Graduate Inclusion and Access Scholarship GIA

doctoral students

College of Science

Mason doctoral student uses archival practice to unfold the present

Pam Shepherd — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 21:23:28 +0000

Mason doctoral student uses archival practice to unfold the present Pam Shepherd Mon, 12/04/2023 - 16:23

In This Story

Laurence Bray, PhD

Gabrielle A. Tayac

As part of a military family, Timmia King, a doctoral student in history and art history at ��AV, was exposed to various cultures during her childhood. These experiences made her eager to explore new topics and gain insight into different people and their lives.

“I’m interested in community archiving, which is where community members participate in archiving and documenting their experiences,” said King. “It’s a way for individuals to take control of how they’re represented and put it out there for other people to participate or view.”

After earning a BA in Afro-American studies from Howard University and a dual MA from Indiana University-Bloomington in library science and African American and African diaspora studies, King chose Mason to pursue a PhD.

“The program I’m in focuses on not only pushing students into academia but also into the public history sector. I thought this would be a good place to gain academic training while being in an environment where it isn’t expected that you’ll solely go toward the academic route,” King said.

The community environment at Mason was a strong selling point for her, as were projects the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RCHNM) had conducted in the public history field.

The community environment at Mason was a strong selling point for PhD student Timmia King. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Along with community archiving, King is highly interested in African American studies, especially the ways in which African descended communities have documented themselves and their archival practices over time. She is focusing primarily on how and why they choose to document their customs and represent themselves in certain ways. This includes memories, naming practices, cultural practices (e.g., dances), and other traditions that are passed down (e.g., recipes). 

“I think what really influences my research interest is the strong desire to understand how and why people, particularly of African descent, have chosen to document themselves in certain ways outside of archival structures,” she said. “One way I’m exploring this topic is through naming, choosing individuals’ last names after enslavement, how they inscribed the memories on themselves, and what that means for them and future generations.”

Gabrielle A. Tayac, associate professor in the history and art history department, serves as King’s advisor. “Timmia's focus area on African American archives with community ties cultivates attention and value to overlooked and obscured experiences. Her research uplifts people whose lives and actions reveal essential experiences in history,” Tayac said. “Timmia brings wholeness and brave truthtelling to archival scholarship.”

King wants to help others learn about history and spread knowledge through her own passion in exploring that realm. Her thesis “Strategies and Approaches for Building an African American Digital Archive” displays a deeper look at the theoretical underpinnings of online community archiving.

“I am honored to be able to support Timmia’s innovative, compassionate, and rigorous work that uplifts African American community memory through archival practice,” Tayac said. “I feel inspired and encouraged that her community beneficial archival work will recreate historic understandings.”

In 2021, King was accepted into the Graduate Inclusion and Access (GIA) Scholarship program at Mason, a competitive scholarship awarded to new PhD first-generation college student applicants in need of financial aid.

“The scholarship is a recognition of the work you’ve been doing and also a way to say that you have people that support you, believe in you, and let you feel that what you’re doing is important,” King said. “Being a part of this community has given me more confidence in myself and my work.”

Laurence Bray, associate provost of graduate education believes Timmia’s work is already having a significant impact on American history, culture, and memory. “Through the GIA scholarship, I am delighted to see that Timmia is able to pursue her research interests and accomplish her professional goals,” Bray said.

Currently, King is involved in an ongoing research project titled “History and Culture Access Consortium” as a graduate research assistant at the RCHNM.”

“The project’s goal is to provide visibility to the collections at various HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] around the country,” King said. Her work includes helping to make a public website using Omeka S to share these collections,

King is interested in expanding her journey into the public sector, possibly in a job with a library or a government archive.

“Whatever position I end up in, my goal is to be available as a community consultant so that I’m able to help and maintain archives and provide guidance to others with their own archival journeys,” King said.

Topics

Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Mason doctoral student wants her voice to inspire others

Colleen Rich — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 16:34:20 +0000

Mason doctoral student wants her voice to inspire others Colleen Rich Wed, 04/26/2023 - 12:34

Losing those around you to acts of violence and prison is a difficult reality to accept, yet one that is all too familiar to Briana Davis, a first-generation student in the second year of her PhD in communication at ��AV.

Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

“I used to always think, how could we be in the same classroom and have the same teachers, but have two separate ways of life?” said Davis, who is originally from Norfolk, Virginia. “I’ve lost a lot of classmates and friends from back home to prison and gun violence. I think about what they didn’t get to do, and the opportunities they didn’t get to have. I’ve got the opportunity so I want to do it for all of us.”

