I am a doctoral student in the International Education program. My research focuses on how people learn during times of migration and in nomadic contexts. I am interested in the relationships between education and displacement. My current work is on the transnational learning environments of East and Central African refugees resettled in Western Massachusetts.

My research interest is in cultural humility and teacher-student relationships. I often think of culture as a currency that a child brings with them into the classroom and if it is valued by the classroom teacher it can enhance their relationship and yield better outcomes not only academically but also in life. I am interested in serving as a resource person for children, teachers and other childcare providers to assist them in understanding and developing ‘culturally humble’ approaches.

Ni Hao (Hello)! My name is Chenyang Xu from Shanghai, China. I am a first-year Ph.D. student of Mathematics, Science & Learning Technologies program. My research interests focus on utilizing social media and data science to support higher education and student services, especially international student services.

I arrive at CIE via Kampala Uganda where I worked for nearly three years leading an education and child labor project. The project focused on children and young people affected by the bitter civil war in the Northern region of the country.  Previously, I worked on girls’ education in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Before getting into the education sector I worked on gender issues in southern Africa, specifically inheritance rights in Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Gamarjoba! I am a new Doctoral student in CIE.  I come from Republic of Georgia, where, I have served as the Math Improvement Director at Georgia Primary Education Project (GPriED), a USAID-funded project designed to provide comprehensive assistance to the primary education system of Georgia to improve reading and math competencies of Georgian and ethnic minority students. I have worked in educational administration since 2004, first as part of math team at National Curriculum and Assessment Center (NCAC), Ministry of Education and Sciences of Georgia (MoESG).

Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, I read Western writings every day as an English major, but never really thought deeply about how language can shape political views and mold one’s identity. Having lived in the United States for many years, where I have studied and tutored other students in Chinese and English, I have gradually begun to form my own perspective on what it means to be a learner, an instructor and a researcher.

Greetings!  I am very happy to be returning to CIE to initiate a doctoral program, after having completed my Master’s degree with the Center in 2003. My experience at CIE greatly prepared me for the work I have been carrying out in the field of community education and development in Latin America over the past ten years.