Lisa Oyolu
Credentials: Ed-GRS Fellow
Lisa Oyolu (she/her) is an Educational Policy Studies doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She studies how educational experiences, community context, and policy shape youth well-being. Her work focuses on the impact of community-based learning on African immigrant youth’s identities. Lisa holds a Master’s in Educational Policy Studies from UW-Madison and a Bachelor’s in History from Grinnell College. Before graduate school, she worked as a college admission counselor, supported federal digital inclusion programs, and volunteered with youth-serving nonprofits.
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