Loyola鈥檚 Karson Institute names inaugural doctoral fellow
The Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice at 麻豆精选 named Mar铆a T. Colompos-Tohtsonie as the institute鈥檚 inaugural doctoral fellow. In her role, Colompos-Tohtsonie will conduct research and make policy recommendations in the field of culturally responsive teaching practices for teachers of students who have different sociocultural backgrounds.
The Karson Institute provides a scholarly space for professors, students, social justice workers, and activists to come together to research, discuss, debate, and explore topics of inequality, injustice, and racial inequity in the United States. Karsonya 鈥淜aye鈥� Wise Whitehead, Ph.D., associate professor of communication and African American studies, founded and directs the center.
鈥淭he Karson Institute is a stellar opportunity to mold my passion of social justice into policy and practice,鈥� Colompos-Tohtsonie said. 鈥淲ith Dr. Kaye as my mentor, I am able to cultivate my knowledge networks in establishing a research- and data-driven scholarly environment. Being the inaugural doctoral fellow for the Karson Institute brings me closer to my career aspiration of being an educational policymaker.鈥�
Colompos-Tohtsonie is a doctoral student studying educational leadership and policy at Texas Tech University. She is a senior program manager and policy analyst for the U.S. Marshals Service and serves in the Army Reserve, where she specializes in public affairs and military police. Previously, Colompos-Tohtsonie earned the rank of captain in the U.S. Army, served as a policy analyst at the Pentagon and was an ROTC cadet at Northern Illinois University, where she was honored as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
She has presented research at national and international conferences. Her book, 鈥�Borders, Bras, and Battles: A Practical Guide to Mentor Undergraduate Women to Achieve Career Success,鈥� earned a 2016 Society of Professors of Education Book Award. She received a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration with an emphasis in global policy from Northwestern University and Bachelor of Arts degrees at Northern Illinois University in history and sociology.