Ayana Allen-Handy, PhD (JoY Lab Founder and Director, 2019-Current):A West Philly-born and raised mother-scholar and educator, is an Associate Professor of Urban Education in the department of Policy, Organization, and Leadership in the School of Education at Drexel University. Dr. Allen-Handy received her Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; a Masters of Education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX; her PhD in Urban Education from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX; and she completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at The Urban Education Collaborative at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to becoming a professor at Drexel, Dr. Allen-Handy was a first-grade teacher, a literacy specialist, and a school counselor in the Houston Independent School District for eleven years. In 2019, she founded and currently serves as the Director of The Justice-oriented Youth Education Lab (The JoY Lab), a diverse, intergenerational collective of youth and community residents, faculty, undergraduate, and graduate research partners who center JoY through a humanizing, asset-forward, and critical-participatory action research approach… in pursuit of educational, racial, and social justice. The JoY Lab strives to ultimately embody and inspire the hallmarks of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Beloved Community.

JoY Lab Projects: All

Kimberly Sterin, PhD (Post-Doctoral Researcher/ Research Operations Manager, Alumnae Ph.D. Student Research Fellow, 2019- Present) has worked as an educator, researcher, and policy analyst within public school districts, higher education, and industry. Her research interrogates the ways power is leveraged across the K-12 school finance and resource landscape with a focus on educational justice for historically marginalized groups. As Research Operations Manager, Dr. Sterin helps cultivate JoY Lab’s intergenerational, cross-sector research collectives by supporting both high-level strategic development of the JoY lab’s mission through external relations and internal operations as well as by leading the day-to-day management of research processes. As post-doc, she coordinates the qualitative data collection and analysis for a large-scale mixed-methods longitudinal study funded by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Sterin earned a Master's degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Leadership from Drexel University.

JoY Lab Projects: Engaging Women in Engineering: Training Mentors to Make a Difference; Women in Natural Sciences: A Longitudinal Comparative Case Study of Black Women in STEMM (1995-2015); Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living; How Public Arts Programming Strengthens Civic Infrastructure and Promotes Civic Innovation; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

Haley Rose Kowal (Education Programs Manager, 2023- Current) is a recent graduate of Drexel's College of Computing and Informatics Master's in Library and Information Science program. Prior to these studies, she attended Temple University and earned her B.A. in English, summa cum laude. Her first introduction to the JoY Lab was as a Community Archivist Intern for the West Philadelphia High School (WPHS) Preservation Project. She serves as the Education Programs Manager, where she works closely with the operations team facilitating progress of the Lab. Still, she uses her library/archival studies knowledge to advance the digital community archive goal of the WPHS Project.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

 
Karena Alane Escalante Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement; PhD Student Research Fellow, 2020- Current) is a doctoral candidate from Los Angeles, California. Before attending Drexel University School of Education, she earned her B.A. in psychology from Grinnell College in Iowa and her M.S.Ed. from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. After teaching for five years in Oahu, Hawai’i, Karena became interested in assessing the various ways in which ELL policies on a federal level impact rural learning communities. Her research interests involve advocating for non-native English students and illuminating their cultural relevance at multiple levels of the education system. As a woman of color and first-generation Ph.D. candidate, Karena is passionate about dismantling systems of oppression within academia.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project; West Philadelphia Community Dialogue Project: Conflict Resolution, Racial Healing, Arts-Centered Community Dialogue

Tajma Cameron (JoY Lab PhD Student Research Fellow, 2020- Current) is a PhD candidate in the School of Education at Drexel University pursuing her degree in Education Leadership and Policy. Prior to arriving at Drexel, Tajma earned a BS in Biology from Temple University, an MS in Biotechnology Studies, and an MAT with a Biology certification from UMGC. In addition to being a doctoral student, Tajma is a certified Biology teacher (7th-12th grade) in Maryland and Pennsylvania and worked as a science and math teacher teaching a range of courses to 9th-12th grade students. Tajma’s overall research focuses on how culturally affirming, sustaining, and creative instructional practices and curriculum can be utilized to cultivate and nurture Black girls’ STEM identity in formal school settings and informal STEM environments.

JoY Lab Projects: Black Girls STEAMing through Dance; Women in Natural Sciences: A Longitudinal Comparative Case Study of Black Women in STEMM (1995-2015)

Mariaeloisa Carambo (JoY Lab PhD Student Research Fellow, 2023- Current), mother-scholar, is the daughter of a Venezuelan-Cuban mother and an Afro-Cuban father. After attaining a Bachelor of Arts in History from Swarthmore College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University, Mariaeloisa went on to teach in middle and high school settings in Philadelphia for nine years. Her work in developing anti-racist seminars for teachers paired with her experiences in the classroom led her to enter Drexel’s PhD in Education program. As a current PhD student, her research interests include exploring how anti-Black state violence manifests in the classroom, and how the use of abolitionist pedagogies that center (Black) joy, radical love, and play function as micro-political acts of resistance. She situates her work in broader discourses of decolonial theory, Afro-pessimist and abolitionist Black queer feminist thought, as well as Afro-futurist imaginations of a more just and liberated future. Additionally, her PhD work includes a graduate research fellowship that allows her to work as a research assistant for Drexel School of Education Justice Oriented Youth (JoY) lab collaborating on intergenerational and arts-based community-based research projects in the West Philadelphia and Mantua area.

