Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2023, Educational Leadership

Black urban youth face many obstacles in their personal development and future pursuits. Many of these obstacles result from systemic challenges that exist within their communities and cultural norms that negatively shape their self-concept and possible selves, a concept which argues that future self-concepts are constructed through personal evaluation of a current and desired future state. Corporate-education partnerships have recently been introduced to urban communities as a way to introduce youth to alternative professional pathways, although there are few studies about the extent to which Black urban youth are impacted by such partnerships. Using the possible selves theory, this study explored how one corporate-education partnership influences the self-concept and possible selves of Black urban youth engaging in a mentoring program, and the extent to which engagement in the program affected their view of themselves and future aspirations. This study focused on the Infinity Mentoring program, which is a partnership program between the Ascension corporation, Woodsby High School, and community-based organization Cincinnati Youth Connection (all pseudonyms). Findings from this study showed that participants in the program had improved feelings or self-concept about themselves and that participants gained increased motivation toward college, career, and their future aspirations as a result of the Infinity Mentoring program. The study adds to the scholarship on corporate-education partnerships, demonstrating the intrinsic impact these partnerships can have on Black urban students.

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2023, Education

This is a critical-phenomenological qualitative research study in which young people who participated in Social Justice Youth Arts (SJYA) programs during their teenage years engaged in a series of semi-structured arts-based interviews focused on recollecting their lived experiences in those programs and the years since. These interviews investigate the ways in which the principles of Healing-Centered Engagement (Ginwright, 2018) were present within these young people's experiences of those programs, as well as the extent to which those experiences may have encouraged or cultivated a lived praxis of the principles of the contemporary abolitionist movement (Kaba, 2021; Kaepernick, 2021). This study describes how these young people's engagement with SJYA programming encouraged their process of identity formation as artists and activists, and how the durability and evolution of those self-identifications manifested in their broader social and behavioral context over time. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Human Ecology: Human Nutrition

Homeless youth are an underserved, vulnerable population that have limited access to food and are nutrient deficient. Low dietary intakes of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and low biological concentrations of n-3 PUFA have been associated with poor mental health. The goals of this study were to measure typical intakes and status of n-3 PUFA in homeless youth, determine associations between n-3 PUFA dietary intake and biological levels, and to determine if n-3 PUFA dietary intake and status are associated with depression, anxiety, perceived stress, or quality of life in a study sample of homeless youth aged 18-24 years. This cross-sectional observational study used sociodemographic information, dietary intake, measures of psychological wellbeing, and non-fasted venous blood samples from homeless youth who attended a drop-in center in Columbus, Ohio. All data and blood samples were collected as part of a previous study. In the present study n-3 PUFA status was determined using lipid extraction and methylation of red blood cells (RBC) and analyzed through gas chromatography. Descriptive statistics were used to measure participant characteristics, and Pearson's correlation, ANOVA, and ANCOVA were used to correlate n-3 PUFA intake and status with each other and with psychological wellbeing. A final sample of 114 homeless youths completed the FFQ and provided one venous blood sample. Homeless youths have low dietary intakes of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (43.5±54.4 mg/d) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (14.8±26.1 mg/d), consuming about half as much compared to their housed peers. Using the Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) to quantify depression symptoms, homeless youth with moderate/severe depression symptoms consume lower amounts of DHA (18.8±2.23 vs. 55.3±6.13 mg/d; p=0.013) and DHA+EPA (26.1±27.5 mg/d vs. 71.2±71.5 mg/d; p=0.014) compared to those with minimal depression symptoms. When stratified to include only females, lower intakes of (open full item for complete abstract)

EDD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Foundations, Leadership and Administration

For over 100 years, youth mentoring has grown to be an evidenced based prevention strategy for youth, demonstrating positive youth outcomes through strong relationships with caring adults. While trusting relationships are the mainstay of the positive impacts achieved through mentoring, the difficulty in recruiting volunteer adults has not met the steady increase of needy children and has encouraged the mentoring field to expand beyond the one-on-one mentoring model. In response to this challenge, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County (BBBSLC) has developed innovative mentoring programs to allow for an increased reach and involvement for more youth. In this light, the purpose of this study was to identify and characterize its youth and adult volunteer participants. Through a quantitative study of application data and youth risk/protective outcome surveys at BBBSLC, the following research questions were addressed: (a) what are the characteristics of youth that seek community-based programming; (b) what are the characteristics of adult volunteers that seek to participate in programming; and (c) what are the predictive drivers of youth and adult volunteers that contribute to meaningful and successful community-based matches? Data were collected from youth and adult mentor enrollees from 2018–2023. Results indicated most prevalent descriptors for both adult volunteers and youth enrollees and data variables for predictability of being matched. Implications and recommendations for practice were also included. I have emphasized the importance of these expanded forms of mentoring in conjunction with one-on-one mentoring in order to achieve positive youth outcomes for the greatest number of children.

