2026 Student Symposium

Ayshea Banes is a PhD student in Curriculum and Instruction and an MA student in African American Studies. She received her bachelor’s in physics in 2023, where she conducted research in neutrino physics. Her original plan was to receive a PhD in physics, which led her to spend two years at UW-Madison’s physics department. During her time, she realized that the impact she wanted to make on the world needed to involve people and not just x-rays, so she began her journey in education centering Blackness in physics education. She is passionate about historizing physics history and ways that the Black community has not only fully engaged with physics but also has used physics as a tool for Black liberation. Currently, she is 1) researching how the militarization of Black education during WWII was another form of perpetuating enslavers’ onto-epistemology and 2) how science and math literacy were central to Black education during Jim Crow. When she is not lost in the archives or struggling to understand Foucault, she really enjoys collecting hobbies! She loves reading, painting pottery, doing Pilates, making waist beads or bracelets, and watching UW-Madison’s women’s hockey team beat Ohio State.

Sophia Grigsby is a third-year undergraduate student from St. Peter, Minnesota, majoring in African American Studies and Spanish with certificates in American Indian & Indigenous Studies and Social Justice & Education. Sophia’s research focuses on Black women’s visual representation within art and its significance in historical, cultural, social, and political contexts. Sophia plans to pursue a tribal, educational, or civil rights law and later work in higher education.

Lily Z. Shell is a PhD Candidate in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies with a doctoral minor in African-American Studies and a specialization in Black dramaturgies. Her work explores the role of the audience in contemporary Black theatre and performance in the United States, and the ways in which contemporary Black playwrights dramaturgically involve their audiences in their work. Research and practice interests include dramaturgy, audience studies, visual cultures, curatorial studies, directing, theatrical design, and the contemporary arts institution.

She received her MA in ITS in 2020 (MA Thesis: “‘Theatre That Works:’ The Role of Audience Embodied Identity in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon and Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview“), and her BA in American Studies from Vassar College in 2016.

Lily’s professional background is in costume design, and she is an alumna of the Professional Apprenticeship Program in Costumes at the Juilliard School. Costume design and dramaturgy work includes collaboration with dancer and choreographer Emily Wexler on Birdsong (2023, Center for Performance Research, New York) and Soundview (2021, Summer on the Hudson, New York).

Maya Dettwiler is a Senior from the East side of Madison, Wisconsin, double majoring in Psychology and African-American Studies with a Certificate in Gender & Women’s Studies. Her academic interests are focused on combining the Black experience and mental health advocacy. In the future, she hopes to become an LPC to work with Black adolescents, a demographic that is often left behind in Psychological research and mental health services. On campus, she is a member of the Eta Iota Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a part of the Divine 9 (historically Black fraternities and sororities). In her free time, she likes to travel, do small crafts, graphic design, and discover new music.

Hailey Schock (she/her) joined The SoulFolk Collective as a part of the 2025 Summer Education Research Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice as a fourth-year student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Hailey spent the summer of 2024 conducting a literature review on the prevalence of structural racial segregation within Milwaukee Public Schools for the McNair Scholars Program. She presented this research at the Deans Distinguished Fellowship Conference at UW-La Crosse and received the Best Presentation Award for her work. She joined The SoulFolk Collective this past summer to contribute community centered research that creates Black affirming spaces while uplifting Black voices. She values how this collaborative research fosters reimagining educational spaces as sites of healing and liberation. Outside of academics, she enjoys traveling, working out and trying new food!

Teja Davis is a senior double-majoring in Environmental Studies and Human Geography while pursuing certificates in African American Studies, Gender and Women Studies, Theater, and Teaching in the Arts at the University of Wisconsin Madison with hopes of completing an American Indian Studies certificate as well. In the future she hopes to do ethnographic environmental work exploring the relationship between people, their culture, and the planet (and do a bit of acting too). She’s a member of the 15th Cohort of First Wave – a program focused on Arts, Academics, and Activism at UW and Co-Editor-in-Chief for The Black Voice, a student publication devoted to uplifting black students stories on campus. She also received an Honorable mention as an Inaugural recipient of the André De Shields fund for her original screenplay adaptation of The Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy and had the honor of attending and notetaking for the 2025 Black Abundance Conference. With a passion for creating since she was a small child, she strives to create and take part in work people can learn from as much as they enjoy; she hopes to show others it’s possible to pursue their creative dreams in the scientific and artistic worlds!