JoY Lab Projects: How Public Arts Programming Strengthens Civic Infrastructure and Promotes Civic Innovation; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

 
Tiffani D. Hurst (JoY Lab PhD Student Research Fellow, 2023-Current) is a third-year PhD candidate in the Drexel University Ph.D. program with a concentration in Educational Leadership and Policy. Originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, Tiffani spent 25 years as a criminal defense attorney during which she became convinced that cultural competency in education was key to interrupting the school to prison nexus and the disproportionality therein of students of color and students with disabilities. Ultimately, Tiffani sees the intersection of asset-based pedagogy, cultural pedagogies, and community capital as a way to accomplish her long-term goal of interrupting the school to prison nexus. She is currently researching concrete steps that educators can take to develop and use a culturally competent disciplinary lens as they implement these practices. Tiffani is also working on ways to incorporate educational opportunities into wrongful conviction compensation statutes. In addition to her B.A. from Wellesley College in Political Science and Black Studies, J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School, and M.Ed. in Psychology from Springfield College, Tiffani recently obtained a M.S. in Special Education at Drexel University.

Isaiah L. Lassiter (JoY Lab Ph.D. Student Research Fellow, 2022- Current) is a Philadelphia native and an alumnus of a Philadelphia Charter school that stood for Excellence, No Excuses! He earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Business from Pennsylvania State University and began a career as a Human Resources Professional. In 2014, Lassiter moved to the Washington, DC, metro area and started his graduate studies. He earned a Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, focusing on Talent Management and Organizational Development. Before Drexel University, Lassiter worked in public education for eight years, managing school hiring and onboarding, climate and culture, pathways, attendance, and enrollment programs. Now at Drexel University, his research interest lies within the intersectionality of Arts, Business, Education, Technology, and Psychology and how their relationship and integration can improve educational experiences for k-12 educators and learners. As a student research fellow with the JoY Lab, Lassiter currently supports two projects, West Philadelphia High School-Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage project, and the Conflict Resolution, Racial Healing, and Arts-Centered Community Dialogue program that helps him shape the impact he wishes for his research to have in the world.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project; West Philadelphia Community Dialogue Project: Conflict Resolution, Racial Healing, Arts-Centered Community Dialogue

Tamecah Pinkney , NBCT, M.Ed., is a Black, first-year, part-time Ph.D. student in the Educational Leadership and Policy program at Drexel University’s School of Education. For the last 22 years, she has enjoyed challenging the minds of the 8th-grade Science students she teaches in Wilmington, DE. As a Black public school teacher, she has developed a passion for connecting with her diverse students and their families. As a wife, mother of two school-aged children, full-time teacher, and part-time student, she is hyper-aware of the complex challenges of being involved and engaged in her children’s education. However, she has not let this interfere with the part she has to play as a parent and a Black educator. Consequently, her research focuses on how families and schools connect to improve student experiences. In the coming years, Tamecah will continue championing better home and school relationships so her middle school students can achieve and excel in their academics.

Jahyonna Brown (JoY Lab Undergraduate Student Research Fellow, 2019 - Current) is an aspiring student currently applying to university with an interest in double majoring in economics and French. She hopes to focus her research on international affairs and create a language program for inner city kids. She is also a former student at West Philadelphia High School who began working at Drexel through the recommendation of her former teacher.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project; West Philadelphia Community Dialogue Project: Conflict Resolution, Racial Healing, Arts-Centered Community Dialogue

Jaaziel Cooper (JoY Lab Undergraduate Student Research Fellow, 2021 - Current) is a rising second year BSBA student in Drexel University's Lebow College of Business. She has been active in the Drexel community as a Student Advocate in the Student Center for Diversity & Inclusion and is an Undergraduate Research Fellow working with the JoY Education Lab through the STAR Scholars program. Her research focuses on the various types of funding currently used in the United States education system and methods of optimizing current structures in order to achieve consistent student success and equality.

JoY Lab Projects: Black Girls STEAMing through Dance.

Destiny Bugg (JoY Lab Operations, 2022- Current) has spent the past several years as an arts administrator and coordinator in the non-profit sector of Philadelphia. She is a graduate of Drexel University, class of 2019, where she received her Bachelor’s in Entertainment & Arts Management. She is an advocate for arts education and strives to support educational programming in various aspects of her life. Destiny is specifically focused on continuing to make the arts accessible and increasing exposure in communities where the arts disproportionately lack funding. She has multiple years of experience as a dance teacher for the youth and also as a company member for a Philadelphia dance company, Danse4Nia. Destiny is currently a company member of the Philadelphia Jazz Tap Ensemble, a Project Coordinator for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and the Education Programs Manager for the JoY Lab.

