culture Program at the University
of Idaho.
Language & Literacy
Janine Darragh
Hometown: Franklin, Ohio
Degree Program: Language and Literacy Education,
Ph.D.
Specialization: Young adult literature and secondary
education
I am passionate about teaching and finding ways to meet
the diverse needs of all learners. I spent thirteen
years teaching high school English, coaching track,
cross country and gymnastics. I felt the only job that
could be better than working at the secondary level
would be instructing pre-service teachers. As a
classroom teacher, I can affect the lives of my 200
students, but as an educator of pre-service teachers, I
can expand my influence to impact the lives of their
future students as well.
The WSU literacy and language program has allowed me to
further develop my knowledge in the areas of both old
and new literacies and has given me skills necessary to
conduct research in the areas of young adult
literature, secondary English education, and content
area literacy, among others. I am most interested
in how adolescent literature portrays people with
disabilities, people in poverty, people from
Appalachia, and female friendships. I'm interested in
the implications of these portrayals for
teens.
Upon graduation I hope to obtain a faculty position at
a college of education, working with pre-service
teachers and researching in the areas of young adult
literature, secondary education curriculum and
instruction, and/or content area literacy.
At WSU, I have had the opportunity to present at
several conferences as well as work on multiple
manuscripts for publication. For example, Dr. Jane
Kelley and I presented at the National Council of
Teachers of English conference on using children's
picture books to teach secondary students about poverty
and homelessness and are working on a paper for
publication on representations of poverty in picture
books. My paper, "Why Just Harlots and Ho's?:
Finding Time to Put the Sisterhood in the English
Classroom," was published in the Washington English
Journal.
In addition to research, I have served as a senator for
the Graduate and Professional Student Organization and
volunteer tutor for undergraduates. I helped organize
the Education Graduate Organization's orientation and
superintendant's candidate forum. I've been a teaching
assistant for graduate and undergraduate courses for
the College of Education, and instructed pre-school
gymnastics classes.
Sherry Sanden
Hometown: Coulee Dam, Washington
Degree Program: Language and Literacy, Ph.D.
Specialization: Elementary Literacy
As an educator for 17 years, mostly as the teacher of primary-age children, I have held an intense interest in the literacy needs of my students and the ways that I could best meet them. There is nothing so thrilling for me than to prompt a child to get lost in a book! My studies in the College of Education at WSU allow me not only to increase my own understanding but also to contribute to the body of knowledge that is so vital to the lifelong literacy success of all elementary learners.
I am investigating teachers' instructional practices
related to literature and the impact those choices have
on the literacy learning of their students. I am
committed to making my findings practically useful for
teachers on the front lines. My career
aspirations include such possibilities as developing a
school or district literacy curriculum and instructing
teachers in a university setting.
As a classroom teacher I received my National Board
Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist. I
serve on the advisory board for the Northwest Inland
Writing Project. I have taught undergraduate and
graduate level courses as a teaching assistant. I have
written and presented on literacy topics at a number of
conferences and am collaborating on several national
conference proposals.
Mathematics Education
Gina
Currie
Hometown: Coldstream, B.C. Canada
Degree Program: Mathematics Education, Ph.D.
After eight years as a middle school/high school math teacher, I decided to get my Ph.D. in mathematics education in order to teach and do research at the university level. I am interested in equity and access in mathematics education as well as teaching mathematics for conceptual understanding.
I have co-authored two papers on teacher effectiveness at the college level. I have presented at a nationally peer reviewed conference (AESA) and also at the 2009 Globalization Conference. I am a research assistant on a National Funds of Knowledge project that looks at pre-service teachers and their ability to teach mathematics effectively to diverse learners.
Master in Teaching
Sharlene Kauffman
Hometown: Moses Lake, Washington
Degree Program: Master in Teaching (MIT)
Specialization: Elementary education
I have a passion for working with people and having what I do make a positive impact. Before beginning the M.I.T. program, I worked as a paraprofessional in a special education classroom. My greatest reward was witnessing the academic growth and overall progress of the children.
As an educator I will continually learn and research ways to help me better assist my students in succeeding. I am looking to get my special education credentials and perhaps teach abroad for a few years.
Kristy Podelnyk
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Degree Program: Master in Teaching (M.I.T.)
