Diversity and Inclusion Science Initiative

Michelle Pasco
Steering Committee Chair

Michelle Pasco is a fourth-year graduate student in the Family and Human Development PhD program. Her research interests include how the neighborhood context, especially ethnic-racial concentration, influence ethnic-racial minoritized adolescent development. In her current research, she is using multi-methods to examine how the structural characteristics of the neighborhood is associated with Mexican-origin adolescents' ethnic identity. Because of her research and prior experiences in the Pilipino community, Michelle is dedicated and passionate about creating a fostering space where individuals can speak of diversity and inclusion.

Clarissa Abidog
Steering Committee Chair Elect

Clarissa Abidog is a first-year graduate student in the Family and Human Development PhD program. Her research interests include multiracial and Black/African American identity development, racial socialization, psychological well-being, and academic achievement outcomes. Her current research uses mixed methods to examine how neighborhood and school compositions moderate the relation between racial socialization and academic achievement in Black/African American adolescents. Clarissa's experiences as a McNair Scholar and Interdisciplinary Enrichment Fellow have been integral to informing her research, as well as her motivating her commitment to diversifying higher education.

Jayley Janssen
Logistics Committee Co-Chair

Jayley Janssen is a first year graduate student in the Family and Human Development PhD program. Generally, her research interests focus on inclusion and equity in educational contexts. She is specifically interested in students' gendered and racialized experiences with peers, teachers, and school staff. Because of her research interests and her own experience with educational tracking, Jayley is committed to DISI's efforts to empower underrepresented groups and promote educational equity across disciplines.

Arvind Ramkumar
Logistics Committee Co-Chair

Arvind Ramkumar is a First Year Graduate Student in Industrial Engineering. His research interests revolves around Production Systems and Logistics and Data Analytics. Prior to ASU, he did his Under-graduation in Aeronautical Engineering from Kumaraguru College of Technology, India. During his under-graduation he was an active member in various clubs and was the Student head for South India's largest Inter Collegiate Techno-cultural Fest - YUGAM. Owing to his interests in event management and to incorporate his ideologies and knowledge regarding Logistics, Arvind came aboard onto the Logistics Committee for DISI 2019.

Annabelle Lin Atkin
Programming Committee Co-Chair

Annabelle is a third-year graduate student in the Family and Human Development PhD program. As an undergraduate at the University of Connecticut, she majored in Psychology and Asian and Asian American Studies. Her research interests include the racial identity development, racial discrimination experiences, and racial socialization of Asian American and multiracial adolescents and emerging adults, and the associations of these variables with psychological outcomes. Annabelle joined this committee because she is passionate about social justice and promoting diversity and inclusion in institutional settings to ensure that underrepresented populations are supported and empowered.

Sarah Tan
Programming Committee Co-Chair

Sarah Tan is an MFA student in the Theatre for Youth program. Born and raised in Singapore, Sarah is a deviser, producer, performer, and educator in theatre and dance. As an artist with a deep passion for building spaces of inclusivity, she believes in the importance of creating relevant and impactful work (on stage and in classrooms) that bring together performance, education, social justice, and community engagement. Sarah hopes to continue engaging in interdisciplinary work that challenges both herself and her audience in the ways in which we choose to practice diversity and inclusion in our lives. Learn more about Sarah's work at www.sarahtanhy.com.

Abigail Gabriel
Outreach Committee Co-Chair

Abigail is a first-year graduate student in the Family and Human Development PhD program. She received a B.S. in Psychology with minors in Neuroscience and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Broadly, her research is grounded in an interdisciplinary, mixed methods, and critical (mixed) race theory framework for understanding racial/ethnic identity and health disparities in Multiracial Americans and Asian Americans. Currently, her research examines how multiracial risk and resilience experiences vary across diverse ecological contexts, and how these experiences relate to mental health. As a 2017-2018 DISI Fellow, she is committed to challenging power and privilege by promoting equity and social justice for marginalized communities both inside and outside of the academy.

Obenewaa Oduro-Opuni
Outreach Committee Co-Chair

Obenewaa Oduro-Opuni is a PhD candidate at Arizona State University in International Letters and Cultures. She received her Master's in German Language and Literature at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa with thesis work focusing on the representation of Africa, Africans and Black Germans in four selected texts from different time periods of German literature, from medieval to contemporary literature. Her dissertation weighs in on current debates about race and nation by investigating transnational Black resistance movements in various German contexts from the 18th to the 21st century, to bring to the fore differences, commonalities, and continuities by investigating abolitionism, the Black German Women's movement, and Black Lives Matter Berlin regarding black advocacy and self-representation. Obenewaa joined this committee to promote collaborations, conversations, and connections that transpire transnationally among oppressed and subaltern classes that inform people's perspectives and political consciousness which encourage movements that push for unity, equality, and social change for underrepresented populations.

Chanler Hilley, M.Ed
DISI Program Coordinator

Chanler Hilley is a second-year doctoral student in Family and Human Development. His research interests revolve around supporting successful transitions to adulthood, especially for youth who have experienced adversity, and the application of advanced statistical methods to answer complex developmental research questions. Chanler's interest in diversity and inclusion (and, thus, interest in this conference) is twofold: (a) the aforementioned research interests in social factors that require consideration of power and privilege and (b) an overarching commitment to social justice and equity.

Prior to returning to graduate school, Chanler was an Academic Advisor in ASU's College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, where he advised for the Interdisciplinary Studies, Communication, General Studies, and Exploratory programs and the LGBT Studies certificate. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion from Coastal Carolina University and a Master of Education in Higher and Postsecondary Education at ASU.