Skip to Main Content
Home Class Act Conference on disability and diversity included presentation by UH West Oʻahu student

Conference on disability and diversity included presentation by UH West Oʻahu student

-

Image courtesy of Pexels/August de Richelieu

University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu student Andrea Alexander was selected to share her presentation on the African-American foundations of family engagement in education at a recent international conference on disability and diversity.

The virtual 36th annual Pacific Rim International Conference On Disability & Diversity featured dozens of guest speakers including Alexander, whose presentation on Feb. 27 via Zoom was titled, “Brilliant By Way of Black: The African-American Foundations of Family Engagement in Education.”

Andrea Alexander
Andrea Alexander

“I was extremely happy and very grateful when my submission was accepted, as it was a competitive process,” said Alexander, a sociology major at UH West Oʻahu. Alexander is also the Family, School & Community Liaison with the Hawaiʻi Statewide Family Engagement Center and the Project Coordinator of the Jobs Now Partnership Project with the Center on Disability Studies (CDS) at UH Mānoa.

Hosted by the CDS, College of Education, UH Mānoa since 1988, Pac Rim has evolved into an international conference that has welcomed thousands of presenters and attendees from across Hawaiʻi, the nation, and the world, according to the Pac Rim website.

The focus and purpose of Alexander’s presentation was to highlight and showcase the historical foundation, contribution, and legacy of African-Americans in the realm of ‘Family Engagement in Education,’ she said.

The main premise of family engagement is that it is applied as an equity and learning strategy for promoting student achievement, she said.

“As family engagement has emerged as a cornerstone of promising practice, it is important to demonstrate that the African-American community has a vast fund of knowledge in this area that developed organically and spans centuries,” Alexander said.

She continued, “As the United States struggles for solutions in educating children under the grip of a pandemic and widespread social unrest, this presentation was intended to show that there are many solutions and strategies available to be sourced as developed by the African-American community with great and enduring success, particularly at the intersections of race, class, and socio-political challenges.”

Alexander’s presentation represents some of the exceptional student research that UH West Oʻahu helps develop. The abstract for her presentation came directly from a research paper she wrote during the Fall 2020 semester in an English 200 course taught by UH West Oʻahu adjunct lecturer Aimee Takaki.

“Most of the proposals in this conference come from long-standing professionals, veteran practitioners, and doctorate-level applicants,” Alexander noted. “I am very proud of the work I was able to produce as a result of the support and guidance of Aimee Takaki.”

“Takaki allowed the space for the freedom of ideas and development, which provided the foundation for me to be able to explore this concept that was close to my heart and my work,” Alexander said. “She will always be a part of the success of this presentation.”

Takaki said she was “super stoked” for Alexander and her participation in the conference, also noting that Alexander is a full-time student who holds down a full-time job, as well as mothering and spousal responsibilities.

“Andrea puts her best effort in all her work,” Takaki said.

Takaki added that she appreciates Alexander’s willingness to think beyond the course.

“She applied concepts and skills nurtured in my class in her academic and professional endeavors separate from what was required, a testament to her abilities and admirable work ethic,” Takaki said. “I enjoyed working with Andrea last semester and am extremely proud of her success. We will continue to see her make great strides.”

Image courtesy of Andrea Alexander

Image courtesy of Pexels/August de Richelieu