Diverse: Issues In Higher Education's 2024 Emerging Scholars shared sentiments of drive, hope, community, and validation during a webinar Thursday.
To accompany the release of its 2024 Emerging Scholars magazine edition, Diverse hosted its first-ever panel for the 15 outstanding scholars it recognized this year. The panel was moderated by Dr. Jamal Watson.
Highlighted with individual profiles throughout the magazine, the 15 scholars hail from a range of academic disciplines – including education, STEM, and architecture – and cultural backgrounds.
The panelists expressed gratitude and pride over being recognized for some of the diversity and equity work that they’ve been doing, work that typically does not garner widespread attention.
"It's been something that has sustained me in academia, the service work that I do,” said Dr. Melva Treviño Peña, an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island. “To be able to be recognized on this level for the work that I do is really validating. The work that we're doing is what allows other students and people who come after us to be here."
The webinar allowed Diverse to inquire further about the scholars’ ongoing research and their views on a number of topics relevant to the current education landscape.
Scholarly research should be made accessible and legible for people not in academia, the scholars agreed.
