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Lisa Oyolu (she/her) is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Policy Studies department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is concentrating in Social Sciences and Education. She studies how youth interpret policy, assert agency, and make sense of their lives within and beyond the classroom. Through asset-based qualitative research methods, Lisa’s dissertation explores how out-of-school time learning impacts the identities of youth from African immigrant families. Lisa earned her Master’s in Educational Policy Studies from UW-Madison and her Bachelor’s in History from Grinnell College. She has a decade of experience serving students, schools, and communities through nonprofits, higher education, and government programs. Her career began as a college admission counselor at her alma mater, Grinnell College. After relocating to the Washington DC Area, Lisa worked on federal digital inclusion programs for schools, libraries, and low-income families. She has also volunteered with numerous youth-serving nonprofit organizations.

Awards and Honors

Kliebard Award for Outstanding Scholarly Achievement in Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Education Graduate Research Scholar, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Presentations and Publications

Oyolu, L. (2026, April 30). Cultural Brokerage in Community-Based College Preparation for East African Immigrant Youth [Paper Presentation]. Universities of Wisconsin Institute for Urban Education Annual Research Symposium, Milwaukee, WI.

Oyolu, L. & Stovall, J. L. (2026, March 8). “There’s been a village of support”: Black immigrant placemaking in a Midwestern city [Paper presentation]. 96th Annual Eastern Sociological Society Meeting, Washington, DC.

Oyolu, L. (2026, February 27). “Where’s the Space Where I Can Walk and Just Feel Like Home?”: Black Immigrant Belonging in a Midwestern City [Paper Presentation]. African American Studies Student Symposium, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States.

Stovall, J.L., Fitzgerald Ward, A., Oyolu, L., Granberry, G., Young, J., Sagers, M.,  & O’Dwyer, C. (2025, November). Why We Must Gather in Times Like These [Commentary]. Umoja Magazine (Madison, WI). https://www.umojamagazine.com/article/why-we-must-gather-in-times-like-these/

Barach I., Rayyes N., Aguilera C., Oyolu L., Wang R., Fatima S., Kendziora K. (2024, December 5). REACH Evaluation: Implementation Findings. In Raviv T. (Ed.), (chair), Building Resilient Schools: Design, Implementation, and Outcomes of a Trauma-Responsive School Mental Health Approach [Symposium]. The Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, Orlando, FL.

Oyolu, L. (2024, March 8). Elite Aspirations: East African Immigrant Youth Navigating College Admissions [Paper Presentation]. Educational Policy Studies Conference, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Teaching Assistant Experience

Educational Policy Studies 200: Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality in American Education

Educational Policy Studies 210: Youth, Education, and Society

Educational Policy Studies 212: Education for Social Justice

Educational Policy Studies 300: School and Society

Projects

Research Fellow, The SoulFolk Collective.

Wisconsin Youth Graduate Research Assistant, Collaborative on Reproductive Equity and Reproductive Equity Action Lab