Specialization: Secondary education with an endorsement
in biology
Education and science have been lifetime interests for
me. When I was an undergraduate student
doing research in biochemistry and botany, I also
worked with The Tutor Program through the University of
Maine.
Although I really enjoyed doing research in molecular
plant science at WSU, I felt something was missing from
my career. I began to ask myself, "What is
the point of acquiring knowledge if I can't share it
with others?" A year into my research I
started teaching a yoga class and really found teaching
to be my calling, so I applied to WSU's Master in
Teaching program and enrolled the following summer
session.
After earning my teaching certificate I want to teach
high school biology, but I do not like to set limits
for myself, so I am open to continuing my professional
development and education as a teacher.
Ultimately, I want to help students develop the same
passion and love for science that I have. If I
return to pursue my doctorate in education, I would
like to research gender disparities in science
classrooms.
My greatest accomplishment has been stepping away from
research to pursue a career in education. I am proud of
myself for taking a "leap of faith" and pursuing a
career that makes me happy. Everyday I wake
up loving what I do.
Special Education
Connie Beecher
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Degree Program: Special Education, Ph.D.
I became a special education teacher after visiting th
Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis. I enjoy
working with small groups of children and helping
individuals reach their goals. I taught and consulted
for school districts in Missouri and Montana before
coming to WSU.
I am interested in researching early development and
intervention for children with language and learning
challenges. I also would like to work with teachers who
want to apply the latest research in their classrooms.
I recently submitted my first manuscript for
publication, and I will present at the upcoming Council
for Exceptional Children's conference. I recently
finished a study about the technology knowledge of
pre-service teachers at WSU.
Danielle Clark
Hometown: Spokane, Washington
Degree Program: Special Education
Specialization: Early childhood
I grew up around adults with disabilities and later cared for a family member with cerebral palsy for five years. My mother, sister, and I are now all elementary special educators who enjoy helping children with special needs. I taught for two years in Mattawa, Washington, where I worked with Latino English language learners and/or migrant students with disabilities who were in kindergarten through second grade. My three years working as a fulltime special educator were very rewarding.
I'm researching whether providing educational training to Latino child care providers increases the quality of care they provide. During my time teaching in Mattawa, I realized that many of my special education students did not have quality child care experiences prior to kindergarten. I often wondered how many of them would not have had a disability if they had access to quality child care.
Sport Management
Michelle Lipsker
Hometown: Lacey, Washington
Degree Program: Sport Management, M.Ed.
As a WSU sophomore, I became involved in Coug Guys
& Gals, a group of spirited students who served as
ambassadors to the WSU Athletic Foundation. Through
that experience, I was able to work in various other
leadership positions in WSU athletic marketing,
athletic event management and the Athletic
Foundation. I decided to pursue graduate studies
in sport management in conjunction with my BA in
Hospitality Business Management (HBM).
I have spent the last two years working in the WSU
Athletic Foundation as a student assistant. I have met
many donors, alumni and friends of WSU, all who love
this university as much as I do. It is amazing to see
the passion and dedication people feel when supporting
their school. I hope to continue working in development
or alumni relations in intercollegiate athletics or
higher education. A career in athletic development
really captures both elements my HBM and Sport
Management degrees.
Maintaining a balance between my academic, personal and professional values have always been a challenge during my six years as a WSU student. In 2008, I was offered a graduate assistant position in the Sport Management Program, which included teaching introductory courses. Through teaching, I find myself becoming more prepared and focused on not only my own goals, but on helping others realize and accomplish their goals, which is extremely rewarding.
David Pearson
Hometown: Granger, Washington
Degree Program: Sport Management, M.Ed.
I am the Assistant Director for Intramural Sports,
Sport Clubs, Special Events and Youth Programs at
Washington State. I would like someday to become an
associate director or director of a recreational sports
department. I also am interested in development and
fund raising for WSU.
A master's degree will assist me in moving up the
ladder as well as make me a better professional. I have
studied many topics ranging from the employee retention
to creating policies of inclusion in sport. I was
national runner-up for a United States Tennis
Association "Tennis Ace Award" for outstanding
commitment to tennis development and growth on campus.
One of my papers has been presented at national
conference.