JoY Lab Projects: Black Girls STEAMing through Dance; Arts-centered Community Action: How Public Arts Programming Strengthens Civic Infrastructure and Promotes Civic Innovation; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

Rasheda Likely, PhD (JoY Lab PhD Student Alumni, 2020) serves as an Assistant Professor of Science Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Kennesaw State University where she teaches science methods courses to pre-service teacher candidates. She takes great delight in building teacher capacity for engaging students in and expanding the evaluation of science and engineering practices. Her research interests include developing decolonized science curricula, activities, and assessments. Her doctoral dissertation study, "Lotions and Potions: Exploring Black Girls' Engagement in and Perceptions of Science Practices through Hair Care, situated hair care as a scientific content topic and the making of hair and skin care products as science activities. She used a culturally sustaining framework to incorporate a do-it-yourself (DIY) video as an assessment instrument. Dr. Likely continues to reimagine learning experiences that reflect and center the brilliance of minoritized students. (email: rlikely@kennesaw.edu)

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living

Ague Mae Manongsong, PhD (JoY Lab PhD Student Alumni, 2021) is a Postdoctoral Researcher and an Adjunct Instructor of Human Resource Development (HRD) at Drexel University and Clemson University. She is a graduate of the School of Education’s Ph.D. program (Educational Leadership track) at Drexel University. Previously, she earned a Master’s degree in I/O Psychology from CSU, Sacramento and Organizational Behavior from Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests center on the exploring the role of mentoring in the leadership development and career success for women and minoritized individuals. Her work attempts to interrogate the systems that prevent successful mentoring relationships through intersectional, feminist, and developmental network frameworks. Dr. Manongsong’s work has appeared in HRD Review (HRDR) and HRD Quarterly (HRDQ). She has also written chapters for The SAGE Handbook of Learning and Work and Handbook of Research Methods in Careers. Additionally, she is the managing editor of the HRD International (HRDI), one of the flagship peer-reviewed journals in the field of HRD. She will join the Leadership and HRD faculty at Louisiana State University in the Fall 2023 as an assistant professor.

JoY Lab Projects: Engaging Women in Engineering: Training Mentors to Make a Difference

 
Katie Mathew, PhD (JoY Lab PhD Student Research Fellow, 2022- Current) is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Leadership and Policy at Drexel University’s School of Education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Linguistics from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Arts in Child Study and Education from the University of Toronto. Prior to embarking on doctoral studies, she was an elementary school educator for seven years in a variety of school contexts both in Canada and the United States. Her dissertation research uses an ecological lens in combination with community cultural wealth to highlight families’ and children’s beliefs about kindergarten readiness in an historically racially and economically marginalized neighborhood. She draws upon both quantitative and qualitative methods and positions herself as an emerging mixed methodologist. In the JoY lab she is involved in various federally funded projects related to supporting the advancement of underrepresented women of color in STEM and promoting equitable development through arts-based, community participatory action research strategies in West Philadelphia.

JoY Lab Projects: Engaging Women in Engineering: Training Mentors to Make a Difference; Women in Natural Sciences: A Longitudinal Comparative Case Study of Black Women in STEMM (1995-2015); Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

Alysha (Aly) Meloche, PhD (JoY Lab PhD Student Alumni, 2021) is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the Villanova University School of Business. She currently teaches Creativity and Innovation courses for graduate and undergraduate students. Aly researches and practices teaching for creativity. She uses her background in the arts and design thinking to help students gain inspiration for new ideas, learn to communicate their ideas effectively (and aesthetically), and take the first steps towards bringing their ideas to life. Her strong background in design thinking and human centered design also informs her research, in which she utilizes participatory methods to ensure that participants’ voices are represented accurately and fairly. Her contributions to creativity research are focused on making our understanding of creativity more culturally responsive and socially just. Aly Attended Drexel University from 2017-2021 and completed her doctoral degree in education from Drexel University. Her dissertation, competed and defended virtually in the Spring of 2021, won the Outstanding Dissertation Award from Drexel University’s School of Education.

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living; West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project

Neisha Terry Young (JoY Lab PhD Student Research Fellow, Summer 2022) is a doctoral student in the Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy program at Drexel University. She has over 12 years of experience as a middle and high school English Language Arts educator in Jamaica and the United States, where she operated in various teaching and leadership roles. She holds a teaching diploma in Double Option English from Shortwood Teachers College in Jamaica, in addition to a BA in English from Georgia State University (summa cum laude) and an MA in English from Southern New Hampshire University. Her research focuses on exploring the intersectional identities of immigrant students and exploring ways in which critical multiliteracies can be utilized as a platform for immigrant youth to navigate dominant discourses about their identities.

JoY Lab Projects: STEMCees   

Dr. Shawnna L. Thomas-EL, PhD (JoY Lab PhD Student Alumni, 2019) is an Academic Coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Adjunct Faculty member at the Drexel University School of Education. Gentrification and the disproportionate access to and equity in higher education comprise the foundation of her research which has as its focus, the intersections between housing, education and politics, and its impact on the lives of Black Americans. Her career in the field of higher education is committed to the recruiting of Black students into higher education, increasing the numbers of underrepresented African American students in traditionally white spaces, and advocating for more welcoming higher education environments. Through her service on committees such as The Friends of the Black Bottom, The Uniquely You Summit, Inc., and research efforts which focus on privilege, race, and racism, she continuously emphasizes the inextricable relationship that exists between academic expansion, racism, and inequitable access to higher education for members of the Black community. Born in West Philadelphia and raised in the Mantua section of the city, she is a proud product of the Philadelphia School District, and has earned her undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degrees from Drexel University. When she isn’t advocating for students’ college access and support, she can be found on her mat offering yoga instruction to budding yogis.