Gabriela Mauricio is a first-generation college student in her third year at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she studies Elementary Education and is completing a certificate in Educational Policy. This semester, her African American Studies course on Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. has had a big impact on her. Learning about their lives, struggles, and the movements they inspired remind her why history matters and why she loves it so much. As she studied these leaders, Gabi often reflected on the kind of classroom she hopes to build one day. She wants to teach 7th grade history because she believes that middle school is a moment when students start forming their own ideas about the world. She hopes her future classroom will be a place where every student’s voice is heard and every story matters, not just the ones traditionally centered in textbooks. Gabi knows what it feels like to move through school without always seeing yourself reflected in the curriculum. Because of that, she wants her students to feel valued, included, and encouraged to ask questions, aiming to help students understand the past, see their place in it, and feel empowered to shape the future.

Genesis Liriano is an undergraduate student whose work centers on interdisciplinary research, equity, and meaningful community engagement. Raised in New York City, she grew up surrounded by diverse cultures and perspectives, shaping her belief in the importance of uplifting marginalized voices and sharing the stories that often go unheard. She is particularly interested in exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the experiences of diasporic and immigrant communities. Through her academic work and community involvement, Genesis aims to create spaces for dialogue, representation, and social understanding.

All of Genesis’s research focuses on better comprehending how communities function, what people value, and how identities shape everyday experiences. Her own identity is important to her, and she aims to ensure that others feel seen and heard in theirs. Recently, she has been thinking about cultural preservation and how the arts, storytelling, and everyday forms of care contribute to the world, reminding us of what makes us human and what must be protected. With this she hopes to get into higher education and bridge the gap between historically excluded groups and academia.

Luis Torres is a student originally from St Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands who is currently enrolled as a first year student at The University of Wisconsin – Madison. He is currently pursuing interests in economics, data science, and the ethics of information, with a focus on how systems of power shape communities of color. Luis has a strong passion for fashion and art. He sees both as a form of self expression and storytelling, and uses style, design, and creativity to design school projects. His interest in visual style shapes how he presents and shares ideas. He enjoys conducting research projects, and using digital media to explain complex ideas in ways that are easy to understand. Outside of class, Luis is involved in community focused projects where teamwork, responsibility, and speaking up matter to him. He believes learning should lead to action, and that education and creativity work together to create change.

Sean Pauley is a Ph.D. student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. His research focuses primarily on reparations for slavery and survey methodology. Specifically, his work examines how methodological issues with public opinion polls construct a narrow definition of reparations that is reinforced by the news media.

Sean got his M.A from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he studied coverage of inflation and unemployment during the 2022 midterms. His bachelor’s degree is from Alma College, where he studied game design.

Zhangyang Xie (he/him) is a first-year graduate student in the Department of African American Studies. He received his undergraduate degree in Africana Studies and Science, Technology, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania. He is particularly interested in the intersection of race, science, and sexuality. In addition to race-based health inequity, he is also interested in the social construction of racial and sexual identities. For his M.A. thesis, he tentatively plans to examine the historical criminalization of queer bodies, prison as a site of gender-affirmation and homosexual tension, and how race and sexuality influence the development of the prison-industrial complex.  In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, cooking, and exploring local wineries and distilleries.

Kira Markuson grew up in Sparta, Wisconsin, and is a second-year student at UW-Madison studying History and Educational Policy Studies. She is also receiving certificates in public policy and criminal justice. She is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, UW-Madison’s history honors society, and the outreach coordinator for Scholars in Education. In the past, she has worked as an afterschool and summer school curriculum developer, behavioral assistant, and child supervisor, experiences that have driven her passion for learning about education and the policies that shape it. Her past research has centered around the benefits and structures of afterschool education for immigrants and in rural areas, the implementation of ethnic studies classes at the high school level, and the exploration of family relations in Medieval Islam through a sira (folk epic). Currently, she is pursuing an internship with the state government to gain more hands-on experience with policy research and a better understanding of the policy formation process.