After graduating from high school, Davis chose to enroll at Radford University, where she earned a BS in communication studies. After completing an MA in strategic communication from High Point University, Davis spent two years teaching sixth-grade and first-grade students in North Carolina.

Her teaching experience made her eager and willing to get a new perspective on communication, so she moved back to Virginia and applied for a PhD at Mason.

Davis said she was attracted to Mason and the Communication Department because of the faculty she’d have the opportunity to work with and learn from, and said she often feels that she is treated more like a colleague than a student.

“These are by far my favorite set of faculty and professors that I’ve had in all three schools,” Davis said. “I felt like with this program I would have the opportunity to explore what it is about communication that I’m the most passionate about.”

Davis also teaches COMM 101 Fundamentals of Communication, also known as inclusive public speaking, to first-year Mason students.

Her research interests stem from her background and hometown—an urban, low-income environment with mostly Black and brown bodies.

“Once I got to see the world differently, especially when I attended Radford University and High Point University—two predominantly white institutions—I started to see the difference in opportunity,” she said. “That pushed the growth on my focus toward marginalized identities, with race, gender, and class in mind.”

She has since shifted her focus toward instructional communication in the educational side of communication due to her experience in teaching.

“In the two years I spent teaching, the first year was at a Title I, urban school and the second at a grade A school,” Davis said. “I could see the substantial learning differences that took place in the discipline policies, the academics, in the students’ behavior, and the teachers’ approaches which stirred my interest into instructional communication.”

Davis also spent time exploring different methods of conducting research such as quantitative research, qualitative research, and critical methodology.

She is currently working on a research project that explains how trauma is present in education through the different disciplinary policies seen in various types of schools. One example she cites from personal experience is a school policy known as “silent lunch” that can be seen as a negative reflection of the school imposing it.

Emily Brennan-Moran, assistant professor for the Department of Communication, is Davis’s advisor. “Briana has a clear sense of the stakes of her research. She wants to make the classroom a less traumatic, more equitable place, particularly for young students of color,” Brennan-Moran said.

One of the bigger pieces of Davis’s research revolves around the “white savior” concept” and how these identities matter when it comes to learning. Davis presented on the topic with her abstract “What the White Savior Forgets to Save” at the 2023 Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference.

“I have an opportunity to use my voice and deliver messages that resonate with people to look at life in various perspectives,” Davis explained. “Public speaking also gives me the opportunity to use my voice and be a voice for people who look like me.”

Richard T. Craig, director of the master’s program in communication and associate professor, who served as Davis’ advisor during the 2021-22 school year, describes her as a very talented scholar who can take complex concepts and make them relevant to her audience.

“Briana consistently looks at the means in which she can use her research to help the learning processes/environments of children from marginalized groups,” Craig said. “I like to think for my part I am a positive influence on Briana's development, particularly as a qualitative/critical scholar, I can certainly attest she has been a positive influence on me.”

In Fall 2020, the day after she submitted her application to the PhD program at Mason, Davis received an email that she had qualified for the Graduate Inclusion and Access (GIA) Scholarship.

“When I applied to the GIA scholarship and received it, I was told it is a very competitive scholarship that was open to new PhD first-generation college student applicants in need of financial aid,” Davis said. “When I read that I had been chosen, I swallowed that with a lot of pride because I’d been given the opportunity to teach and continue my passion for communication.”

Davis says the scholarship makes her think about her positionality when conducting research and gives her confidence knowing she has a space to work, talk, and connect with individuals that are outside of the standard, hegemonic views of society.

“When I get to be with these groups of people or lead them, it makes me reflect on my own identities and that influences my work,” Davis said. “I’m writing not just as a scholar, but as a Black scholar. I’m writing as a Black graduate student. I’m writing as a Black queer scholar in my work.”

Brennan-Moran is fond of Davis’ writing abilities and the way she weaves together theoretical insights with a stunning narrative voice. “Briana is an incredibly gifted writer—it is a treat to read her work,” Brennan-Moran said.

Davis’s main desire is for her degree to inspire people and to use the privilege of her current education to be the voice and advocate for people who don’t possess similar opportunities.

“I don’t want anybody that’s from my hometown or that I grew up with or went to school with to ever say that they don’t know anyone with a PhD,” Davis said. “I want my work to connect to them. I want to make research articles and papers that are understandable to not only my faculty and staff but to the people back home.”

Laurence Bray, associate provost of graduate education sees Davis’ story as an inspiration to future GIA scholars. “Briana’s story is a wonderful example of why scholarships, like the GIA one, are critical to higher education and can give every student an opportunity to pursue their dreams regardless of their background,” Bray said.