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living; West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project

Tajanté Wainwright, born and raised in Bermuda, moved to Philadelphia in 2016 to attend Drexel University. During her time at Drexel she majored in Psychology and minored in Dance as well as sat on the board for 2 student organizations - WISE and SOCP, a scholarship student for the Drexel Dance Ensemble, a peer counselor for the Drexel counseling hotline, taught dance classes at Dornsife, and was a dance research assistant for the 2019-2020 year with BGSD. Involvement in BGSD served as additional influence for Tajante to focus her future work and studies on influencing, helping, and creating space for young Black people. Following her time at Drexel, Tajante completed her Master’s of Education in Counseling Psychology (mental health track) from 2020-2022 where she gained internship experiences at Dunbar Community Counseling Services and Endeavoring Wellness. Throughout her time in school, extracurriculars, and in both her work and internship experiences, Tajante focused on working with minority communities, specifically Black women, men, children, and gender non conforming persons. Currently Tajante works at WOAR-Philadelphia’s Center Against Sexual Violence as a counselor specializing in trauma counseling with sexual assault survivors of all ages in the Philadelphia community and a focus on using therapy in a decolonized approach.

Monique ‘Moe’ Woodard (JoY Lab PhD Student Alumni, 2022) is a research analyst at Metis Associates and a PhD candidate at Drexel University School of Education. She graduated from Wilkes University with a Bachelor’s degree in Integrative Media and Theatre. She earned her Master’s degree in Digital Media and continues to incorporate her digital media background in her research. Her research focuses on supporting creativity in Black girls as they learn to code virtual environments. She also has several years of experience developing summer camps that teach children to code.

JoY Lab Projects: Black Girls STEAMing through Dance

Susan Brooks has close to 30 years of experience as an educator, facilitator, presenter, and trainer in the areas of experiential learning, professional development, civic engagement, and cross-cultural communication. Since 2007, she has served as the Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and a Professor of Law at the Drexel University’s Kline School of Law. Professor Brooks has written extensively and has conducted workshops in the U.S. and across the globe to promote “Relational Lawyering,” an integrative humanistic approach to legal practice and education aimed at positive social change. She received her J.D. degree from New York University in 1990, an M.A. in clinical social work from the University of Chicago in 1984, and earlier received a B.A. from the same university. She is a member of the Pennsylvania bar, a family mediator, and a trained peacemaking circlekeeper, and maintains her social work certification.

Jacqueline Genovesi, PhD, is Vice President, Center for STEAM Equity at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. She has worked in the department since 1991 and has dedicated 25 years to refining the WINS model. Her research specialty focuses on out-of-school opportunities in STEM for under-represented populations. Genovesi has been a charter partner in the Philadelphia Informal Science Education Collaborative (PISEC) since 1991 and a Co-PI on two NSF-funded PISEC projects (ESI-0337266; DRL-0840230) to train community-based mentors in STEM education from under-resources neighborhoods. She was recently appointed Team Captain for ANSDU’s role in iPAGE, the Science Museum of Minnesota’s leadership program, “Developing a Model for Broadening Participation in Informal STEM Institutions” (NSF #1612640). 

JoY Lab Projects: Engaging Women in Engineering: Training Mentors to Make a Difference; Women in Natural Sciences: A Longitudinal Comparative Case Study of Black Women in STEMM (1995-2015)

Kimberly Godfreyis the Manager of the Women In Natural Sciences Program and has been with the program for over 9 years. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, but attended high school at Milton Hershey School and received her bachelor's in marine biology from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. For the past 25 years, she has explored the natural sciences in various forms including animal husbandry and enrichment, marine mammal research, wildlife conservation, and environmental education. Being a proud resident with a strong love for ALL things Philadelphia, she developed a passion for urban ecology and enjoys spending her time exposing others to the beauty that exists right in front of us, even when we don’t realize what’s there. With the support of her colleagues, Dominique Thomas, Janai Keita, and Jacquie Genovesi, she gets to be this person her WINS participants every day! She tries her best to remind herself and others around her to “Embrace Your Geek…In all its forms” in hopes that we all remember to hold on to the things we love, the things that make us who we are!

