Junior Scholar Fellows
This Fellowship program is made possible by President Jim Spillane being the recipient of the Spencer Foundation’s 2022 Mentorship Award in recognition of his decades-long support of the next generation of scholars.
Aashna Khurana is a Ph.D. student at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development. A special educator, she has worked as a research associate at ASER Centre, Pratham Education Foundation, contributing to the development of the Assessment for All (AfA) Tool to include children with special needs in large-scale assessments in India. Currently, she is one of the lead researchers on the Boston Public Schools Inclusion Initiative, focused on reforming inclusive education services. Her research interests include inclusive education, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), inclusive assessments, leadership for school improvement, and evaluation of systems reform.
Eucharia Uranta-Okonkwo is an accomplished International Development Consultant, Gender Specialist, and Doctoral Candidate at the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies. With over 12 years of experience in gender advocacy, educational reform, and humanitarian initiatives, Eucharia’s work spans both academic and professional realms, focusing on improving educational access and quality for marginalized communities, particularly refugee learners.
Eucharia’s doctoral research is dedicated to enhancing post-secondary education for Nigerian refugees in Niger through open pedagogies, aiming to create inclusive, accessible, and learner-centered environments. She collaborates with the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium (CLCC) and the UNHCR, having contributed significantly to the development of resources like the Connected Learning Playbook, which supports educational access for displaced populations globally.
Before her PhD, Eucharia worked extensively in emergency response and gender advocacy, including roles with UNICEF as a Child Protection Specialist (Gender Based Violence in Emergencies) and Country Program Manager for Farm Radio International in Nigeria. She has led impactful programs to amplify voices of local farmers, promote gender equity, and address urgent needs in conflict-affected areas.
Benjamin C. Kennedy (he/him) is a transgender author, educator, and activist pursuing a PhD in education studies at UC San Diego. His work focuses on equity policy, international education comparison, and helping educators to create queer and trans affirming curriculum and classrooms. Ben is a sought after public speaker, guest lecturer, and consultant on issues of gender diversity around the world. He is a national facilitator with Welcoming Schools, a Board Member for Trans Youth Liberation, and a youth mentor at San Diego Pride. Ben and his wife Becca have three cats and a three-legged pitbull, and have fostered over 220 neonatal animals. Together they are passionate about good food, good music, and being good to others.
Jing Hao is currently a second-year Ed.D student at the Department of Education Policy and Leadership, the Education University of Hong Kong (EDUHK). Before studying for a Doctoral degree in EDUHK, she has worked as a researcher in a kindergarten in Mainland China for more than three years. She takes leadership responsibilities, including teachers’ professional training, curriculum and administration management. These experiences have aroused her research has focused on leadership, principal and teacher development of kindergarten, educational equity, etc. In addition, she is also keen to explore the kindergarten teachers’ emotions.
Alexandra Harper is a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University, Australia, with over 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher, school leader, policymaker, and university lecturer. Her expertise lies in creating meaningful opportunities for children, teachers, and systems. She thrives on developing unique educational programs, fostering teacher networks, and designing engaging learning environments. She is passionate about connecting children to nature and promoting play in schools. Her expertise has led to invitations as an assessor for the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards and Sydney Opera House Play Award. Additionally, she was a member of The Apiary, a national think tank, where she helped develop strategic plans to shape the future of early childhood education. Her contributions have been acknowledged by the Australian government through an Endeavour Fellowship, and the NSW Government with a Premier Teachers Scholarship. She is honoured to have been awarded an ICSEI Junior Scholar Fellowship Award.