Doctoral Student Spotlights

Erinn Carter was selected as a recipient of Howard University’s Ernest E. Just–Percy L. Julian Graduate Research Fellowship for the 2026–2027 academic year. Her journey at Howard reflects a lifelong aspiration to become a Howard-educated researcher grounded in the rich traditions of Black scholarship.

Tanzania Cooper served as a guest speaker for Howard University’s First Gen Bison Initiative, where she shared her educational journey and encouraged fellow first-generation students navigating their own college experiences.

Phillip Copeland was selected as a David L. Clark Scholar, a prestigious recognition from the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Divisions A and L honoring outstanding doctoral students in educational leadership. His dissertation research, Continuity Interrupted, centers the perspectives of court-involved youth to examine their educational experiences, the supports and barriers they encounter while detained or committed, and the resources they identify as critical to successful transitions from custody.

Nailah Harvey was selected as a speaker for TEDxUCR 2026, where she shared her ideas on the TEDx stage at her undergraduate alma mater, the University of California, Riverside. The opportunity marked a significant professional milestone and a meaningful full-circle moment in her academic and professional journey.

Dr. Jamēla Joseph’s research introducing the American K–12 Parasitic Syndrome (APS) was selected for presentation at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. Her education policy theory-building work uses systems-level analysis to examine how institutional policies and practices can produce and sustain recurring patterns of harm within American K–12 education.

Joshua Middleton co-authored an article with ELPS faculty member Dr. Katherine Wiley examining how historical narratives surrounding school discipline continue to shape contemporary education policy research.

Nelson Pham was inducted into the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society in recognition of his research examining Black East Bay community college students’ awareness of and intentions to transfer to HBCUs in California. His scholarship advances conversations surrounding educational equity, access, and pathways to HBCUs.

Dr. K. Rzucidlo has had a conference proposal accepted for presentation at the 2026 Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Annual Conference in Puerto Rico. Her presentation, Understanding HBCU Staff and Administrators’ Experiences with Their Institutional Accreditor During the Reaffirmation Process, draws from her dissertation research.

She also contributed as a co-author to Proof of Promise, a report from the Dr. N. Joyce Payne Research Center at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, representing one of the nation’s largest assessments of recent HBCU alumni.