JoY Lab Projects: Women in Natural Sciences: A Longitudinal Comparative Case Study of Black Women in STEMM (1995-2015)

Deanna Hill, PhD, is Associate Clinical Professor at Drexel University. She has taught policy, leadership, and research courses at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels in hybrid and online formats. Additionally, Dr. Hill has served in a number of leadership roles at Drexel, including Capstone Coordinator; Director of the Master of Science in Higher Education program; and Director of the award-winning Education Doctorate (EdD) in Educational Leadership and Management program. Dr. Hill’s work history is diverse. She was Senior Technical Assistance Consultant at the American Institutes for Research where she was the Equity and Talent Development Lead for the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, led projects for the Southeast Comprehensive Center, and served as the sub-practice area lead for school choice research and technical assistance. Dr. Hill was Senior Policy Analyst at West Wind Education Policy Inc. where she conducted research and authored reports on a number of critical issues in education, including education workforce development and racial equity. She worked as a research and evaluation specialist in the Title I Division of the Georgia Department of Education where she conducted research to inform and support the implementation of state policy. She also conducted research for a number of organizations, including the Center on Education Policy and the RAND Corporation. Dr. Hill’s current research focuses on the educator workforce and specifically on the recruitment and retention of teachers of color across contexts. Her work has been published in online and print journals, and she recently published co-authored book chapters on the recruitment and retention of teachers of color in rural contexts and on the equity implications of school choice policy in the U.S. Dr. Hill earned a B.A. in Political Science (with a certificate in African Studies) from the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts in 1994, a J.D. (Law) from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1997, and a Ph.D. in Administrative and Policy Studies (Education) from the University of Pittsburg School of Education in 2006. Dr. Hill practiced law in Austin, Texas in the early 2000s and is a member of the Texas Bar Association. She currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Janai Keita, is a creative, storyteller, future social worker, and mentor. She was born and raised in West Philadelphia. Attending Philadelphia school district schools her whole life, she graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls. Directly after that she attended Penn State Erie, The Behrend College and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a Minor in Women’s Studies. Janai navigated the child welfare system as a case manager but the one thing that always stood true is the love for mentorship and positive youth development. Janai now works alongside Kimberly Godfrey and Dominique Thomas with the Women in Natural Sciences Program. Janai Leads the WINS III component which works with the program’s college Freshman and Sophomores. As a WINS Alum, she enjoys being able to pour back into a program that poured so much into her.

JoY Lab Projects: Women in Natural Sciences: A Longitudinal Comparative Case Study of Black Women in STEMM (1995-2015)

Kristine S. Lewis Grant, PhD is a Clinical Professor of Multicultural and Urban Education in the School of Education at Drexel University. Prior to joining the Drexel faculty, she was a Research Associate with Research for Action. She earned a PhD in Urban Education from Temple University, a MEd from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a BA from Knox College. Her research interests include culturally and linguistically diverse family engagement in urban schools, and recruitment and retention of teachers of color. She is a member of the board and former president (2017 - 2020) of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education.

Elizabeth McGhee Hassrick, PhD, is an assistant professor with the Life Course Outcomes Research Program at the A. J. Drexel Autism Institute. She received her masters and doctoral degrees in Sociology from the University of Chicago and a masters in Education from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

Valerie Ifill is an active dance artist, educator and researcher interested in the intersection of dance and community as well as making dance more accessible. Valerie is an independent collaborative dance artist and Associate Teaching Professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Her work in higher education is focused on university-community dance education initiatives and using the Africanist perspective to support university dance curriculum. Her written research is centered on university-community partnerships; race and power in education; and making dance accessible. Valerie has founded and directed university-community dance programs at Drexel University through Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships in Philadelphia, PA, and at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. Certified to teach Inside-Out Prison Exchange courses, facilitating classes for groups of university students and incarcerated citizens. Black Girls STEAMing through Dance is a collaborative project making Dance, Code, and Making with electronic textiles accessible to 7-12 year old African American girls. This research has been presented nationally and internationally. Valerie earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the University of Oregon, completed the Independent Study Program at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a Dance minor from Kent State University.

JoY Lab Projects: Black Girls STEAMing through Dance

Uk Jung is an architect and educator in the Department of Architecture, Design, & Urbanism. He founded a design and consultation practice in 2016 in Philadelphia. His research is focused on the availability of affordable housing and affordable commercial spaces in underserved communities undergoing rapid development and gentrification.

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living

Kirsten Kaschock is a poet, a novelist, a critic, and an editor who works in several genres but whose work consistently addresses intersections between language and body. Her most recent book of poetry, The Dottery, won the Donald Hall Poetry Prize from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP). She is currently the editor-in-chief of thINKing DANCE, an online journal produced by a consortium of dance writers in the Philadelphia Area.

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living; How Public Arts Programming Strengthens Civic Infrastructure and Promotes Civic Innovation; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

Sherri L. Manson is a Program Administrator and she works closely with the Associate Deans in Office of the Dean in the School of Education. Sherri joined Drexel in 2009. She began in the Office of Equality and Diversity as the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator to Program Administrator and then transitioned to the School of Education in 2011. Currently, she has been the Co-Chair of SoE’s Critical Conversation in Urban Education (CCUE) since 2016 (and a member since 2012). She is a Co-PI on a recently awarded Rapid Research Racial Equity grant from the Office of Research and Innovation at Drexel. She was invited to join the ANS’ IDEAL Charter Team in 2019 and is a member of the Training and Event Sub-committee. In addition, she is one of four Co-Chairs on the SoE Dean’s Equity Leadership Team to focus on issues of systemic and structural racism in our school and over the year laying out a transformation plan within the School to ensure that we sustain a diverse and inclusive community that maintains anti-racism throughout all of our systems. Ms. Manson received a B.A. degree from Sweet Briar College and a M.B.A. degree from Keller Graduate School of Business.

