Department's Website: Instructional Technology
Jabari Cain, a native of Lansing, Michigan, is currently a first year doctoral student in the field of Instructional Technology. Mr. Cain holds a Bachelors of Science in elementary education from Florida A&M University and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa in educational technology. Jabari's research interests involve technology usage amongst African-Americans, pre-service teachers, and veteran teachers. After completing his doctoral degree, Jabari would like to teach at a historically black college or university. Go Rattlers!!!

Department's Website: Educational Psychology
Hailing from America's finest city, San Diego, California, Tehia Venise Starker is a doctoral student in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Cognition, Learning, and Development. She pursued her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education at Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida. From there, she substitute taught in Rochester, New York, as well as taught 2nd grade in Daytona Beach, Florida. She then moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa to pursue a Master's Degree in Educational Technology. Soon thereafter, she then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska to pursue a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. Miss Starker's research interests include preservice teacher's efficacy to teach in diverse learning environments, and culturally responsive teaching (pedagogy). Tehia's plans after graduation are to move away from the Midwest, teach at a university for a few years, then return to a (HBCU) Historically Black College or University to teach preservice teachers. Alternate plans are to work for a state or national department of education. Tehia is an active participant in her community. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and volunteers weekly at a local elementary school. In her spare time, Tehia enjoys traveling and organizing social events.

Department's Website: Mathematics
Raegan J.Higgins, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is currently a doctoral student in mathematics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Master of Science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in mathematics. Raegan's research interests include time scale analysis and differential and difference equations. In addition to being a professor at a liberal arts institution, she would like to develop mathematics curriculum for secondary education.

Department's Website: School Psychology April D. Turner, a native of North Carolina, obtained her bachelor's degree in psychology from Hampton University. Currently, she is pursuing her doctoral degree in school psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. April's research interests include developing more effective methods for identifying students for special education services, assisting in the implementation of the Response-to-Intervention project and assisting teachers identify effective strategies for teaching early literacy skills. Outside of her coursework, April enjoys spending time with friends, shopping and wedding planning. In the future, April plans to work as an educational psychology consultant in an urban school district. FurthermoreApril plans to write grants for the implementation of reading enrichment programs in elementary schools.

Department's Website: Mathematics Education
Yolanda Antoinette Rolle, a native of Nassau Bahamas, is currently a doctoral student in Mathematics Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Mathematics, all of which were earned at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Yolanda's research interests revolve around helping students who struggle with Mathematics. She calls this area of research "Interventive" Mathematics Education. Her primary concern is to better prepare Mathematics Teachers to assist students who are weaker in mathematics; in hope to "save" our children from low achievement in Mathematics. Immediately upon graduation, Yolanda will be seeking a tenure-track position in Mathematics Education at a Research One Institution. At some point in the future however Yolanda will return to her native country and assist in its educational development. Among her many hobbies include: watching sports, reading and thinking!

Department's Website: Mathematics
Christina Eubanks-Turner, born and raised in New Orleans, is currently a doctoral candidate in mathematics with a concentration in commutative algebra at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in mathematics with a minor in art and a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Christina's research interests include Field theory and Cryptography. When she is not working on coursework, Christina enjoys spending time with her husband and three year old daughter, Amari. After graduation, Christina plans to seek a full-time tenure track position where she can not only continue research, but also help develop grants that will positively impact math curriculum in urban school districts.

Department's Website: Law
Ti'era M. Johnson, born in Omaha, and raised in Houston, Texas, is currently a first year law student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College in Atlanta Georgia in English with a minor in writing. When she is not working on coursework, Ti'era enjoys traveling, writing/reading poetry, and spending time with family and friends. After graduation, Ti'era plans to practice entertainment law and dedicate her spare time to public interest projects.

Department's Website: Family and Consumer Sciences
Toni Hill-Menson recently returned to school after more than fifteen years working in the field as a social worker focused on child welfare and child protection issues. She has worked in Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota in various child-focused programs including child protection, therapeutic foster care, foster care licensure, child placement, and training. Ms. Hill-Menson is a native of Omaha, Nebraska. She received both her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Ms. Hill-Menson is returning home to Nebraska after six years living in the St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota area where she developed statewide training programs for county and tribal social workers. In 2002, Ms Hill-Menson was selected to represent Rotary International as part of their Group Study Exchange program and traveled to South Africa for five weeks consulting with other social workers. This is Ms. Hill-Menson's first semester in the Ph.D. program in the College of Education and Human Sciences. As part of her program in Family and Consumer Sciences, Ms. Hill-Menson plans for examine child abuse prevention issues and programming, kinship care, and paternal issues. After graduation, Ms. Hill-Menson plans to use her education and research to eliminate child abuse and neglect locally, nationally, and internationally.

Department's Website: Educational Psychology & The Women's Center

Sitembile Mujibha (Tabethah Mack) was born in Harlem, New York by way of Abibiman (Afrika). She is presently a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology Program in the Educational Psychology Department. She holds a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and Afrikan and Puerto-Rican studies from Hunter College (City University of New York) and obtained her Master of Arts degree here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tabethah is well known for her extensive community work with many of the local centers, schools, agencies, and organizations. Her research and clinical interests include: Domestic Violence, Afrikan Psychology, Women's Mental Health/Well-Being, and "Multicultural Counseling." When she is not in her scholar-activist role, she embraces her artistic/inner-child genius through reading, dancing, writing, playing ole school video games, watching independent films and communing with nature. Up! on graduation, Tabethah plans to seek a post-doc, in the process of securing licensure while preparing for a full-time position in Community Mental Health and most importantly, Tabethah plans to raise a Beautiful Afrikan Family with a Strong Black Nubian Brother.

Department's Website: Educational Psychology
Deenie Tarver, was born in Chicago, IL, but was raised mainly in Grenada, Mississippi. She recieved her BS in Psychology from Xavier University of Lousiana and her MA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in Counseling Psychology. Deenie completed her year-long internship (2004-2005) at the University of Memphis. Deenie is currently employed as a lecturer in the Counseling Psychology Department in the Department of Educational Psychology. She is completing her dissertation entitled, "An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method Study of Well-Being, Religious Coping, and Service Utilization Patterns of African American Caregivers of ADRD (Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders) Elders. She plans to apply for assistant professor positons in counseling psychology programs for fall 2006 (back in the dirty dirty south). Her research interests are African American Psychology, African American families, prevention-intervention programs for underserved and under-represented populations, culturally competent service delivery and training, career psychology, community partnerships, religious coping, and well-being. She has been active in developing the African American Family Empowerment Summit on UNL's campus. She enjoys spending time with her 4-year-old son Marcus, watching cartoons, playing with toys, collecting African American Barbie dolls, poetry, basketball, and teaching.