Greetings,
My name is Dorian Harrison and I am a second year doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction. I am also the inaugural president for the Graduate Student Organization for the department. I taught elementary school in Nashville, TN for seven years before leaving the classroom to pursue my degree. I have found my research interests within the areas of multilingualism, critical literacy, and equity issues in education. My research areas are still quite broad as I am beginning to narrow my scope.
I hope that you find this organization a helpful resource as you navigate through the graduate process here on campus. We hope to be a welcoming source of information, fellowship, and support. This journey is long, but with the help of your fellows in the college it can be one of the most promising experiences you’ll have. As you already know the University of Illinois is a top research institution which attracts students from around the world. The campus serves on average 42,000 students a year which makes it a very busy place.
I came from a small institution in Tennessee, so these numbers were somewhat intimidating as I stepped foot onto campus. Finding a sense of home and connection were important for me within my department and my program. As I reached out to other students, they too shared similar sentiments.
While building bonds to ensure success is one of the main reasons for establishing this organization, it isn’t the sole reason. This group is also charged with assisting students with preparing for conferences (travel buddies, writing assistance, etc), staying informed about funding, navigating paperwork for the department, and much more. But most importantly, we hope this organization helps you through the process of graduating and finding a job!
Good luck with your upcoming semester and please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have suggestions for ways to improve the group.
Sincerely,
Dorian Harrison
My name is Dorian Harrison and I am a second year doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction. I am also the inaugural president for the Graduate Student Organization for the department. I taught elementary school in Nashville, TN for seven years before leaving the classroom to pursue my degree. I have found my research interests within the areas of multilingualism, critical literacy, and equity issues in education. My research areas are still quite broad as I am beginning to narrow my scope.
I hope that you find this organization a helpful resource as you navigate through the graduate process here on campus. We hope to be a welcoming source of information, fellowship, and support. This journey is long, but with the help of your fellows in the college it can be one of the most promising experiences you’ll have. As you already know the University of Illinois is a top research institution which attracts students from around the world. The campus serves on average 42,000 students a year which makes it a very busy place.
I came from a small institution in Tennessee, so these numbers were somewhat intimidating as I stepped foot onto campus. Finding a sense of home and connection were important for me within my department and my program. As I reached out to other students, they too shared similar sentiments.
While building bonds to ensure success is one of the main reasons for establishing this organization, it isn’t the sole reason. This group is also charged with assisting students with preparing for conferences (travel buddies, writing assistance, etc), staying informed about funding, navigating paperwork for the department, and much more. But most importantly, we hope this organization helps you through the process of graduating and finding a job!
Good luck with your upcoming semester and please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have suggestions for ways to improve the group.
Sincerely,
Dorian Harrison