Dee Nicholas is a registered architect, fine artist and certified interior designer. She researches, designs, and advocates for services and strategies to bring health and the security of living spaces to people in urban environments. In 2013 Dee established Integral Living Research (ILR), an umbrella Lab that houses her research on housing and the scholarship on process and inter-professional teaching. The impetus for the ILR Lab is her transdisciplinary collaborative research practice that focuses on human health in the urban environment, while at the same time, training students across disciplinary boundaries to use qualitative design research processes and experimentation in working towards socially responsive change. Dee is the director of the MS Design Research program, and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. She then received an MFA from the University of the Arts and is a registered architect, an NCIDQ certificate holder and LEED Green Associate. In summer 2017 she became a doctoral student at Antioch University under the topic of equity and change in design education. For almost ten years, she ran a solo practice in Philadelphia executing residential interiors, experimental materials reuse, storefront revitalization, space planning and adaptive interior nonprofit reuse and also holds a certificate in Health and Design from Cornell University.

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living

Michelle L. Rogers, PhD is a program officer at the National Science Foundation in the Computing and Networking Systems division of the CISE directorate. There she is working on the Broadening Participation efforts with the Education and Work Force working group. In addition, she is an associate professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel University. For over 15 years, Dr, Rogers has used human factors engineering methods and socio-technical systems theory to study the impact of health information technology (HIT) on clinical workflow and usability of technology with and by medically under-served populations. Most recently, Dr. Rogers has been investigating the usability and utility of patient portals and electronic medical records. Internationally, her investigations are focused on HIT in Uganda health systems. In addition, she is collaborating with faculty from industrial design, dance and education to understand how making, arts, and coding can assist in making the realization of a career in STEM fields achievable – BlackGirlsSteamingthroughDance (BGSD).

JoY Lab Projects: Black Girls STEAMing through Dance

Raja Schaar, IDSA, is Program Director and Assistant Professor of Product Design at Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design. She also co-chairs IDSA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. She is an industrial designer with an extensive background in museum exhibit design and healthcare design who is passionate about ways design can make positive impact on society at the intersections of health equity, the environment justice, and STEAM education. Raja’s interdisciplinary research focuses on addressing inequities in maternal health through wearable technology; methods for engaging black girls and underrepresented minorities in STEM/STEAM through design and technology and dance; innovation and entrepreneurship education; and biologically-inspired design and sustainability. Raja studies the ethical implications of design and technology through the lenses of science fiction and speculative design.

JoY Lab Projects: Black Girls STEAMing through Dance

Loni Tabb, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health in Philadelphia, PA. She received her PhD in Biostatistics from Harvard University in 2010 where she developed novel statistical methods to address zero inflation in longitudinal count data – with applications to environmental health and health disparities research. Since her arrival at Drexel University, she has led and collaborated as a Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator, respectively, on several National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center funded projects. Her research aims to develop and utilize novel and existing spatial and spatio-temporal statistical methods in applications that further seek to address and eliminate racial inequities in health across this country. Her contributions provide the evidence needed to inform policy makers, health officials, and the communities affected by racial inequities to create sustainable change and solutions for these public health challenges.

JoY Lab Projects: Women in Natural Sciences: A Longitudinal Comparative Case Study of Black Women in STEMM (1995-2015)

Dominique Thomas, is a Philadelphia native, where she attended Paul Robeson High School for Human Services and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Temple University. She is the Coordinator of Social Justice Program at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. She works alongside Kimberly Godfrey and Janai Keita with the Women In Natural Sciences, which she is also a proud 2012 alumna. Dominique holds continued gratitude to the program and often shares how becoming a WINS girl unlocked her continued exploration of new places, engaging in storytelling to learn about people’s journeys and passion for environmental justice. Dominique also believes mentorship to be a fundamental aspect of a young person’s journey. She often seeks opportunities to utilize trauma-informed practices to positively impact young people and encourage positive decision-making through youth advocacy.

JoY Lab Projects: Women in Natural Sciences: A Longitudinal Comparative Case Study of Black Women in STEMM (1995-2015)

Rachel Wenrick is an Associate Teaching Professor of English and Founding Director of Writers Room, a university-community literary arts program at Drexel University. She has worked as a waitress, a roofer, and a personal assistant. All of these jobs required paying attention. Being a writer has trained her to look for the through-lines that intersect to make a larger narrative. She received an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts and is co-author of singer and activist Angelique Kidjo’s memoir, Spirit Rising.