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2023, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

This study utilized Primary Care Provider (PCP) perspectives to unveil major barriers to prescribing buprenorphine to youth (ages 16-25) with opioid use disorder (OUD). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven PCPs recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Interviews were conducted and recorded via Zoom video conferencing. Transcripts were generated and analyzed for themes using a Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) approach. The CGT of the present study describes four major barriers that limit PCP prescription of buprenorphine to youth: 1) PCPs Feel Overwhelmed, 2) PCPs Feel Ill Equipped to Treat Youth Patients with OUD, 3) PCPs Hold and Observe Stigma toward Patients with OUD—Especially Youth, and 4) Structural and Systemic Barriers. Each major barrier consists of related subcategories and sub-subcategories. Findings offer stakeholders suggestions for targeting individual, relational, clinical, and systemic level changes to increase primary care access to buprenorphine for youth ages 16-25.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2023, Leadership and Change

This study is aimed at understanding how youth leadership development programs can be more inclusive and promote a broader range of leadership values, qualities, and behaviors by focusing on young people who have been disaffected by leadership development programs. The study design was intended to provide a creative space for youth to engage in meaningful conversations about their evolving concepts and expectations of leadership. Using critical youth participatory action research to engage a group of youth, cohort members co-created a new youth leadership development program while addressing their identified challenges and needs. Findings from this study highlight the importance of adults in youth programs and provide insights toward an ecosystem approach to youth leadership development. Practitioners, funders, and community leaders can create more inclusive and meaningful youth development opportunities and programs by understanding the youth program's ecosystem. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu/) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Social Work

As result of unjust social inequalities, youth of color who live in economically disadvantaged urban communities are disproportionately confronted with risk factors. Because of their lived reality, this youth population is often recognized as being socially vulnerable and at-risk for experiencing behavioral health problems. To prevent the onset of and/or adherence to behavioral health problems, social work scholars and practitioners have begun to utilize community sport-based positive youth development (PYD) programs. These programs aim to promote the development and transfer of life skills that help to prevent behavioral health problems. While previous research has demonstrated youth that who are socially vulnerable and at-risk benefit the greatest from participation in these program; much remains unknown about the mechanisms and factors that contribute to life skill development and transfer. The current study the explored mechanisms and factors that contribute to the two interconnected, yet distinct processes of life skill development and life skill transfer. Using the Life Skills Transfer Model as guiding framework, this study explored the lived experiences of socially vulnerable and at-risk youth who participated in a community sport-based PYD program. Specifically, youth included in the study participated in the LiFEsports Summer Camp program, completed pretest and posttest surveys, entered the program with lower than average levels of life skills, and demonstrated growth in life skill measures from pre- to post-program. The final sample of youth participants included 7 boys and 6 girls, most identified as Black or African American (92.3%), were on average 11.08 years old, and 46.2% of youth fell within 100% of the poverty line. The study was conducted in two parts, using two different methods. Part I used semi-structured interviews to explore life skill development (Aim I). Part II used photo-elicitation interviews to explore life skill transfer (Aim II) (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2016, College of Education

This study explores youth perceptions on youth leadership development programs (YLDP) in urban Baptist churches. Understanding youth perceptions is a primary source for information that is generally overlooked. Ultimately, this study provides a rubric for YLDP's. The research question addressed what youth perceived as effective and ineffective practices of YLPD's. Data was collected from interviews and focus groups with youth. The data generated seven themes: (a) communication (b) preparation (c) learning (d) helping (e) encouragement (f) friendship (g) fun. The findings of this study concluded that youth valued communication as a primary source for leadership growth. Youth felt that the YLDP prepared them in terms of growth and guidance in their personal development. The concept of learning was expressed by the youth as a key component of the YLDP. Youth also identified how they received encouragement to strive for excellence from participating in the YLDP. The idea of having fun was strongly shared by the youth, and was a primary factor expressed. A primary reason youth expressed for participating in the YLDP was friendship. The results are aligned with literature which identifies the importance of communication in reference to youth voice, personal development, and the important role of youth and adult partnerships.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2010, Arts and Sciences : Political Science

