Skip to main content
News

Meet Our Incoming Students: 3 of Our Newest Doctoral Students in Program Areas of Study Related to Educational Equity

Meet Our Incoming Students

This is part of a “Meet Our Incoming Students” series in which the College of Education will introduce some of its first-year, transfer and graduate students who will join us this fall.

The NC State College of Education expects to welcome over 390 graduate students this fall, including an expected 144 new doctoral students. Meet three of the college’s newest doctoral students — each of them coming from various backgrounds, but all in programs areas of study related to educational equity. 

Micaha Dean Hughes

Micaha Dean Hughes

Russell, Kentucky

Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences

Educational Equity Program Area of Study 

Hobbies and Interests: Running, reading for fun, playing with my two daughters, hiking

What is your educational background? 

Completed my Bachelor of Arts in integrated strategic communication in 2015 from the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information Studies. Completed my Master of Science in STEM Education in May 2021 from the University of Kentucky College of Education.

What is your professional background? 

Started my professional career as an admissions counselor for the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2015. Shortly after, in 2017, I transitioned into a new role with the University of Kentucky College of Engineering as the assistant director of recruitment and women’s programs. This role guided me into the amazing world of engineering education and fueled my passion for helping students, particularly young women, enter into the engineering field. In 2018, I took on a new role in the University of Kentucky College of Engineering as the first-ever director of engineering outreach and community engagement as well as serving as the Kentucky Science Olympiad state director. In these positions, I had the opportunity to work with thousands of K-12 Kentucky students to engage with them and their families in STEM education activities, including engineering summer camps, the Kentucky Science Olympiad State Tournament and more. I worked in this role until 2021, when I decided to attend NC State to pursue my Ph.D.

What did you choose the NC State College of Education? 

A dear friend of mine had recently completed her Ph.D. at NC State and recommended that I look into the TELS program, as it fit many of my academic and professional interests. After conversations with my now department chair and advisor, NC State felt like a place I could grow professionally and personally, with the support I needed to be successful. 

Why did you choose your program area of study? 

My work in the University of Kentucky College of Engineering led me to my master’s degree in STEM Education, which led me to the Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences educational equity program area of study here. The national push for more diverse candidates in STEM fields is great, but root causes of inequity need to be acknowledged and addressed before the rate of participation can increase.

What are your research interests? 

I am particularly interested in the intersection of informal learning experiences, belonging and gender-based equity in the STEM fields.

How will this program help you accomplish your career goals? 

By gaining a more in-depth understanding of equity-focused practices in education, I hope to better serve and advocate for marginalized students (specifically in engineering and mathematics). Additionally, I hope to further my commitment to creating welcoming spaces for students to develop a positive STEM identity, through teacher allyship and community-based partnerships. 

Why did you choose education? 

Education and the ability to think critically is such a powerful gift. Working to help young students gain positive experiences with learning is an incredible thing, because it allows me to serve our community and society tenfold.

Jayla Moody

Jayla Moody

Decatur, Georgia

Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development

Higher Education Opportunity, Equity, and Justice Program Area of Study 

Hobbies and Interests: At heart, I am a writer. I publish a newsletter, “Joy Story,” designed to provide my community with a sprinkle of joy in their inboxes. I do this through storytelling, sharing nuggets of inspiration and just offering a listening ear to those who may need it. My newsletter is an extension of my baby, Joy by Jayla, a brand designed to inspire others to find the intersection of their identity, their purpose and their joy. I wrote my first eBook, Choosing Your Joy, in 2019 about the steps I took to work towards designing the life I wanted. I also love public speaking and encouraging young people. I have found so much joy in joining them in conversation and providing any wisdom I can as I grow and learn. 

What is your educational background? 

I received my Bachelor of Arts in journalism and global development studies from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. I received my Master of Arts in communication and digital media strategies from Georgia State University. 

What is your professional background? 