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living; How Public Arts Programming Strengthens Civic Infrastructure and Promotes Civic Innovation; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

Christopher G. Wright, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning, & Curriculum in Drexel University’s School of Education and co-Director of the In/Formal Learning Linking Engineering, Science, & Technology (ILLEST) Lab at the ExCITe Center. His research deploys critical perspectives while engaging in design-based research that looks to enhance learning and identity development opportunities in k-12 engineering and science learning environments. This work investigates the cultural and political elements within informal and formal learning spaces that could potentially impact the experiences of and learning opportunities afforded to those from historically excluded communities in STEM. Understanding how intersections of race, class, gender, & language can impact learning opportunities, this work looks to reimagine engineering & science learning environments as opportunities for affirming, cultivating, and building upon the intellectual & linguistic resources that research partners bring to the context. Dr. Wright is a 2019 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

JoY Lab Projects: STEMCees; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

Michelle Allen attended the School District of Philadelphia and graduated from West Philly High in 1971. She attended an HBCU, Morgan State University, and graduated in 1976. Michelle returned home to Philadelphia after graduation and enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania in the criminal justice Masters program. Although she was unable to complete her Masters degree, she then pursued a career in social services working with the intellectually and physically disabled population in agencies throughout PA and DE. This became Michelle’s passion, and she worked in this field as a caseworker for over 30 years, retiring from Elwyn, Inc. in 2020. Michelle presently works part-time at the Seeds of Greatness Early Learning Center as an Assistant Teacher-supporting teachers and kids in learning social, communication, and independent skills.

JoY Lab Projects:West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project

Keyssh Datts is a multimedia creator/community organizer from SouthWest Philly who uses the love of the past, the now, and Afro-futurism to help people learn and unlearn for the betterment of society and humanity. Their major research lies in the area of environmental justice and colonialism.

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living; How Public Arts Programming Strengthens Civic Infrastructure and Promotes Civic Innovation; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

 De'Wayne Drummond has been involved in family and community engagement and leadership for most of his adult life. He has served his community in a wide variety of roles. He has served as the Chairman of the 24th Ward Democratic Executive Committee from 2010 to the present, Committee and the President of the Mantua Civic Association since 2012. His passion for serving the children and families of his community and the City of Philadelphia has been realized in his increased involvement in the development of the Mantua Transformation Plan, completing the Citizen’s Planning Committee Institute and the completion of the Mayor’s Office of Community Services, Fatherhood Initiative. Furthermore, his ongoing participation in the Promise Zone Initiative Collaborative Engagement efforts has insured that his community and constituents remain current and involved. Over the last 14 years, De'Wayne worked his way from volunteer, to intern, to Head Start Policy Council and currently a full-time employee in the Office of Head Start of the School District of Philadelphia.

Tamara Hawkins, born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania began modeling and acting at age 13 and has made her niche in acting over the years. Tamara has donned the stage in Broadway theater plays such as Church Girl, is part of the Great White Throne Judgement Drama Minstry Production, has done local plays and a member of the drama ministry in her church. Tamara took some time off to pursue her studies and has attained her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a Masters degree in Healthcare Administration. While doing so, she also became an author and published 3 books, 1 being a children's book called Mr. Yerberts Garden, Tears of an Only Child and Falling in Love With the Devil, which became a best seller! Tamara has recently became part of the LNS Productions and has made appearances in a few shorts and feature films., while still actively being cast in plays and other future films. Tamara is a proud mother of 2 daughters, and grandmother of 3 granddaughters, whom she refers to as her “Grand Divas.” Her hobbies include sewing, Belly, Latin, playing the harp, line dancing, and traveling abroad with her family. Be on the lookout as Tamara has written, produced, edited, filmed, and starred in her own movies "Falling in Love With the Devil " and the Sequel movie. Both based off of her book.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia Community Dialogue Project

John Kirby is the Area Development Director for the Philadelphia Office of the United Negro College Fund. With a background in community leadership and public health; he works from the belief that a community’s health is greatly affected by both its socioeconomic environment and socio-behavioral factors. He was raised in Washington, DC in neighborhoods much like the ones he serves today. He graduated from Temple University with a B.S. in Kinesiology and completed a Biomedical Sciences program at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He served in multiple positions while working at Quality Community Health Care, Inc, a network of non-profit health centers in North Philadelphia: Front desk; Office Manager; and finally, as a Care Manager. This final position brought him together with other health professionals in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Chronic Care Initiative, where they aimed to find ways to reduce cost, improve access and improve the quality of care. He later took a position as the Fitness & Wellness Trainer at Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University. He received his Master of Public Health degree from Drexel University in 2015, and with it continued to spread a culture of health. That year, he was promoted to Director of Community Health and Wellness, tasked with leading the center in its engagement with the community and local strategic partnerships; creating marketing and communication strategies; planning community-based health events and programming; and evaluating feedback from the community about how the center can improve its effectiveness. In 2017, he helped lead a team of city health professionals, in partnership with a Pennsylvania State Representative, in its planning of a 2-day LEARN Conference (Leveraging Emotional wellness And Resiliency Networks). From 2018 – 2022 he served as the Executive Director of Drexel University’s Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnership, leading its mission to harness the power of the University by partnering with local communities for matters of shared importance. There they worked with partners to develop and host several programs, services, and activities that respond to the interest of local communities and create opportunities for university students to apply their learning. Currently at UNCF, he is responsible for engaging communities, government officials, and business leaders to share information about the many financial and academic resources offered by UNCF. With this shared knowledge he seeks to garner the collaborations and financial sponsorship that will allow UNCF to continue to provide scholarships to students and financial support to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia Community Dialogue Project

