Research Staff and Mentees – Alumni
- Former graduate students
- Former undergraduate students
Former Graduate Students
Former Deputy Director of the RESET and HEPP research teams, Dr. Samantha Nix graduated with a Ph.D. in Higher Education at Florida State University (FSU) in Spring 2018. Her dissertation research was funded through an NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship and a P.E.O. Scholar Award. While in graduate school, she served as a research assistant on projects measuring participation in science and math fields, institutional policy development, and college student success. Her previous professional work includes coordinating the FSU Certificate in Institutional Research and the FSU Women in Math, Science, and Engineering Living Learning Community. She currently serves as the FSU Early Alert Program Coordinator, a faculty position in the Division of Undergraduate Affairs.
Former Graduate Advisee & Research Assistant • Ph.D. • Higher Education • Website • CV
Kirby Thomas completed her PhD in Sociology at Florida State University and served as a research assistant under Dr. Lara Perez-Felkner in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She received her Master of Science in Sociology in Fall 2012 from Florida State University. Kirby’s research interests include sociology of education and sociology of law/criminal justice. Her dissertation uses growth curves to examine the effects of parental incarceration on health during the transition to adulthood. Other projects submitted for publication include examining political and economic determinants of state-level teacher pay legislation and the effect of college type on gender and racial gaps in STEM degrees. Kirby was nominated for a University Teaching Award in Fall 2012, and has assumed several leadership roles such as serving as president of the Sociology Graduate Student Union in Spring 2014 and as the mentor coordinator for new graduate students in Fall 2014. She is now an educational policy analyst at the Florida Department of Education.
Former Graduate Research Assistant • Ph.D. • Sociology
Kaitlyn Gore is a master’s student in the FSU Higher Education program. She serves as the graduate assistant for the FSU Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life where she advises the Multicultural Greek Council and Panhellenic Association executive boards. She has also served as an intern for the FSU Multicultural Leadership Summit, V-rak-ke-ce-tv Cultural Graduation, the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and as a research intern on a project examining Latina identity. Kaitlyn is interested in examining issues of fraternity/sorority membership and identity development as well as gender and ethnicity. Before arriving at FSU, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature from New York University.
Master’s Student • Higher Education • LinkedIn • Resume
Former Undergraduate Students (2014-current)
- Mitchell D’Sa (B.S., M.S., Economics, FSU)
- Jordan Hopkins (B.S., Statistics, FSU)
- Melissa Magalhaes (B.A., International Affairs, FSU; now a Masters’ student in International Relations)
- Richea Osei (B.A., International Affairs, FSU)
- Valeria Rigobon (B.A., International Affairs, FSU; now a Ph.D. student in Psychology)
- Devin Sapp (B.A., Psychology, FSU; now a Masters’ student in Psychology)
Lara Perez-Felkner, Ph.D. 