Jada Young (she/her) is a first-year M.A. student in African American Studies and Ph.D. student in Educational Policy Studies at UW-Madison. She holds a M.A. in Educational Studies with a concentration in Educational Equity, Justice, and Social Transformation from the University of Michigan, where she was awarded the Rackham Merit Fellowship. Additionally, Jada is a proud PEOPLE Scholar alumna of UW-Madison and has a B.S. in Education Studies and a certificate in African American Studies. She is a budding Black Education and Black Girlhood scholar that explores the criminalization of Black girls in carceral schooling. As a SoulFolk Collective Fellow, she’s committed to creating liberatory educational spaces for Black youth, and looks forward to launching the SoulFolk Saturday School. Outside of academia, you can find Jada traveling, volunteering, or spending time with her loved ones and puppy!

Ziyen Cea Curtis (she/they) is a master’s student in African American Studies, in the School of Letters and Science, and a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds a B.S. in Global and International Studies, a B.A. in History, two minors in Women’s Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies, and a certificate in Diversity from Pennsylvania State University.

Ziyen was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania and is a proud first-generation college, and now, graduate student. Ziyen’s research interests include: Black history education (BHE), social studies curricula and instruction, 20th century BHE, and 21st century experiences of students and educators in social studies classrooms. They enjoy both historical and qualitative research in their graduate studies and acted as the first lab manager for the SoulFolk Collective in the Department of African American Studies. Ziyen also enjoys warm teas, and reading fiction novels, when not reading for classes.

James Whitelow is a current December first generation college graduate of UW-Madison earning his Bachelor’s in Journalism with certificates in African-American Studies and Asian-American Studies on a Hmong (Hmoob) emphasis. Hailing from Benton Harbor, Michigan, James grew up on the Northside of Milwaukee, WI. The youngest of three children and two parents, James’ interest to learn about different cultures and histories began from a young age as he aimed to use his passion for journalism as a resource to connect with others and his own community. From personal experiences to academic pursuits, James has been able to garner many interests through his collegiate years by being heavily involved within his scholarship program, PEOPLE, an All-In Milwaukee scholar, to student organizations including being an Editor-In-Chief of The Black Voice and a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated. Currently, James is actively applying to graduate school for Fall 2026 with hopes to pursue his PhD.

Curtis O’Dwyer is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests encompass Science Teaching, Science and Technology Studies, History of Education, Race, Black Studies, and Political Economy. His work investigates how historical Black teaching philosophies and liberatory practices shape our understanding of the limits and possibilities in science teaching and learning, both past and present. Curtis is an Education Graduate Research Scholar (EdGRS) Fellow and a Pella Science Education Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His scholarship appears in the St. Louis American and is forthcoming in book chapter publications. He earned his B.S. in Biology with a minor in Mathematics from Roosevelt University and his Master of Arts in Teaching from Washington University in St. Louis. Before starting his doctoral studies, Curtis worked as a middle school science teacher for six years.

Emil Matthews is a University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore majoring in both African American studies & English, with a Creative Writing concentration in the latter subject. Through her writing, she seeks to pay homage to her artistic predecessors of the twentieth century— particularly the luminary Black writers James Baldwin & Maya Angelou— by both maintaining & reinvigorating the vitality of their creative traditions in her own temporal context. In her poetry & prose, Matthews brings to the fore early- to mid-twentieth century forms of Black historical life, from her reimagination of blues era dance halls to creative engagement with the discourse of the Civil Rights Movement. Much of her writing centers on not only giving voice to historical expressions of Blackness, but her own identity & experience as a biracial Black woman. After she finishes her undergraduate career at Madison, Emil Matthews hopes to obtain both her masters & doctoral degrees in African American studies, & continue writing.

