The Bouchet Society provides scholars with a network of peers who exemplify character, leadership, scholarship, service, and advocacy for those who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy.

The 2019 class of Bouchet scholars was inducted into the UW–Madison chapter at a ceremony on April 2. The scholars then attended the Bouchet National Induction Ceremony and Annual conference April 5-6.

Pa Her and Jamila Lee-Johnson, both graduate students with the School of Education, were selected as Bouchet scholars.

Her, who is a PhD candidate in the Department of Counseling Psychology, is passionate about working with underrepresented college students. Her research focuses on the experiences of students of color in higher education, specifically in areas such as persistence, vocational development, social class, self-efficacy, and racial discrimination.

While working as an academic advisor with the Center for Academic Excellence assisting underrepresented students transition to UW–Madison, she was also the student lead on the Hmong Research Team through the Department of Counseling Psychology. In addition to her work on campus, Her’s research projects have led to eight peer-reviewed publications, a three-year research intervention program designed for Hmong parents, and more than 17 peer-reviewed presentations.

A PhD candidate with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, Lee-Johnson is an education scholar who utilizes critical theories and methods to disrupt the narrative around students of color. In her research, she focuses on the success of students of color in college.

Currently, Lee-Johnson is engaging with research projects on black women’s leadership experiences at historically black colleges and universities, mentoring practices that foster success for students of color in their transition into graduate programs, and how to conduct research in critical ways that humanize students of color as study participants.

Lee-Johnson recently published a co-edited book, “Critical Theory and Qualitative Data Analysis in Education,” which illustrates what critical theory is, identifies the missing link behind critical theory and research, and discusses how to apply critical theories in qualitative data analysis in education.

To read about all members of the 2019 cohort of the UW–Madison Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, check out this report from the Graduate School.