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Women's History Month

Mason PhD student’s personal experience shapes his passion for food access

Colleen Rich — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 20:50:06 +0000

Mason PhD student’s personal experience shapes his passion for food access Colleen Rich Wed, 03/15/2023 - 16:50

Food insecurity is something that Drew Bonner, a second-year sociology PhD student at ��AV, experienced before he knew what to call it.

Mason PhD student Drew Bonner. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Bonner’s interest in understanding food access was piqued during his AP human geography class in his junior year of high school, when the class studied food deserts, areas where access to affordable and high quality fresh food is limited.

“When I heard the term, I thought to myself that I live in a food desert. I realized that I grew up in one,” said Bonner, who was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “Even as a kid when I moved houses from one side of the city to another, I lived in a mostly black residential neighborhood where people were just above the poverty line.”

His firsthand experience with food deserts motivated Bonner to learn more about food access research.

“My family had trouble with diabetes and other health disparities related to food consumption habits and general access to healthcare,” Bonner shared. “That is a major part of what inspired my research interests.”

Bonner spent the following years heavily involved in church, charity work, food banks, food pantries, and food donations. He also volunteered with such organizations as The 6th Branch, a neighborhood development nonprofit that helps communities and schools restore and manage green spaces. These commitments helped shape his goals toward a career choice in sociology.

Prior to graduating with a dual BA in sociology and criminal justice and a minor in African and American studies from Mount St. Mary’s University, Bonner completed his senior thesis project on food access and how it impacts educational attainment. His passion to become a social change agent grew and he came to Mason to pursue an MA in sociology.

“I was attracted by Mason’s public sociology initiative and the manner they were interfacing with the community and wanted to make real change,” Bonner said.

In November 2020 in the final year of his master’s program, Bonner stumbled on a post about Mason’s Graduate Inclusion and Access (GIA) Scholarship. The competitive scholarship program is for first-generation college students who are incoming fall semester full-time students from populations underrepresented in doctoral programs at Mason and are in need of financial aid. He made the decision to apply and received the scholarship starting in the fall of 2021.

“The scholarship means everything; I wouldn’t be able to be in school without it,” Bonner said. “I thought the scholarship would help me make real-world impacts and be able to spread my research. I want to be able to get on the ground and improve people’s actual living conditions.”

The GIA scholarship allows Bonner to invest himself in the educational world, to have more time to read about his interests, and to network.

Bonner’s current research includes working with a food organization known as FRESHFARM, where he conducts program evaluations under two of FRESHFARM’s market programs, Produce Plus and GUSNIP, assessing how the nutrition and produce incentive access programs are working for participants.

“I’m able to see how other people are experiencing food insecurity or how they’re accessing food [grocery stores, food hubs, etc.],” he said. “Most of the people we work with are other Black individuals so just seeing the same experiences in another context really solidifies my work in research on how food access and food security are a systemic issue and something we need to address through policy and structural change.”

“Drew has already had a tremendous impact on our community, and I commend him for his work, passion, and commitment to helping people in need,” said Laurence Bray, associate provost of graduate education. “His interest and dedication to teaching, research, and services would make Drew a fantastic future professor in academia.”

Bonner wants to keep one foot in academia and the other in applied sociology and/or research. He wants to make a positive impact on people’s living conditions by working for a nonprofit organization, providing produce incentives to people more equitably, or being employed in government and implementing national policy interests.

He also wants to teach and welcome more people into the academic realm, specifically Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to help them learn about food-related issues.

“I wasn’t aware of things going on in my own world. I knew something was wrong but didn’t know how to describe it. So being able to teach in any capacity would be of interest to me, specifically on food access and nutrition,” Bonner said.

Bonner’s advisor, Shannon Davis, associate dean for faculty and academic affairs at Mason Korea, describes him as a “truly public sociologist” who sees the value in developing a deep understanding of the social world and then using that knowledge to give back to society.

“He values social justice and is expanding his research skills so that he can more effectively work towards greater social justice,” Davis said. “You can see this through the classes he has taken, drawing from across multiple disciplines on campus to ensure he is framing his questions and analyses through deeply informed perspectives.”

Relationships between advisors and PhD students are critical for student success, and Bonner keeps a robust bond with Davis via Zoom and email exchanges.

His biggest and most ambitious goal is to have standardized nutrition across the country.

“I would love to have every grocery store, corner store, or anywhere that serves food to be able to access a brand that will allow them to have a sizable amount of fresh produce that also meets a certain quality,” he said, “standards that make real world impact on the accessibility of produce and how people can access healthy options.”

