Pondering pedagogical possibilities?

Joey D.

I am currently a PhD student in a program in the social and cultural foundations of education. I will be finishing up coursework in the Fall 2026 semester, and become more engaged in my dissertation exploring how ethno-epistemology can be integrated into curriculum and pedagogy in furthering decolonizing efforts.

Throughout the numerous occupations I’ve held over the years, tutoring was, and still is my favorite. At the beginning of my senior year for my undergraduate psychology program, I was recommended on behalf of my Physiological Psychology Professor to apply for a tutoring position at UNC-Pembroke’s Center for Student Success. Initially, I tutored mostly Statistics, Introduction to Psychology, and Physiological Psychology. However, after my tutees started substantially improving their academic performance, my tutoring repertoire broaden to include such courses as Research Methodology, Personality Theories, Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Cultural Anthropology, Sociological Theory, and Cognitive Psychology. I love both learning and teaching equally, which is the reason tutoring is my favorite job ever; I have the opportunity to both learn and teach.

I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from UNC-Pembroke, summa cum laude. I have a Master of Legal Studies with a concentration in Criminal Law from Drexel University, and I am currently enrolled in a PhD program in Educational Studies with a concentration in Cultural Foundations at UNC-Greensboro. My senior thesis was Creativity Enhancing Performance on Dual-Task Tests, which examined connections and interactions between various subtypes of creativity and cognitive processes.