Despite historically low turnout rates youth showed up in the 2004 presidential election at a rate 13 percent higher than in the 2000 presidential election. This study explores the factors related to the increase in turnout specifically in terms of mobilization in the form of political ads through a comparison of political ads sponsored by candidates, parties and interest groups in 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. The findings indicate that in the 2004 presidential election youth issues were given greater attention than in 2000. This increase in activity towards youth issues was associated with an increase in youth interest in the election and thus an increase in youth turnout.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, Womens Studies

Throughout the 1990s in the United States, a series of suburban school shootings perpetrated by young, white males disrupted contemporary perceptions of American youth, often a population configured in terms of ideal whiteness. In conjunction with sensationalized media coverage of school shootings, various fictional portrayals of suburban youth violence also emerged throughout this period as what Henry Giroux has called “public pedagogy” that served to further influence national perceptions of youth. In this body of film, television and literary narratives, school violence is often related to other national concerns surrounding American youth identity such as deviant sexuality and teen pregnancy. While a good deal of scholarly attention has focused on popular representations of education and youth generally, little has been written about these specific fictionalizations of school shootings and what they signify. This dissertation offers a feminist, discursive analysis of these fictional narratives of suburban school violence and argues that rampage violence narratives are intricately connected to national anxieties regarding youth, citizenship, threats to white masculinity, and American identity. In order to illustrate the complexities of themes present across popular culture mediums, my research delves into the purpose of the narratives and what they signify about contemporary American youth identity. Thus, my dissertation will explore representations of youth violence from a variety of angles that prioritize intertextual connections. Specifically, I offer a comparative analysis of portrayals of urban versus suburban school violence, explore the creation of gay male shooters as protagonists, and analyze fictional female shooter characters and teen pregnancy storylines. As well, my dissertation examines the genre phenomenon of young adult novels portraying school violence in order to place these novels in dialogue with other “adult” narratives. Throughout my dissert (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership

Social capital theory has been studied for decades; one perspective is it's the attainment of resources through collective action. Volunteerism connects to social capital where social responsibility is derived, and volunteering opportunities can develop a network. The Community Capitals Framework (CCF) is a framework that assesses seven different types of capital, with social capital being the initiating factor for the CCF outcomes. Through a qualitative approach using narrative inquiry, nine participants of six youth-serving organizations described their connections with youth and community. A total of 72 themes emerged and seven categories were formed from these themes including; opportunities (it's the intersection of experience and exposure where this intersection creates possibilities.), connections (the linkage between two people where volunteers build relationships and capacity for youth.), environment (the place to belong where spaces are cultivated to serve and empower youth as well as consisting of constructive factors for youth building agency, autonomy, and meeting physical needs.), social responsibility (The responsibility of the volunteer is to be a good community member and showing up for the youth, by leading, guiding, and educating.), growth and development (youth and volunteers learning together.), trust (innately present and integrated), and self-efficacy (the outcome of how to navigate the world). Key findings defined themselves as reflective, community shaping and building, growth, purposeful, authentic, and safe. The findings led to a call for improved diversity and representation efforts amongst volunteering for youth, the bridging between youth and high-level leadership, and a space for youth to just be and exist. This research describes non-familial adult volunteer's connections with youth and community. Recommendations for research are to examine if we help youth feel safe, do we cultivate safe spaces for youth, and, how can we increase n (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

In this practical action research, I utilized the mixed-method approach to identify ways, approached, and methods of church-based mentoring that improves youth engagement for the good of the church, community, and youth development. Based upon the findings in this study, an action plan was devised wherein the church-based youth mentoring program will utilize consistency, communication, and support (being supportive) as the core of the mentoring program's structure. It is anticipated that this will improve youth engagement in the mentoring program and church. Implications and directions for future research that stem from my study will be to continue researching ways to close the gap in youth participation and attendance within the church.

