Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Graduate Student Advisory Committee

Francisco is a Ph.D. student in Latin American, Iberian, and Luzo-Afro-Brazilian Literatures and Cultures. He holds a M.A. of Arts in Hispanic Studies (Auburn University), a M.A. in Hispanic Studies (Universidad de Cádiz), a B.A. in Spanish Linguistics and Literature (Universidad de Cádiz), and a B.A. in English Linguistics and Literature (Universidad de Cádiz). He is involved in many cultural projects. As a director and founder of METÁFORA, he provides innovative and artistic workshops in Spanish to the Rutgers community. He directs ÍMPETU (www.revistaimpetu.org), a digital literary magazine in which worldwide researchers and artists participate. His research interests include exile and diaspora through a queer and feminist perspective; Spanish Civil War literature; Spanish Peninsular avant-garde theatre; performance and poetic theatre; Experimental Poetry; and Transatlantic Studies.

Eric is a second year PhD student in the Microbial Biology program who is committed to rabble rousing to create more equitable and just conditions for graduate students and society at large. When off duty from ruffling feathers, he can frequently be found baking or watching an inordinate amount romcoms. He's happy to be serving the student body on this advisory committee, and hopes that this collective labor leads to lasting change. 

Ashley Codner is a second-year Ph.D. student in English at Rutgers University with primary research interests in 20th- and 21st-century African American literary, feminist, and sound studies. A former Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021 and majored in English with minors in Consumer Psychology and Jazz & Popular Music. Operating in the pedagogical imperative that Black Studies always be in service of community, Ashley is committed to improving the landscape of graduate education by creating an equitable experience for all students. In addition to her off-campus community work, Ashley is Vice President for the Graduate English Students Association and a former Graduate Mentor for the HLLC-Price Humanities Program at Rutgers–Newark.

Gabriela (she/her) is a third year PhD student in Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese researching how assumptions about a person’s race and whether they are ‘native’ or ‘non-native’ speakers of a language shape listeners’ attitudes. Furthermore, she examines how this type of language stereotyping can lead to language-based discrimination in the workplace, as well as influence employment criteria, thus, disadvantaging multilingual individuals. Gabriela’s anti-bias approach extends past her research into her teaching, in which she adopts an intersectional and equity-oriented lens to advocate for redesigning curricula to make them more inclusive and accessible.

Shannon is a first-year PhD student who is dedicated to making a positive difference through active engagement, discussion, and collaboration to foster an environment that is successful for graduate students in the Rutgers community. As a recent graduate from the University of Miami and an aspiring marine ecologist, she is passionate about combining her love for science with public education and outreach. She believes that it is essential to increase financial opportunities and supportive infrastructures to promote the growth of underrepresented students in higher education.

Zoey Eddy (she/her) is a 2nd year doctoral student in the Social Psychology program. Her research focuses on experiences of multiracial individuals and perceptions of multiracial identity and pathways to reduce racial essentialism (i.e., believing that race is biological and fixed). She is involved in multiple DEI committees, has mentored underrepresented students through the RiSE at Rutgers summer research program, and co-created Rutgers Diversifying Psychology Day.