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doctoral students

Mason doctoral student uses horror films to explore identity and culture

Colleen Rich — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 20:25:09 +0000

Mason doctoral student uses horror films to explore identity and culture Colleen Rich Fri, 11/11/2022 - 15:25

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Cultural Studies Program

College of Visual and Performing Arts Film and Video Studies

Doctoral student works to fill an important need in the Latinx community

Colleen Rich — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 17:47:10 +0000

Doctoral student works to fill an important need in the Latinx community Colleen Rich Wed, 10/12/2022 - 13:47

Photo by DeRon Rockingham

The prospect of immigrating to the United States from Honduras in 2007, although exciting, was not an easy decision for ��AV doctoral student Rafael Esaú Hernández Dubon and his family, as it meant parting ways with the people, the culture, and an entire way of life. The move was necessary, however, because a life in the United States meant better opportunities.

Hernández Dubon knows what it’s like to be a first-generation immigrant, to start over in an unknown place with a different language and way of life. He knows the dichotomy of a proud cultural and ethnic heritage that can be at odds with learning to operate in a multicultural society as a minority.

There are a growing number of Latinx immigrant communities across the country whose members need economical and psychological refuge as well as relief. It is this psychological need that motivates Hernández Dubon, spurring research ideas and personal connections to ensure members of his community and their needs are not left in the shadows.

“Now I understand the language, but I remember not understanding what was going on and not having access to care and other services because of language barriers,” Hernández Dubon said. “Having lived through no way of communicating that I needed assistance and am now in position that I can help in some way… that makes a huge impact in my world.”

Thanks to his opportunities as a Mason PhD student in clinical psychology and shared experiences within the immigrant communities, Hernández Dubon knows he can serve as a bridge between mental health care and the Latinx communities in Northern Virginia. In fact, each time he provides psychotherapy to an immigrant or non-English speaker, he is humbled and strives to provide a gateway to success.

“As a first-generation immigrant, I’ve lived in both worlds,” Hernández Dubon said. “Growing up in Honduras, I saw how addictions can ruin people’s lives and entire communities. In coming to the U.S., I see how it is difficult for most people to establish mental healthcare services, and it can be even more difficult for an immigrant to do so due to language barriers

Hernández Dubon thrives in his work as a bilingual student clinician. Not many providers can counsel in Spanish, which can create barriers to patients receiving the assistance they need, he said, resulting in frustration, misinterpretations, misdiagnoses, and poor care. Being able to culturally connect with patients opens doors of trust and strengthens therapeutic allegiance between the patient and the provider, he said.

“It’s a moving for me to see a person express how they are feeling without trying to make up words,” he said.

Hernández Dubon came to Mason after earning a dual BS from Virginia Commonwealth University in psychology with a concentration in addiction studies, and philosophy with a concentration in philosophy and science.

Wanting to respond to the need for more bilingual psychotherapists, contribute to improved research diversity, and remain close to his family, he looked for clinical psychology Ph.D. programs in Virginia and found one in Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The impact of the program’s applied research piqued his interest. Even though he did not know how he would pay for the program, Hernández Dubon applied anyway.

A few weeks later he learned that he qualified for a Mason Graduate Inclusion and Access (GIA) Scholarship, which is reserved for first-generation, incoming fall semester doctoral degree students who are from an underrepresented population within their doctoral field of study at Mason, and who have demonstrated financial need.

“Getting funding was essential for me. If not for the scholarship, I would not have opportunity to be at Mason,” he said. “Having the GIA Scholarship [enables] me to have the time to research questions, work with the community and make the most of my time.”

Laurence Bray, vice provost of graduate education, knows how important the GIA Scholarships are to recipients and their growth as scholars.

“Building and growing the GIA program has been a priority for my office. It has been a privilege to observe each scholar grow and mature through their doctoral journey,” she said. “Rafael has been a role model for balancing his educational goals and personal life while meeting the additional challenges that come from being a first-generation doctoral student.”

Now in the third year of his PhD program, Hernández Dubon is starting to ponder how his research interests can be applied to the Latinx community as he focuses on improving access to mental health care and inclusion.

His primary mentor, Tara Chaplin, associate professor of psychology, has encouraged his research focus, knowing that any work conducted with the Latinx community will have a significant impact as the nation moves to a majority minority status.

“Rafael is passionate about increasing research and clinical services to Latinx families in the community,” Chaplin said. “[His] focus within the Latinx community is critically important. This community is historically under-served and under-studied and has unique strengths and challenges that deserve to be understood by researchers.”

