BGC RESEARCH TEAM
BLACK GIRLHOOD COLLABORATIVE TEAM MEMBERS
Taryrn T.C. Brown, PhD
FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Taryrn T.C. Brown (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender, race, and class in Black women and girls' lives; amplifying their voices in prevention science; and examining parental, school, and community roles in digital socialization and identity. As a scholar-practitioner, she promotes equity-centered pedagogies in teaching and learning. She founded the Black Girlhood Collaborative for research and learning focused on Black girlhood.
YOUTH PROGRAMS, RESEARCHER
Ayanna Troutman, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral research fellow at UTHealth Houston, where she conducts research and scholarship focused on Black adolescent girls in the K-12 system, including alternative education. Her work explores their schooling experiences and emotional well-being using youth participatory action research (YPAR).
Ayanna troutman, phd
YOUTH PROGRAMS, RESEARCHER
Sophia is in her 5th year undergraduate student at the University of florida. She is the BGC Youth Team Lead, which includes Girl Talk! and the BGC Youth Team. She is dedicated to supporting Black and Latina girls within and outside U.S. and Latin American educational contexts through participatory research, intentional mentorship and critical discussion.
Sophia De La Cruz
KENESMA JOHN, PHD
YOUTH PROGRAMS, RESEARCHER
Kenesma’s identity as a second-generation Caribbean American guides her scholarship which is centered around Black Girlhood Studies, Black Feminist Thought, Black Immigrants' Experiences, and Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning, which ultimately explores the intersections of education, identity, and gender. Her teaching and research examine how educational systems worldwide shape the experiences of Black girls and Black women, both within and beyond the classroom.
DEANDRA WEST, RESEARCH ASSISTANT
YOUTH PROGRAMS, RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Deandra is a doctoral student at the University of Florida in the Curriculum and Instruction program, specializing in reading and literacy. She is a former elementary school teacher, who’s teaching experience ranged from kindergarten to third over the course of six years. Her interests include highlighting the literacy practices of students from historically marginalized communities, the enactment of culturally sustaining and relevant pedagogies to enrich students' learning experiences, countering censorship of diverse texts, and the infusion of BIPOC texts in elementary classrooms.
DAHLIA FABREGAT, YOUTH PROGRAMS
YOUTH PROGRAMS, RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Dahlia has a bachelor’s degree in Education Sciences (School, Society, and Policy focus) and Spanish and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida. Dahlia’s identity as a child of immigrants and first-generation Cuban-American has informed her interests in Latina Girlhood studies and immigrant and migrant experiences within the education system. Her research interests include understanding how Latina students experience marginalization and oppression within schooling spaces and how they envision pathways to resistance and equity.
OLUYEMISI OLADEJO, RESEARCH ASSISTANT
OLUYEMISI OLADEJO
RESEARCH ASSISTANT, YOUTH PROGRAMS, ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, GRANTS
Oluyemisi Oladejo is a second-year PhD student in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Teachers, Schools and Society, at the University of Florida. She had her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Having worked with learners from underserved communities and economically disadvantaged backgrounds over the years, Oluyemisi’s research interest borders on experiential learning designs and other pedagogical models to navigate and circumvent the challenges of educational resources inaccessibility among marginalized groups. She is currently exploring the points of convergence and divergence of marginalization between Nigeria and the US educational systems.