Please join us in congratulating Kayla Baker, 4th Year PhD student in the School of Education’s (SOE) Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations (ELC). She was the winner of the Social Sciences, Education, and Business category in this year’s UNCG Graduate Research and Creativity Showcase. This event provided an opportunity for graduate students from across the disciplines to articulate the importance and impact of their scholarship with judges from the community.
Kayla’s presentation entitled, “The Backbone is Speaking: Uplifting Black Women Voices on the Socialization of Black Youth” is about uplifting the voices of six Black women. This project explores what Black women teach Black youth and the why behind their socialization philosophies and strategies. It shares their perspectives on social messages sent to Black youth, the cultural role Black students perform, and strategies needed in order to dismantle the messages stunting Black student progress are analyzed as a means to inform the ways we can support, uplift, and empower Black youth. Dance choreography is used for symbolism, meaning, and purpose connected to the counter narratives shared through the women’s stories. Her work centered around a research-based performance piece that you can view here.
“It was so great representing the ELC department during these poster presentations. I just recently defended my dissertation proposal and entered into candidacy last Monday, so to finish the week off Friday with this win was amazing!”
We are grateful to all of this year’s participants for sharing their amazing scholarship and helping to shine a spotlight on the importance of UNCG graduate education to our community, our state, and beyond. Please feel free to view more information about the showcase and see a complete listing of student Showcase submissions through their Showcase Table.
