UW–Madison PhD students Joseph Romero-Reyes and Josh Wallace were both recently selected to be part of the Project MALES Graduate Scholars Program.
Romero-Reyes and Wallace are two of just four scholars from across the country to be selected this fall for the program, which is designed to support the academic and career advancement of emerging scholars whose research is focused on improving the educational outcomes of boys and men of color. Awardees receive a stipend of $500 to support their research, are assigned a mentor, and receive professional development.
“Being a Project MALES fellow means that that I will be part of a community of scholars that supports the educational efforts of Latino and racially minoritized boys and men throughout the education pipeline,” says Romero-Reyes, who is a fourth-year PhD student.
“For me, this is an important signal that my work is valued and necessary,” says Wallace, a third-year PhD student who also is a research associate with Wisconsin’s Equity & Inclusion Lab (Wei LAB). “It’s also truly amazing to be a part of a community of scholars who continue to advance research and practice for men and boys of color.
Project MALES — an acronym for mentoring to achieve Latino educational success — is multi-faceted research and mentoring initiative based within the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at the University of Texas at Austin. This ambitious new effort to shed greater light on the plight of Latino males in Education was launched in 2010 and encompasses three interrelated initiatives with national, state, and local impact. Nationally, it oversees an ongoing research agenda focused on understanding the experiences of Latino males across the education pipeline. Statewide, it convenes a P-16 Consortium focused on the success of male students of color in six major urban areas through its Texas Educational Consortium for Male Students of Color. And at the local level, the project coordinates a mentoring program that aims to cultivate an engaged support network for males of color at UT-Austin and in school districts across the Central Texas community, and serve as a model for other mentoring programs across the state.
Wallace’s research uses qualitative methodologies and critical theoretical frameworks to examine the ways in which Black men in engineering develop their identities, including race, gender, and academic discipline. His research also examines how Black men in engineering investigate their transition to and through higher education. His current work explores how Black men make sense of their manhood and masculinities within engineering disciplines.
“It can’t be understated how massive this is for my development,” says Wallace, who plans to one day work as a faculty member at a research institution. “Being a Project MALES graduate fellow offers amazing developmental opportunities in the way of mentorship, networking, and support for my dissertation research.”
Romero-Reyes’ research broadly focuses on higher education.
“Integrating the support of Project MALES with the strong mentorship of my ELPA advisor, Dr. Xueli Wang, is imperative for meeting my doctoral journey and milestones,” says Romero-Ryes. “Moreover, this communal mentorship opportunity can provide me with essential professional and personal opportunities to support my goal of becoming a university professor.”