Myra Lewis is a passionate and ambitious intern eager to make a meaningful impact as the Summer Program Coordinator with Black Girls STEAMing Through Dance. As an enthusiastic learner and a driven team player, she is constantly seeking opportunities to grow both professionally and personally. She is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree at Howard University as a 3rd-year Biology major, and Chemistry minor, with aspirations of obtaining a medical degree. Beyond my academic pursuits, she is a 3rd-year dancer with the Ooh La La! Danceline at Howard University, which keeps her balanced and inspired outside of her academics. Combing her love for science and her excitement for dance she is excited to establish a new perspective in her role with Black Girls STEAMing through Dance (BGSD)!

Catherine Nettles was born and raised in West Philadelphia. She is currently the Recording and Corresponding Secretary of the Alumni Association. She has served for over 10 years and is from the class of 1987. When she was a student at West, she was told that “we are our brother’s keepers.” This is what makes her want to give back to the students.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project

Bonnie Poole-Linder was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She was educated by Philadelphia public schools. Upon graduation from WPHS in 1973 she relocated to Fayetteville, NC, her Mom's home, where she visited every summer growing up. In 1974, she enrolled in Fayetteville State University and received her B.S. in Business Education in 1977. In 1979, she returned to Philadelphia and began a career with US Postal Service, retiring 32 years later in 2011 as a Human Resources Manager. Bonnie is a proud Mom of an adult son and daughter and a very special granddaughter. “With this generation, it just seems like so much is lost with the comradery, so maybe if youth see what we’re doing, they’ll want to get involved. It’s important for youth to see what was so that we can see some of the old things return and avoid continuing some of the things that didn’t work.” –Bonnie Poole-Linder

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project

Arania (Rana) Goldsmith-Carter is a long time native of West Philly who lived down the bottom and attended Martha Washington Elementary School, Shaw Junior High School in Southwest Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia High School class of 1969 where she is a board member of the Alumni Association. She graduated from WPHS and attended Community College of Philadelphia and received her Associates in Health Information Technology before receiving her B.S. in Public Health at Temple. She has been married for 48 years and has 4 children and 9 grandchildren. Her hobbies include traveling, ice skating, roller skating, bike riding, knitting, dancing, book clubs, and gardening.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project

Ronald Ray is a native West Philadelphian who graduated from WPHS in 1973. He is currently a board member of the WPHS Alumni Association (WPHSAA) and is very active in his class. He is also newly wed. When asked about his work in the JoY lab, Ronald shares that he is passionate about preserving the history of the West Philadelphia Community. Back then, he says, the children enjoyed going to school. Growing up, all along the way, students would pick up one another as they walked to school, and West Philly was actually a big tight-knit community. Everyone wasn’t friends with everybody, but things were sociable. “Today’s youth think they’re connected but they’re actually disconnected. There is no such thing as Black history. If you don’t turn back and put your hand back, how will others know?” –Ronald Ray

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project

Carol Richardson McCullough is a Founding Member of Writers Room who has been an integral part of each stage of the program’s growth—from its regular programming to the NEA-funded festival celebrating the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston to TRIPOD, an intergenerational photo-essay project. Her work as Cultural Liaison has helped forge partnerships with institutions including The Free Library of Philadelphia and Mural Arts Philadelphia. Her work as a researcher on the Corporation for National and Community Service study (now AmeriCorps) utilizes her expertise as a writer and her experience as a secondary language arts teacher. Holding a BA in Language Arts, Marshall University ’76, she is Old School. Vintage.

JoY Lab Projects: Anti-Displacement: The Untapped Potential of University-Community Cooperative Living; How Public Arts Programming Strengthens Civic Infrastructure and Promotes Civic Innovation; Placekeeping: A Co-designed Model for Intergenerational Co-housing and Coalition Building in a University-Adjacent Community

Rebecca Rose is a resident of West Phila., and a member of Dornsife DCAC. She hold a M.S. in Human Services from Springfield College and a B.F.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University. She has work as an artist, art therapist and director of children and older adult services. She co-hosted Juneteenth events with Petersburg National Battlefield for ten years and in so doing founded in 2011 Hopewell Museum of Art and Intercultural History which has emerged into the Humanity Museum of Art and Intercultural History in Philadelphia. Lending her experience, she is delighted to participate in this Critical Race Dialogue project team.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project

Marie Wilkins-Walker has been teaching for over 25 years. Teaching and learning in the classroom and the community begins with the students. Student choice and student voice is a mandatory component of the WPHS community and blends well with educating the whole student. Committed to focusing on College and Career Readiness, research and active engagement are the cornerstones to success in developing lifelong learners. My mission for students is to be successful in their communities and partnering with Dr. Ayana Allen-Handy and her team are the ultimate best fit! The Preserving History and Research Project provides our students with real world real time experiences. I am excited and will remain committed to our continued success.

JoY Lab Projects: West Philadelphia High School: Preservation, Intergenerational, Cultural Heritage Project