Planning Committee
Co-Chairs
Jennie Lee
Jennie Lee is a second-year PhD student in the Developmental Sciences Division of EPSY. Her research interests focus on the interplay between social-emotional skills and educational technology in learning settings. Fun fact: She was a poster presenter at last year’s GSC!
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Annalisa Murphy
Annalisa Murphy is a second-year PhD student in the Cognitive Science of Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Division of Educational Psychology. She is interested in researching effective teaching and learning methods of complex systems, STEM education, and informal learning. She can’t wait to see your presentations at this year’s conference!
Committee Members
Maryana Al Tobi
Accessibility Team Lead
Maryana Al Tobi is a doctoral student in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on practitioner coaching in early childhood settings to support young children with disabilities in preschool. Besides her research, she is very interested in teaching and program evaluation. Maryana actively participates in service at both the college and department levels, serving as the Accessibility Team Lead for the Graduate Student Conference and as a social committee chair in the Special Education Graduate Student Association (SEGSA) and the Special Education Department’s Social Committee, where she helps organize community-building events.
Ellisa Alvarez
Program & Scheduling Team Lead and Abstract Team
Ellisa Alvarez (she/her/ella) is an EdM student in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership (EPOL) with a concentration in Diversity and Equity in Education. She holds a BS in Health Science and works in public health at a national nonprofit focused on Title V Maternal and Child Health. Through her graduate studies, Ellisa aims to deepen her understanding of how to create system-level changes that foster more inclusive workspaces where individuals with intersectional identities can thrive.
Michelle Bedolla
Logistics, Operations, and Tech Team Lead
Michelle Bedolla has a background in education and technology. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focus is on learning science and AI. Michelle is always on a side quest to find her next book to read!
Minjoo Chong
Abstract Team Co-Lead
Minjoo Chong is a third-year PhD student in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership (EPOL), specializing in Social Science and Education Policy. Her research examines institutional discourse and organizational dynamics in higher education.
Katie Davenport
Design Team
Katie Davenport is a PhD student in Curriculum and Instruction, Language and Literacy. Her research interests currently are related to early elementary teachers’ selection and use of children’s literature and the intersection of culturally responsive practices and nostalgia. Fun Fact: Katie presented during a roundtable at last year’s GSC!
Lan Anh Hoang
Abstract Team
Lan Anh Hoang is a Master's student in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership (EPOL), specializing in Globalization in Education. She is interested in the educational curricula and Study Abroad programs that develop critical thinking, international collaboration, and local-global engagement.
Evelyn Hong
Finance Team Lead
Bohyang Jin
Accessibility Team
Bohyang Jin is a doctoral student in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests focus on literacy development and engagement, as well as community participation and self-determination. As someone who is passionate about special education, she wants to help people who need accessibility support at the conference!
Ramon Morgan
Communications Team
Ramon Morgan is a PhD student in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Education is more than just my field of study. It’s my passion. I am committed to exploring and implementing policies that strengthen educational systems, promote equity, and create meaningful, lasting change for students and educators. My work is driven by a deep belief in the power of education to transform lives and communities.
Shehneela Naz
Design Team Lead
Shehneela Naz is a Fulbright scholar currently pursuing a master’s degree in Digital Environments for Learning, Teaching & Agency at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Her research focuses on teachers’ digital literacy, AI integration in higher education, and culturally responsive pedagogy, particularly within low- and middle-income countries. She explores how educators can use technology and AI tools responsibly to promote inclusive and equitable learning.
Jayret Palmerin
Design and Communications Team Lead
Jayret Palmerin is a first year master student in the department of Education Policy Organizational Leadership. My passion is to cultivate resources for underrepresented communities and foster advocacy and leadership within culturally responsive facilities. In the far future I hope to develop programming in both higher education and K-12 schools that respond to the respective needs of the communities that create positive impact targeting social justice, educational needs, healthcare information to set a foundation for success.
Sydney Revell
Communications Team
Sydney Revell is a first-year Doctoral student in the Developmental Sciences Division of Educational Psychology! Her research focuses on the sociopolitical development of Black adolescents and their motivations to create social change. More specifically, she is interested in how their understanding of history and injustice, shaped through collective memory, influences their sociopolitical identity.
Hannah Warren
Communications Team
Hannah Warren is a Master’s student in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership, Social Sciences and Education Policy concentration.
Ashley Zhou
Abstract Team Co-Lead
Ashley Zhou is a second-year PhD student in Educational Psychology, specializing in Developmental Sciences. Her research interests focus on student motivation and engagement, particularly among college students, as well as on the influence of teachers, peers, and parents on their motivation.
Advisors
Karla Möller
Karla is the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at the Graduate Student Services Office. Karla's research, teaching, and service coalesces around her interconnecting interests in cultural diversity and language, reading and response to literature, and issues related to social justice, educational equity, and children’s engagement and success in school. Her work connects three aspects of literacy and literature-based instruction through a focus on material availability and selection (e.g., What literature is available to use in schools? What can be done to improve availability of authentic culturally diverse materials?); on content (e.g., What literature do educators actually use and why? What is taught—or left out—with regards to literature within school-based instruction?) and on procedures (e.g., How is use of literature in schools organized? Who has access to literature-based instruction? What can be done to improve access for all students to opportunities for creative and critical thinking connected with reading literature?).
Lori Fuller
Lori Fuller has been working in the College of Education for over 14 years with a total of 19 years of service at the university. She has been providing support to the Graduate Student Services Office since October 2021.