Holmes Scholars

Lily Acosta is a 2nd year doctoral student in the School Psychology Program. She received her undergraduate degree in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences at the University of Florida. Her current research interests lie in clinical service provisions to underserved populations, as well as child and family social/emotional health assessment and intervention. Lily is passionate about access to mental health resources and working with linguistically diverse individuals. Outside of school, Lily enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and cuddling with her dog.

Ahmed Al Matani is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an ESOL/Bilingual Education specialization. He has a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Missouri St. Louis. He has taught ESL, EFL, Critical Thinking, Public Speaking as well as Interpersonal Communication in Oman. His areas of expertise are accreditation, applied linguistics and assessment. His research interests include Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), curriculum development, educational leadership, social justice, and Critical Race Theory.

Jasmaine Ataga is a 1st year PhD student at the University of Florida in the Counseling and Counselor Education Program. Jasmaine is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor in Georgia (APC). Her research agenda focuses on sexual trauma and utilizing expressive arts to promote meaning-making and posttraumatic growth. As a sexual assault counselor Jasmaine created sand-tray interventions, art-based techniques, and expressive art teen retreats for underserved individuals impacted by sexual trauma. Jasmaine also co-owns Unscripted Travel, a small business that creates and facilitates international outreach trips for counseling students, clinicians, and educators. Her trips focus on clinical outreach and cultural immersion experiences based in communities of Color abroad.

Priscilla Bell is a doctoral candidate in the Teachers, Schools, and Society program. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Florida and a M.Ed. in Higher Education from Penn State. Priscilla worked in the field of college access and first-generation student support for several years before returning to UF to continue her studies. Toggling the K-12 and Higher Education boundaries, her research interests include supporting the access to and retention in higher education for first-generation, low-income, students of color.

Peijuan Cao is a doctoral student specializing in Reading and Literacy Education. She is from China and has been living in the U.S. for six years. Peijuan obtained her master’s degree in English Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Peijuan is passionate about teaching and she gained extensive teaching experience, including teaching English as a second language in China and Colombia, teaching Chinese as a foreign language in the U.S. She has also been teaching graduate courses on topics of reading assessment and intervention as well as an undergraduate level reading course in the Elementary ProTeach program at UF. Her research interests include oral reading behavior, early literacy instruction, reading teacher preparation and second language acquisition.

Matthew P. Cowley is a doctoral candidate in the Teachers, Schools, and Society program. His research and scholarship examine the intersections of race and higher education policy, curriculum, and outcomes. Matthew deeply desires for his scholarship to contribute to equitable postsecondary outcomes for racially marginalized students and the development of anti-racist citizens through higher education curriculum and pedagogy.

Agenia Delouche is a 3rd year PhD student pursuing a degree in School Psychology. She is also a McKnight Doctoral Fellow. Her research and practice experiences are with children and adolescents in both school and clinical settings.
Her Bachelor of Arts is from the University of Miami, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a major in Psychology and minors in Education and Human & Social Development. Her current areas of interest include culturally and linguistically diverse learners, family engagement, and early childhood.

Alexis Freeman, a former elementary school teacher in New York City, is a Ph.D. student in special education. Although she was in the classroom for what felt like a short period of time, she has been an educator all her life. Alexis earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in education, as well as a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Florida. Her research interest includes literacy and language, examining the achievement of students of color, specifically their use of Black English/Language/Literacy through the tenets of critical race theory and critical methodologies. Alexis is supported by Project TIER, a U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) leadership grant, and is a research assistant on the James Patterson Literacy Challenge.

Huan Gao is a Ph.D. student specializing in Literacy Education. She obtained her master’s degree in Translating and Interpreting from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Before starting her doctoral studies, Huan had taught English as a foreign language in China and taught Chinese as a foreign language in the U.S. to learners at different levels for a few years. She was involved in a research project for Teaching Students to Become Expert Information Seekers. Her current research interests center around digital literacies/multiliteracies, and literacy development of immigrant youths.

Jan Gay is a 1st year Ph.D. student at the University of Florida in the Counselor Education and Supervision Program. Jan has a background in school counseling and clinical social work. Jan Gay is currently licensed as a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a Professional School Counselor and a Licensed Independent Certified Social Worker (LICSW). Jan serves as a member of the AMCD Ethics Committee and AMCD Ethics Committee Graduate Student Liaison. She is a Florida Association of Counselor Education and Supervision Emerging Leader. Jan is a Dove Self Esteem Project Confident Me Cadre Trainer and provides training and information on the body confidence curriculum geared towards students 10-13 years old. Her research interest includes school counselor competency and development, multiculturalism, social justice, and advocacy.

Hyojong Sohn is a doctoral student in special education. Before pursuing doctoral studies, she worked as an elementary school teacher in South Korea and a special education teacher in Minnesota. Also, she earned her master’s degree in special education and teaching licenses in learning disabilities and elementaryn education from St. Cloud State University. She is interested in measures of teacher effectiveness, professional development, teacher diversity, literacy interventions, and educational policy.

Lissette Tolentino is a Ph.D. student specializing in research and evaluation methodology. Her research interests are in psychometrics, large-scale and standardized testing, and issues regarding validity and reliability. She is currently
teaching measurement and evaluation in education for undergraduate students and a research fellow at the Center for Public Interest Communications. Currently, she is researching communication practices within the psychometric field. When not researching or teaching, you can find her cooking, volunteering, and traveling.

Kevin Wilson is a doctoral student in the Leadership in Educational Administration Doctorate (LEAD) Program. He earned his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Duke University and his Masters of Science in Physical Education and Athletic Administration from North Carolina Central University. His current research interests include Diversity in Leadership, Nascent Leadership, Revenue Generation, Experiential Innovation, Ideation, and Critical Race Theory in Sport. Kevin’s professional experience includes leadership positions at emerging Division-II
institutions, Football Bowl Subdivision, and Historically Black College & Universities. He is passionate about leadership opportunities for all and helping others realizescholarship through sport. He is also the proud father of two boys, Kendrick and Knox and dedicates his doctoral journey to his wife, Dr. S. Lavi Wilson, who impacts students daily as an Assistant professor of Social Work.