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2021, Sport Management

Sport specialization has become a growing trend in youth athletics, leading many athletes to stray away from competing in multiple sports and instead have a singular focus in one discipline. Research shows reasoning behind specialization include an early start, deliberate practice, pursuit of college athletic scholarships, and an increased skill-level. However, research also indicates that specialization can predispose athletes to a greater risk of physical injury, mental health issues, and has also led to the growth of youth sport business from both a commercial and family financial standpoint. Sport specialization can help an athlete improve skills in there chosen sport but in many cases it is more detrimental than advantageous to an athlete's career than an alternative path, such as sport sampling.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

This dissertation, co-conducted with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP), investigates youth leadership in youth advisory structures (YAS) in three papers. Each paper contributes to an understanding of how and why young people are involved as advisors on issues germane to them. The first paper is a review of scholarly research on YAS in the United States. The review found that while the use of YAS is increasing, YAS vary widely in format and research offers little information about their processes or engagement of youth. However, most YAS partner with marginalized youth to inform health research and programming. This review provides recommendations for best practices and informs the discussion of the following two papers. The second paper is an open source published study with the YCSP (Haddad et al., 2020), which serves as a case example of how participatory projects are carried out within YAS. The abstract is as follows: “Suicide is a prevalent health issue for youth and understanding youth experiences is critical for the development of effective prevention strategies. Although youth perceptions regarding suicide are relatively well studied, there is a paucity of youth voices in the planning, design, facilitation, and implementation of suicide prevention research. This study examines youth perceptions of suicide prevention through a community-academic partnership with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP). Working together as co-researchers, the YCSP conducted a modified Group Level Assessment with over 200 youth to understand youth perspectives on suicide prevention. The findings were used by the council to inform outreach and prevention activities that directly affect YCSP members and their peers” (Haddad et al., 2020, p. 1). The third paper is a participatory study with the YCSP that explores the personal and professional impact and meaning of their experiences as council members for suicide prevention. YCSP members were involved in (open full item for complete abstract)

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2019, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

Can environmental youth leaders affect meaningful positive change in the global fight to reign in climate change? While the academic literature contains a vast array of youth leadership materials, there is a gap in the research of the effect environmental youth leadership programs have at the community level, and specifically how these effects can contribute to environmental sustainability of that community, region, or country. This mixed methods qualitative study narrows this gap by employing grounded theory and narrative analysis to determine how five Bangladeshi environmental youth leaders understand their role in influencing their school and communities' efforts to adapt to and reduce their contribution to climate change. The purposes of this study are to: (a) describe and understand the experiences of five Bangladeshi environmental youth leaders as they engaged in participatory social engagement as Participant Action Researchers (PARs) during their environmental youth leadership roles (b) understand the conditions necessary for these five environmental youth leaders to experience success in their leadership positions; (c) define environmental youth leadership and environmental youth leaders in this Bangladeshi context; (d) explore environmental youth leadership as an educative process that can facilitate widespread environmental literacy and engagement in Bangladesh, and throughout the world and; (e) contribute a new grounded theory analysis to environmental youth leadership theory. The findings of this study reveal that certain conditions need to be present for these five environmental youth leaders in Bangladesh to experience success in their roles. These conditions include the ability to `convince' others, the presence of other youth to support them, and the experience of individual transformation in worldview and character brought about by the development of an environmental consciousness and pro-environmental behavior. These findings might be valuabl (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

This dissertation explores how the first generation of white and Somali youth coming of age together in the context of a historically white Maine town—and its everyday commitment to a post-racial and multicultural life in the midst of active racist differentiation—make meaning of their past, present, and future selves. The analysis is based upon six months of research with youth in Lewiston, Maine, a predominantly white town with no prior enduring Black population, nor visible or cohesive racial minority population, until the arrival of ethnic Somali secondary migrants in 2001 and Somali Bantus in 2005. I examine youth narratives about their own and others' everyday social practices to ask: What role do gender and sexuality play in the formation and negotiation of racialized Muslim identities for black youth of African-origin families, and how are gender and sexuality central to the maintenance of dominant whiteness, racial segregation, and racialized ethnic distinctions in the non-metro U.S.? This project contextualizes the dynamics of youth racialization and identity formation through a focus on the enduring white liberal response, particularly the fantasy of multiculturalism, to rapid racial change in the still overwhelmingly white Lewiston. Integrating insights from feminist and queer of color scholars who have enumerated the complex ways that racial-ethnic and religious formations are not only expressed through gendered and sexualized practices, but are idealized through normative scripts of gender and sexuality, I explore how contemporary racializations of Muslim youth influence shifting black racial formations in the U.S. That is, I argue that Somali youth in Lewiston must reckon with dominant gender and sexual discourses that continually (re)produce the abnormally repressed and failed (hetero)sexuality of the (hyper)patriarchal Muslim male and the sexually oppressed Muslim female, figures that run up against hyper(hetero)sexualized blackness in the U.S. T (open full item for complete abstract)

