About the Authors

Nadia Alqahtani is a PhD student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington. Her minor is in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, focusing on Arabic linguistics. Her research interests include issues in children’s literature and children’s language and identity construction.

Kerry Armbruster is a doctoral student in the department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington with a minor in Learning and Developmental Sciences. He currently works as an English language assistant at Youngsan University in Busan, Korea. His research interests include social justice pedagogies, mentoring, instructional design, and youth studies.

Jeannette Armstrong is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington. She is the Director of Graduate Programs in Education at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. Her ethnographic research interests lie in the areas of teacher education, literacy studies, and identity studies.

Nicole Ayers is a doctoral student in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, with a minor in Instructional Systems Technologies at Indiana University Bloomington. She has a background as a French teacher, having taught students from Kindergarten through the University level. Currently, she teaches high school level French in Alaska. Her research focus is on cultural exchange as it affects perceptions of identity in secondary students.

Ebrahim Bamanger is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture and Language Education, with a minor in Arabic Linguistics, and another minor in Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington. He is also an Arabic language conversation Instructor at the Arabic Language Flagship. His research interests focus on exploring the integration of innovative technologies in enhancing language learning, and different methods of teaching foreign and second languages across diverse cultures.

Laura Boyle is a doctoral student in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, with a minor in Instructional Systems Technologies at Indiana University Bloomington. She has a background as a German teacher, having taught students from grades 6 – 12. Currently, she teaches middle and high school level German in Latvia. Her research focus is on language acquisition and usage in the Baltic States.

Natalia Ramirez Casalvolone is an advanced doctoral student in the Literacy, Culture and Language Education Department with a minor in Instructional Systems Technology. She is also a Professor of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in the English Teaching Major Department at the University of Costa Rica, Sede de Occidente. Her research is in EFL teaching and professional development based in Costa Rica.

Yanlin Chen is a PhD student in the Department of Literacy, Culture and Language Education at the School of Education of Indiana University Bloomington. Her special research interest is the use of language-based methodology to investigate informal learning and multiliteracies. Her background in linguistics and arts administration is a rich resource for her current research.

Summer Davis is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington.

Dee Degner is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington.

Amanda Deliman is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington. She is a literacy scholar who is interested in examining the social and critical aspects of literacy. More specifically, her primary research interests include empathy literacy in the early childhood classroom, humanizing and drama-based pedagogies, and the role of centering identity as a pedagogical tool.

Alexandra Fields is an Assistant Professor of English, Service Learning Coordinator, and Developmental Reading Coordinator at Middlesex County College in Central New Jersey. Her research interests focus on critical service learning as a social justice pedagogy.

Amani K. Gashan is a doctoral student in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education (LCLE), with a double minor in Arabic Linguistics and Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington. Ms. Gashan is also an Arabic tutor and conversational instructor at the Arabic Flagship program, Indiana University-Bloomington. Her research interests focus on Arabic teaching and learning as well as integrating technology into classrooms.

Aslihan Guler is an advanced PhD student in the Literacy, Culture and Language Education Department with a minor in Early Childhood Education. Her research interests are language policy and planning, translingualism, language identity, language equity, language education in multicultural societies.

Lindsay Herron is a doctoral student in the Literacy, Culture, and Language Education Department at Indiana University Bloomington with a minor in Learning Sciences. She teaches English conversation, composition, and education methodology at Gwangju National University of Education in Gwangju, Korea. Her current research explores the cosmopolitan literacies of Korean students participating in an online intercultural exchange.

Geoff Hoffman teaches Mandarin Chinese/ESL (English as a Second Language) courses at Taylor University, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Literacy, Culture and Language Education from Indiana University Bloomington. His research interests include student engagement with Mandarin Chinese language and culture (including the hybrid space between the L1 and L2) and the development of global competence (a combination of knowledge, attitudes and skills) in terms of L2 learning.