Griffin Granberry (they/them) is a second-year Graduate Fellow in UW’s African American Studies Department. They attended the University of Wisconsin for their undergraduate studies as well, graduating in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and German Language. As a Master’s Student, their research starts by situating the archive as a site of violence, exploring from there how marginalized communities have created alternative archives to preserve their own histories. In their free time, Griffin enjoys reading whatever they can get their hands on – prioritizing stories with dragons, of course – and visiting their many feathered friends at the nearby International Crane Foundation. Find Griffin snuggled up with their three cats or studying with a chilly coffee in the Graduate Student Office!

Angela Fitzgerald Ward (she/her) is a doctoral student in the School of Human Ecology’s Civil Society and Community Studies department at UW-Madison. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Psychology, and is broadly interested in the intersections between research, community engagement and organizing. Angela’s research interests also align with her professional roles at Madison College and PBS Wisconsin, where she works to create spaces for historically marginalized groups to be supported and have their stories told. As a former east-coaster who now calls Madison home, she looks forward to contributing to the important work of the SoulFolk Collective in amplifying the needs of the Black community.

Vicki Ferrarini is a junior standing transfer student in her second semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She currently studies Psychology and Pre-Law but previously was studying Film. This semester, Vicki decided to take a course on Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. as a way to learn about her potential clients past struggles and how to properly aid them. The course quickly became one of Vicki’s favorites and brought her done paths she never anticipated. As she learned about these leaders, their principles, and the systematic struggles that persist today, she came to form her own sentiments and vowed as an individual in a place of privilege, she would try her hardest to speak up for those who were being silenced. Vicki intends to take the knowledge acquired from this course and implement into her law career, shifting from corporate law to lobbying and ethics. Due to Vicki’s prior educational background in a dual-language 50/50 immersion program, she is no stranger to feeling helpless in helping her friends when they have been subjected to mistreatment educationally, politically, and morally. With her privilege to gain a higher education, she is determined to make space for those who have been oppressed and use her platform to obtain justice and create equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of race or gender.

Lisa Oyolu (she/her) is an Educational Policy Studies doctoral student at University of Wisconsin-Madison where she is also a Research Fellow at The SoulFolk Collective within the African American Studies Department. Her research centers Black immigrant communities in the United States, including Black immigrants’ placemaking practices as well as Black immigrant youth’s out-of-school time experiences in community-based educational spaces. As a qualitative researcher, Lisa is interested in asset-based research which incorporates participatory and arts-based methods. Lisa earned her Bachelor’s in History from Grinnell College and her Master’s in Educational Policy Studies at UW-Madison. Prior to graduate school, she worked in higher education and the nonprofit sector supporting college access initiatives and federal programs expanding internet access for schools, libraries, and low-income households.

John L. Samuels Jr. is an emerging scholar, educator, and learning designer whose work spans K–12 classrooms, community learning spaces, and higher education. With extensive experience teaching K–12 learners across diverse ethnocultural, socioeconomic, and geographic contexts in the United States, he explores the possibilities of teaching that unshackle both teacher and learner capacities. A doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he has worked as a freshman lecturer in the College of Letters and Science and as the graduate coordinator for the Play Make Learn Conference in the School of Education. He develops conceptual frameworks that challenge both conventional and progressive assumptions about teaching, make theoretical discourse approachable to practicing educators, interrogate the blind spots of nontraditional pedagogies, and interrupt the reification of harmful educational norms.

Samuels acknowledges the profound ways schooling can harm minds, bodies, and spirits, and takes it as an existential mandate to further the design and facilitation of learning experiences that nurture flourishing and human possibility. His work aims to normalize nontraditional pedagogical practices in formal learning spaces—particularly in K–12 contexts—to expand learners’ ways of knowing and coming to know, and ways of being and coming to be. A creative and innovative educator, he is recognized for translating complex theoretical ideas into powerful, usable models for practitioners and researchers. Across his scholarship and teaching, he invites learning communities to imagine education oriented toward liberation and expansive human growth.