I am a writer, speaker, mentor, educator and communications strategist. Through my work, I use creative and innovative strategies to help people tell their stories and to use their stories to uncover their purpose. I have worked for local newspapers, NPR, broadcast television stations, non-profit organizations and major entertainment brands Turner Broadcasting, Warner Media, and BET Networks. However, I felt most at home while in classrooms and spaces with students, helping them to find and take the next steps on their journey. 

What did you choose the NC State College of Education? 

I chose the NC State College of Education because I saw very early on in my doctoral program search that they were committed to diversity and changemaking in education. This is such a pivotal time in our field, and I wanted to study at a school that was ready to make the necessary changes towards a new kind of education — one designed to serve everyone. I knew very quickly that NC State’s College of Education was the place to be for that. 

Why did you choose your program area of study? 

The people. It was a very easy decision for me once I met the faculty I would be working with and some of the other students currently in the higher education program. I attended the department’s PREP weekend designed to recruit diverse and traditionally underrepresented students and met so many people with similar goals and like-minded visions for higher education. The department showed clearly that access and opportunity were top priorities for their curriculum, and I wanted to be a part of that work.

What are your research interests? 

I am interested in identity and purpose development for minority students and researching how colleges and universities can provide the resources and support that minority students need to marry who they are with the career path they choose.  

How will this program help you accomplish your career goals? 

As a student in the higher education opportunity, equity, and justice program area of study, I will be learning and researching how to create the equitable spaces in higher education that I dream about. The program will help me peel back layers within higher education to address inequities and unjust policies. This model of transformative education will also help me to someday make space for all students to clearly see themselves, the opportunities available for them and to have access to all the resources and support they need to go after those opportunities.

Why did you choose education? 

I like to think that education chose me. I did not have a linear path here, but on every stop of my journey, I was called to serve students. This was clear during my undergraduate career as I found many homes in advising, student affairs and university admissions. This was clear during my master’s program as I served as an advisor to communications students. It became even more clear as I began to branch out and discover my own passion projects. Serving students was always where I felt like I was doing my best work.

Amelia Rivera

Amelia Rivera

Elm City, North Carolina

Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences

Educational Equity Program Area of Study 

Hobbies and Interests: Community organizing, live music events, karaoke, spending time with family, traveling

What is your educational background? 

Undergraduate 2009 UNC Chapel Hill B.A. in communications (speech and hearing science); linguistics; M.Ed. Capella University in reading and literacy

What is your professional background? 

Taught special education and general education middle grades ELA, Teach For America Pre-Service (6th year) as coach, content facilitator (SPED and Humanities) and recently coach coordinator and UXO virtual course designer/builder. I spent the last two years as an assistant principal of specialized services at Mastery Charter in Philadelphia.

What did you choose the NC State College of Education? 

I want to make a difference in education through research and application of this research especially in the area of educational equity. 

Why did you choose your program area of study? 

I have always incorporated equity and anti-racist work in my roles as an educator and coach of new teachers, but I find that very little research conducted considers rural America. I have experienced firsthand as a student and as an employee how we are not equipped to handle educating educators on how to truly teach students through an anti-racist, equitable and inclusive lens.  

What are your research interests? 

African American Adolescent Males and Literacy, Overidentification of Special Education in Communities of Color, Teacher Prep Programs with DEI Training 

How will this program help you accomplish your career goals? 

This program will help me gain the knowledge and tools to conduct research and use this research to not only publish articles, but take that information and make it linguistically accessible for those who are not in academia to be able to utilize to build better programs, schools and students. 

Why did you choose education? 

Education chose me! I was labeled as a young girl and now realize that the “Push Out” of African American and Latinx girls is real. I want to make a difference on a macro-level by not only presenting the research but partnering with organizations and schools to help targeted populations of students have a chance so that success stories like my own are no longer anomalies.

Support our students

Help us prepare more extraordinary educators. Make a gift to the College of Education.