Janel Dia received her Bachelors of Science from the Pennsylvania State University and Masters of Education, TESOL from Eastern University. A native Philadelphian, Janel has worked in higher education at various institutions throughout the Delaware valley. Janel is currently in her first year of the PhD program at Drexel University focusing on Educational Leadership. While at Drexel, she has been a research assistant for the West Philadelphia Preserving History project, and the School, Community, and Family project. Her research interests focus on urban youth, globalization, and math instruction for minoritized high school students in urban settings.