Breanya Hogue is a third-year doctoral student at Indiana University Bloomington in the Literacy, Culture & Language Education program. She has previous teaching experience in K-5 and currently as an Associate Instructor of Literacy Methods courses. Her research interests include pre-service teacher urban education, culturally proactive pedagogies, and out of school time literacy instruction.

Bo Hyun Hwang is currently a doctoral student in the LCLE PhD program who labels herself as a passionate instructor of First-Year Composition course and a tireless researcher having special interests in academic writing development. Her research has spanned in several areas so far: recontextualization of multilingual writers, genre-based literacy pedagogies, collaborative writing processes, and professional development for female NNES instructors.

Michelle Koehler is a Language, Culture, and Literacy Education doctoral student at Indiana University Bloomington, minoring in Learning Sciences. Over the last 12 years, Michelle has worked as a K-12 educator, primarily focusing on language and literacy pedagogy for the English learner (EL) in Michigan. Additionally, she has taught adult EL students preparing for college and career readiness, within the adult English as a Second Language adult education program.

Maria Lisak, a visiting professor at Chosun University in Gwangju, South Korea, is a social justice educator teaching public administration and social welfare. She has worked in South Korea for 23 years teaching English as a Foreign Language, English For Business, social entrepreneurship, and non-profit management. She is working on her online EdD with the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington.

Brandon Locke is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington. He is the Director of World Language and Immersion Programs for the Anchorage (Alaska) School District, where he oversees K-12 immersion programs in seven languages, as well as traditional world language programs at the secondary level. He also works as a consultant in the areas of immersion education, standards-based curriculum development, and indigenous language revitalization.

Erin McNeill is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture and Language Education, with a minor in Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University Bloomington. She is the English Language Learner Coordinator at Center Grove High School and a Graduate Assistant at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also an Education Instructor at Indiana University Purdue University Columbus. Her research interests focus on exploring critical literacies and cosmopolitan literacies with high school students and English learners to develop linguistic and cultural competency.

Simon Pierre Munyaneza is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington. His areas of interest extend from social linguistics to culture, literacy, and reading engagement. Being a native speaker of Kinyarwanda, he speaks five more languages: English, French, Kiswahili, Lingala and Orunyankole-Rukiga.

Yeoeun Park taught a first-year composition course for international students at Indiana University Bloomington. She has published journal articles on L2 reading and EFL pedagogy. Her research centers on L2 reading and writing, language teacher education, and digital literacy.

Casey Pennington is a doctoral fellow in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University. She studies play, literacy, and technology in makerspaces in elementary classrooms and out-of-school settings for court-involved youth.

Christian Perry is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington.

Pengtong Qu is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington. She has been teaching and tutoring learners of Chinese in the US for five years. Her research interests are in biliteracy development, multicultural education, and children’s literature.

J.J. Ray is a third-year doctoral student at Indiana University Bloomington in the Literacy, Culture, and Language Education Department. Her research focuses on Deaf education, American Sign Language (ASL), and multimodality used with educational technology. With a master’s degree from Ball State University in Deaf education and curriculum experience at Indiana School for the Deaf creates a unique perspective that continues to push her research goals. J.J. enjoys working as an online ASL teacher to hearing students where they can learn a new language and culture within their community.

Jill Scott is a doctoral student in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington.

Youngjoo Seo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also currently pursuing a PhD in English Linguistics at Hankook University of Foreign Studies, South Korea. Her research interests include language ideology, language policy, and professional development of language teachers in ESL/EFL contexts.

Leslie Smith is an EdD doctoral student in the Literacy, Culture, and Language Education Department at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri. Her research interests include bilingual immersion environments, language teacher training and development, and program effectiveness.

Amy Walker is a doctoral student in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education at Indiana University Bloomington. A former educator, she has taught English in Europe and the United States and has also served on public school and community leadership boards focused on promoting equity and diversity. Her research interests include exploring the collaborative processes among fluent and emergent bilingual students in midwestern rural public school classrooms.