Albert’s Story

I found an academic home in the Cultural Studies in Education program of the department of C&I at UT. In this program home I was given tremendous opportunity and latitude to craft a fitting plan of study to develop the content knowledge and gain a grasp of research methodology that would support my interests. Additionally, I was also welcomed to tap the wealth of human resources with regard to the range of faculty perspectives and experiences to consider and confront challenging topics related to our field and my own unique research questions. Although I had chair/advisor, I truly felt that I had several positive faculty mentors that wanted me to be successful. One of the most fulfilling aspects of my doctoral studies in the department of C&I was that I was often encouraged to make my studies relevant to the local and greater communities outside the university.

Why UT?

I was initially attracted to the department of Curriculum & Instruction at UT Austin because I shared similar research interests with some the faculty. Before entering my doctoral program at UT-Austin, I was working to complete a master’s thesis project while working as a graduate assistant coach for the athletic department of Purdue University. Through that project I was drawn to an interesting body of work of one of the faculty members, Dr. Louis Harrison, in UT’s department of C&I. It appeared to be quite evident to me through our correspondence that Dr. Harrison was not only interested in the direction for which I wanted to pursue research, but equally interested in nurturing me to become a competent and productive scholar.

Life After UT

After completing my doctoral degree, I accepted a tenure-track position as an Assistant Professor of Student Affairs in the College of Education at Kansas State University. My primary appointment is in the program of Student Services in Intercollegiate Athletics, which offers me a great opportunity to continue my research on the intersections of race, sport culture and education while teaching courses on issues related specifically to student athlete populations and their development.

Advice for Students

The process of a graduate education can be challenging for many students, myself included. I believe that it can be easy to retreat to our individual silos with an illusion that one can dodge particular challenges and just get through the process on their own. So my advice to all current students and any prospective students is to ask many questions and engage the faculty at every step along the way. Always keep faculty abreast of your research interests so that they are aware and can help to develop your interests and courses in meaningful ways that are productive to your goals. The faculty members in my former department of Cultural Studies in Education are excellent scholars and mentors; thus it is imperative to employ them as a resource to one’s education.