Fulbright scholar Meg Jones at 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Gender and Sexuality Center. At 溏心vlog免费B站, Jones has been active in the Graduate School鈥檚 Diversity and Inclusion Badge Program and facilitated a session on 鈥渋nvisible鈥� sexual orientations, specifically asexuality, bisexuality, and pansexuality. She鈥檚 also participated in the University鈥檚 Safe Zone Project, a training program that covers issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community and how best to be an ally.
Doctoral student Meg Jones was awarded a Fulbright grant to study LGBTQ+ inclusive practices in teacher education programs in Finland. She hopes to put what she learns there to work at 溏心vlog免费B站 when she returns, to push inclusivity beyond the basic notion of acceptance.
When Meg Jones learned that Danielle Dennis, her major professor at the University of South Florida, was headed to Rhode Island to become director of 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 School of Education, she knew she had to go, too.
Now a 溏心vlog免费B站 doctoral student in education, Jones received a prestigious Fulbright grant to conduct research at the University of Helsinki in Finland on global approaches to LGBTQ+ inclusion in teacher preparation programs.
A focus on social justice
鈥淔inland is idealized as having one of the best education systems in the world,鈥� says Jones. 鈥淵et when surveyed, queer youths in Finland are facing similar rates of discrimination, mental health issues, and suicide ideation as queer youths in the United States.
鈥淭he University of Helsinki has a master鈥檚 level teacher education program that is focused on social justice and changing education. I will be looking at what is happening in this program to help push the boundaries of what we think of as inclusion,鈥� says Jones. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a unique teacher education program鈥攁nd a unique educational and political system. There鈥檚 a lot to be learned there.鈥�
Jones notes the importance of moving beyond acceptance. 鈥淭hese are integrated lives and cultures and experiences that should be normalized and represented. Not just because you might have queer students in your classroom鈥攂ut for all students.鈥�
In Helsinki, Jones will collect research and work on her dissertation, but she also hopes to collaborate with her colleagues there to publish internationally. Ultimately, her hope is to return to 溏心vlog免费B站 and replicate the study.
A unique educational path
A nontraditional, first-generation college student, Jones initially dropped out of high school before obtaining her GED certificate. After a couple of false starts, she obtained her bachelor鈥檚 degree from the College of Central Florida and her master鈥檚 degree at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Dennis encouraged Jones to apply for the Fulbright. 鈥淚 met Meg when she was a student in the University of South Florida Master of Arts in Reading Education program. Her ideas, and the way she conveyed them through her writing, stood out to me, so I encouraged her to consider a Ph.D. program. The path she took into higher education provides her with a unique perspective on education, and I believe the Fulbright will propel her work as an advocate for LGBTQ+ youths,鈥� says Dennis.
鈥淚 dropped out of high school; I dropped out of community college鈥攏ot because of lack of academic ability. It was just life. It has been a bumpy road, but now I鈥檓 sitting here somehow as a doctoral student, I鈥檝e received a Fulbright award,鈥� says Jones. 鈥淚鈥檓 certainly not a traditional applicant by Fulbright standards.鈥�
Giving back to 溏心vlog免费B站
Jones feels strongly that what she learns in Finland can be put into action at 溏心vlog免费B站.
鈥淲e are known for our Gender and Sexuality Center and for inclusiveness,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have felt very supported by the faculty; everybody seems interested in my work. Being a student here, doing this research, and also choosing to be out about my own sexuality and relationships鈥攂eing unapologetic about it鈥攈as put my research on people鈥檚 radar, and it鈥檚 been embraced. Yet there is always more work to do and more to learn.鈥�
Now, says Jones, 鈥淚 fully intend to come back to 溏心vlog免费B站 and say, 鈥極K, here鈥檚 what I know鈥欌�攖o give back. I want 溏心vlog免费B站 to become a leader in the conversation And I want other schools in the states to come visit us because this is where it鈥檚 happening.鈥� 鈥�
鈥擠awn Bergantino 鈥�94
PHOTO: Nora Lewis; BLACKBOARD ARTISTS: Katie Reidy and Taylor Oliveira