Daniella Thach is a Cambodian-American artist whose works trace a country’s violent history and the diasporic impact on their family to form a new, amalgamous identity. Their artistic practice combines analog and digital lighting elements such as neon and video projections to collapse timelines across the past and familial memory to envisage life and identity …
Joanna Torres (she/her) is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy Studies department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Latina/o/x and Latin American Studies from Northeastern Illinois University. Her research interests center on the role of youth agency and activism in catapulting educational change. In particular, she …
Christian Ulloa is an artist originally from the Chicago area. He received his BFA from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL; and is currently an Education Graduate Fellow in the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Primarily through sculpture, Ulloa’s work uses humor and pop culture references to explore …
Gabriela is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Counseling Psychology. She has been a practicing psychotherapist in the Madison area since 2018 and is dually licensed as a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist. Gabriela was introduced to the world of psychological research in 2022 through her work as a …
Amy Vargas Aguillon (she/her) is a PhD student in the Educational Policy Studies Department, with a concentration in the History and Humanities. Amy is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy and B.S.B.A. in Business Analytics, each with distinction. She is a proud first-generation Chicana and Pitt …
Elizabeth Walton, originally from Asheville, North Carolina, began attending the MFA Studio Art program focusing in metalsmithing at UW – Madison in 2026. Her observations of nature’s resilience and its ability to grow in response to its environment informs her research. Through nature, she is fascinated by the development of systems and their intentional disruption …
Matthew Wood is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) program, specializing in Higher Education. Although born in raised in Pontiac, MI, Matt earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, while minoring in education, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). His research interests in education, particularly …
Curtis (Light) Wright is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He holds a master’s degree in Japanese Linguistics from UW–Madison and a master’s degree in Asian Languages and Cultures from Rutgers University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in English and Pedagogy from Rutgers. Curtis’s research …
Byul Yim is a doctoral student in Special Education department. Her research examines how race/ethnicity, disability, and culture intersect within systems of power and marginalization to shape educational access and experiences, with particular attention to disproportionality in special education in urban schools. Drawing on experience spanning classrooms to state-level education systems, she investigates how systemic …
Temi Yusuf is a Ph.D student, studying School Psychology area within the Educational Psychology department. Before her graduate studies, she received dual Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Secondary Education from the University of Michigan. Temi’s research interests include family-school-community partnerships, parent involvement in education across development, and transitioning from hospitalization to school. Publications & Presentations …