Student Funding Spotlight: Gastwirth Graduate Fellowship Program

This year, the Graduate College has re-launched the Gaswirth Graduate Student Loan Fellowship Program as an opportunity for doctoral students with an intention to pursue full-time employment for the betterment of sciences and humanities at an institution of higher education, non-profit organization or governmental agency. We are pleased to highlight a Spring 2021 recipient here in this "Student Spotlight".

There's still time to apply for the Gastwirth Graduate College Fellowship Program for the 2021-2022 academic year. 

Submit your application by March 31, 2021

Student Spotlight: Kalah Villagrana

Hometown: Rockford, Illinois

ASU Degree Program: Social Work PhD, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions

Year in program: 3rd Year

Faculty Chair/Mentor: Dr. Cynthia Lietz

Tell us briefly about the research you are conducting here at ASU:

My research primarily focuses on interprofessional and interagency collaboration between child welfare agencies and other systems, the educational well-being of children and youth involved in the child welfare system, and child welfare intervention research. Children and youth in foster care experience largely poor educational outcomes, including lower high school and college graduation rates than the general student population. Several systems and professionals hold responsibility for supporting the educational well-being of these children, however, little is known about the collaboration and coordination between these professionals. I plan to conduct a mixed-methods dissertation study aiming to explore the elements that child welfare and school professionals perceive as necessary to foster effective interprofessional collaboration when working to advance K-12 educational well-being for children and youth in foster care. I plan to conduct primary data collection through surveys, focus groups, and interviews with child welfare and school professionals.

What has been the most valuable or impactful part of your ASU graduate student experience so far?

I have been blessed to have many valuable research experiences and support from faculty and staff during my time at ASU. One of the most impactful learning experiences that solidified my interest in intervention research was being a research team member on the Interagency Pregnancy and Parenting Assistance Council, funded by The Office of Populations Affairs’ Pregnancy Assistance Fund. This county-wide intervention aimed to support young people who are pregnant or parenting and have a history of child welfare or juvenile justice involvement. I helped to develop instruments and protocols, facilitate focus groups, collect pre-test/post-test data, and analyze and disseminate results. I am leading the analysis and writing of two qualitative research articles using the community needs assessment data from this project. 

What are your career goals after your doctoral program?

My goal is to obtain a faculty position at an R1 Doctoral University that would allow me to continue pursuing my research interests, teaching courses, and contributing to the greater community. As a social work faculty member, I would be in a position to work across disciplines, conduct applied intervention research, and impact a wide array of professionals and systems that interact with children in the child welfare system. Long-term, I dream of developing a research center dedicated to improving the educational well-being of children involved in the child welfare system and holding an administrative position in a school of social work.  

How does the Gastwirth Program specifically bring value to your education, research, and professional development?

The Gastwirth Graduate Student Loan Fellowship Program has provided great financial support while myself and my husband are both full-time graduate students. This semester, I have been able to focus on my dissertation proposal and further my research activities. I was also provided a professional development stipend which will allow me to attend a workshop on developing and writing a mixed methods dissertation. The program also gives opportunities to engage with other doctoral scholars from across disciplines.