Dissertation Title:
OUT in Education:  A Qualitative Study Examining the Intersectionality and the Lived OUT Experiences of PreK–12 LGBTQ+ Educators

Tell us a little about your background. How did you end up at UNI?
I began my academic career at UNI studying TESOL/Spanish. After graduating I moved to the St. Louis area and began teaching both Spanish and ELL while working on my master's degree in school administration at Lindenwood University. After some time, I moved back to Iowa and continued to work in the field of education and eventually decided to become a component. I pursued my doctoral degree and UNI's EdD program in postsecondary education: student affairs was a perfect fit due to the distance learning component of the program.

Why did you choose to pursue this degree at UNI?
UNI has always had a special place in my heart. My undergrad experience, my time working as an admissions counselor, and living just off-campus made the decision of picking a doctoral program an easy one!

How did you choose your area of focus for your dissertation? Why was this important to you?
As a former educator and former student affairs professional, I wanted to find a way to merge both worlds. Therefore, I focused on how to best support LGBTQ+ educators, including pre-service teachers. This allowed me to integrate my passion with PreK-12 education with higher education. I was able to focus on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ educators with varying degrees of experience as they navigated and lived as out professionals in the field.

What does completing your degree mean to you?
Completing this degree is monumental. The political climate is becoming increasingly polarized for LGBTQ+ individuals. This dissertation allowed me to validate and tell the lived-out experiences of the participants. This process was able to affirm their importance in the field of education and even inspired them to set goals to continually interrupt heteronormative and hegemonic societal standards. They are hopeful that perspectives are shifting and that they will soon be able to be truly out in education. This dissertation served as a vehicle for this realization and for that I am forever grateful for their stories and their willingness to share and partake in this project.

What challenges did you face as you worked toward this degree – and how did you overcome them?
Starting this degree during the pandemic was quite a challenge and learning how to engage in 100% online learning was definitely a learning curve, but I am thankful for the support and guidance from all of my cohort members and all of the educational professionals of the program.

How did UNI help you achieve your goals? 
UNI offered an extremely flexible learning plan that was able to be integrated into my daily life. I was able to complete this degree while maintaining a healthy work/life balance. I am also forever grateful for my dissertation committee and my cohort members for the constant support and inspiration, especially when the imposter syndrome was setting in and I felt as if I could not go any further in this program. Without their guidance and this network of support, I would have very likely dropped out of the program and left the degree as incomplete.

What’s your best memory of your time at UNI?
I have so many memories from this campus, but some of my favorites come from my time working at the Alumni House during my undergraduate career under the watchful and always entertaining eye of Connie Hansen. We laughed until our abs hurt and still offered the highest caliber of programs and services from the office. It is an experience that has shaped who I am and I will never forget the days spent jamming out to Pandora in my supervisor's office while folding STAT t-shirts.

We often say UNI is student focused; a place where professors care--and teach; a place where learning happens in and out of the classroom;  and is perfectly sized. Do you have an example or experience of how one or more of these statements rings true for you?
UNI faculty and staff are 100% dedicated to their students. Without the guidance and support from my dissertation committee, I would have been utterly lost. My dissertation chair, Dr. David Schmid, was particularly influential and personable, he was always available when I had questions or doubts and would get back to me in the most efficient manner possible. He and all of the faculty and staff members I encountered during my time at UNI exceeded my expectations and showed that they truly care about me not only as a student, but also as an individual.

What advice would you give to students considering UNI?
For students considering UNI, I would have to say you have to make the most of your time on the campus, especially for undergrad students. Four years seems like a long time, but they will be over in the blink of an eye. Therefore, I encourage you to take risks, get out on campus, get involved, and I promise if you do so your Panther pride will swell and you will look back fondly on all of your experiences at this magnificent institution.

What's next?
I am currently working as an editor for a textbook publishing company. I write Spanish content for the various titles we offer in our Spanish series, and I am currently working on being trained to help enact our DEIA+ policies. I am hoping to write two companion Spanish readers in comprehensible Spanish this summer, and finally, after marrying my partner in November of 2023, I hope to expand upon Queertical Theory, a merger of Queer Theory and Critical Theory, in an effort to keep classroom materials inclusive and as a means to center, validate and empower once deficit lenses. Because everyone deserves to be represented in educational materials. It's a fundamental human right.