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

After years of decline, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of youth who report seriously considering suicide or making a suicide plan (Kann et al., 2016) and those who have died by suicide (CDC, 2016). As of 2014, suicide moved from being the third leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24 to being the second leading cause of death (CDC, 2014). Public strategies and funding to prevent suicide have increased; however, the effectiveness of existing strategies varies, especially in regard to youth help-seeking behaviors, problem-solving, and treatment engagement and utilization. Although youth are among the primary targets of suicide prevention strategies, they have largely been excluded from prevention efforts except as passive participants in programs and research studies. Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is a collaborative approach to research that engages youth and academics as equal partners, and aims to build youth potential for being intentional agents of change for issues that directly affect them and their peers (Cammarota & Fine, 2008). The current study utilized YPAR within an integrated social ecological and positive youth development theoretical framework as an adolescent suicide prevention strategy in Cincinnati, Ohio. Multiple methods were used to determine the usability of YPAR as an innovative approach for building youth development, to explore youth experiences with YPAR for suicide prevention, and to understand youth capacity for conducting suicide prevention research. Findings revealed that confidence gained through YPAR processes contributed to important changes in individual youth development, which then fostered group development and positive perceptions of their capacity to work collectively to address adolescent suicide amongst themselves and with their peer group. The findings have important implications for understanding key processes within YPAR that lead to individual and group development, and where in the YP (open full item for complete abstract)

BA, Oberlin College, 2015, Comparative American Studies

This paper provides an overview of the resources that exist for LGBTQ youth in the Cleveland area and uses the Queers and Allies Club at Oberlin High School (Oberlin, OH) as a case study in community formation among teenagers who identify as LGBTQ or as an ally to the LGBTQ community. Each chapter addresses potential sources of support, including schools, national organizations, and the Internet while presenting opportunities for improvement in each realm, demonstrating that while some LGBTQ youth resources exist, they are designed for youth in urban areas, leaving students in non-urban communities without access to community or information.

MA, Kent State University, 2013, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purposes of the present study were two-fold: 1.) to empirically validate a conceptualization of predictors of parent-child connectedness, and 2.) to examine the parent-child relationship as a context for fostering positive youth development. The sample for this study included 913, 10-14 year old adolescents from Wave I and Wave II of the public use data from the Adolescent Health dataset. Adolescents in this sample answered survey questions conducted in the In-Home Questionnaires and the In-School Questionnaires. Pearson correlations, multiple regression analysis, and backward elimination models were conducted to examine predictors of parent-child connectedness and the parent-child relationship as a context for predicting positive youth development. Findings indicate that climate of trust and time spent together are statistically significantly positively related to parent-child connectedness. Parent-child connectedness is statistically significant and positively related to character, confidence, and connection two years later. Climate of trust and time spent together are statistically significant and positively related to the positive youth development elements: character, confidence, and connection.

PHD, Kent State University, 2010, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences

The purpose of this study was to descriptively explore transition-aged youth in state vocational rehabilitation (VR) and to determine if predictor variables could be identified for successful employment outcomes. In addition, public assistance and supported employment services were also analyzed for predictive value. The participants of this study included 3,215 vocational rehabilitation consumers who were referred prior to age 23 and were closed in fiscal year 2006 after a rehabilitation plan was initiated. At closure, more than half the participants were closed successfully in competitive employment. The majority were working in service, clerical and sales, or professional/technical/managerial positions after receiving VR services focused on understanding the consumer's needs and creating appropriate plans (guidance and assessment), preparing for a job (college and miscellaneous training), obtaining a job (job search, placement, transportation) and then retaining employment (on the job supports). In addition, Supplemental Security Income recipients and consumers receiving non-Title IV funded supported employment services were less likely to be employed at case closure. Implications for transition and rehabilitation practice include: the necessity of specific training for VR counselors working with the transition population; the higher rate of success through services such as diagnostics, vocational guidance, further training, and placement; and more attention to populations who are at risk or may be more effectively served in appropriate group settings such as those with cognitive or emotional disorders.