Hernández Dubon’s GIA scholarship allows him the opportunity to tailor his experiences at Mason according to his research and academic interests. He volunteers at Casa Chirilagua, an faith-based nonprofit that primarily serves the Latinx community, so he can improve his first-hand knowledge about people’s experiences to inform his research and clinical directions.

He notes that while the Latinx community has been systematically overlooked in health care, medical studies, and interventions, the people make up for it with resilience. It is that resilience that motivates Hernández Dubon, and he is carving out his own path to ensure his community has a champion.

Read about more GIA Scholars

Mason doctoral student aims for the stars through a passion for math
March 8, 2024
Mason doctoral student uses archival practice to unfold the present
December 4, 2023
Mason doctoral student wants her voice to inspire others
April 26, 2023
Mason PhD student’s personal experience shapes his passion for food access
March 15, 2023
Mason doctoral student uses horror films to explore identity and culture
November 11, 2022

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doctoral students

first-generation

Mason PhD student is changing how the world views HIV/AIDS

Colleen Rich — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 15:26:28 +0000

Mason PhD student is changing how the world views HIV/AIDS Colleen Rich Tue, 04/26/2022 - 11:26

Gifty Mensah. Photo by Sierra Guard/Creative Services

��AV doctoral student Gifty Mensah lived in Ghana until she was 14. It was common to see people there die from preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS due to a lack of medical resources.

HIV has killed more than 36 million people worldwide since 1981. While the disease can be controlled by modern-day antiretroviral medications, the majority of people with HIV live in developing and moderate-income nations, such as in sub-Saharan Africa, and may lack access to those treatments.

“I was always asking ‘How did this happen?’ and there weren’t any answers,” said Mensah, who is pursuing a PhD in biosciences with a concentration in cell and molecular biology. “I wanted a career in science or medicine to see if I could help address this deadly disease because what was happening wasn’t right.”

Mensah is now in a place where she can make a difference by studying extracellular vesicles, which carry substances in and out of the cell, serving as a snapshot of what is happening in that particular cell.

“Although great strides have been made in the fight against HIV-1 such as the development of antiretrovirals, there is still room for improvement,” said Professor Fatah Kashanchi, Mensah’s advisor and virology director of Mason's Laboratory of Molecular Virology. “The goal of Gifty’s research is to find the mechanisms extracellular vesicles utilize in altering the course of infection for the worse, and ultimately discover therapeutic approaches of mitigating this process.”

While she worked on her bachelor’s degree in biology at Mason, Mensah was a research intern and clinical technician at Inova Fairfax Hospital. She then pursued her master’s degree in microbiology, with a particular interest in the therapeutics of HIV, while simultaneously working as a medical technologist at Quest Diagnostics. It was during these years that Mensah realized the tangible impact of research.

She struggled with choosing between continuing her research and how to pay for the program.

She decided to apply to the PhD program anyway. That’s when she read about the Graduate Inclusion and Access (GIA) Scholarship program, a highly competitive scholarship for first-generation college students from underrepresented populations within their doctoral field of study at Mason.

“Chances are if not for the GIA program, I would not have been able to pursue my PhD,” she said. “Maybe later down the line, but this was a sure way in. I feel so humbled to have been given this opportunity… it’s changed my life.”

“I find Gifty’s journey to be an inspiration and envision that she will be a strong role model for all of our incoming GIA scholars, and especially women from historically underrepresented backgrounds who may want to pursue a doctoral degree in STEM,” said Associate Provost of Graduate Education Laurence Bray. “It has been such a privilege to see her grow as a student, a researcher, and a person. I cannot wait to celebrate her and her accomplishments as she becomes our first GIA scholar graduate later this year.”

Three years into her PhD and only months to go before she completes her research, Mensah has spent countless hours in the laboratory identifying HIV mutations and searching for diagnostics and therapeutics that could improve existing therapies. She is on six publications that cover topics such as HIV-1 latency, exosomes, HTLV-1 infection leading to Adult T-cell leukemia, and COVID-19 research.

“I am almost at the finish line,” she said. “I started my education with a basic interest in science and along the way I found a path. I’m now in an intense program and it hasn’t been easy. However, I firmly believe 1,000% in what I am doing.”

Women of color make up less than 5% of the STEM workforce, something Mensah is determined to change. There is one person in particular she hopes her work will impact and inspire: her 22-month old daughter, who was born during the early days of the pandemic.

“As a little girl, I was expected to get married early and have kids. What I have done and achieved is not typical where I come from, but it is my hope that it will soon be,” she said. “I want to serve as role model for girls and let them know that just because they are women of color doesn’t mean they can’t be exposed to amazing things and work with brilliant minds.”

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