As part of the Global Voices Spotlight Series, Tianyi Kou-Herrema (MSU Ph.D. candidate in German Studies), two MSU Ph.D. students and one MSU alumni (graduated Ph.D.) discussed their research and experiences in the field of education. Aliya Bizhanova, Aanchal Gidra, and Dr. Jainisha Chavda (who joined online) shared insights into their academic journeys, focusing on topics such as international education policy, youth experiences in schooling, and teacher development. They highlighted their collaborations with MSU faculty and international partners, as well as their aspirations to make meaningful contributions to youth well-being through research, teaching, and mentorship. The interview also touched upon their plans post-graduation and offered valuable advice for international students pursuing higher education.
February 8, 2024
Abridged transcription of Tianyi's interview with Aliya Bizhanova, Aanchal Gidra, and Dr. Jainisha Chavda.
Tianyi: Hello, and welcome to the Global Voices Spotlight Series. My name is Tianyi Kou-Herrema and I’m a Ph.D. candidate in German Studies at Michigan State University
Today I will be interviewing three fellow Spartans who work in the field of education: Aliya Bizhanova, Ph.D. student in Education Policy in the College of Education, Aanchal Gidra, Ph.D. student in Education Policy in the Department of Educational Administration, and joining us virtually, Jainisha Chavda, Ph.D. GRIP Lab Research Associate at the University of Michigan.
Can you tell us more about yourselves? How did you decide to come to MSU, and what inspired you to focus on youth-related issues for your doctoral research, teaching, and learning?
Aliya: My research interests lie around international and comparative education policy, teacher labor markets and teacher policies, youth and mentorship, and global partnerships. The decision to pursue a career in education policy was heavily influenced by my school teachers and mentors who had an enormous impact on me as a student and scholar. For the teaching and learning at MSU, I appreciate and value opportunities to influence undergraduate students who are at early stages of their education and career to pursue teaching careers.
Aanchal: My research interests are concentrated in the areas of International and Comparative Education, and mostly focuses on South Asia. My work has primarily focused on how youth experience schooling, parental involvement in education, and teacher policy. I worked as a teacher for over 4 years before moving to work on education policy in low and middle income countries.
MSU College of Education has one of the most vibrant international education focuses in the country, and what really stands out is the collaborations and intentionality behind programs that the school values. It also has one of the best Education Policy programs in the country, with faculty that care about your growth and learning.
Dr. Chavda: I gained my Ph.D. in Education Policy from Michigan State University about two years ago. I worked in India on international development projects in different areas, but there was one underlying theme I kept coming back to which was secondary education. I realized that the secondary education in India was not always of a high quality, which limits diverse work opportunities there. MSU’s Ph.D. program in Education Policy has a strong international focus in India, so it was a solid match.
Tianyi: I would like to hear more about your research. What do you do here academically?
Aliya: I am leading an effort between MSU and Kazakhstani future educators for a program called MSU KZ Teacher Buddy program where I work with Dr. Alyssa Morley and a number of MSU and Kazakhstani future teachers to develop their global competencies. I value the opportunity to invest in youth through multicultural education.
Aanchal: When I moved here, my advisor Dr. Amita Chudgar, with colleagues Dr. Kendall and Dr. Luschei, had a multicountry project on the relevance of youth experiences in schooling in three low- and middle-income countries. I have been involved with different aspects of the project over the past two years, and it has also given me the opportunity to substantively be involved in a project in my home country.
Dr. Chavda: I had an excellent experience at MSU, taking advantage of as many opportunities and courses across departments as I could. Because of MSU’s international focus, these courses allowed me to meet people from different countries and backgrounds and learn from their experiences.
Tianyi: How do you envision your research influencing future scholarship or interventions aimed at supporting youth well-being?
Aliya: In my work, I emphasize critical perspectives to question power inequalities, which includes student agency and student voice, particularly listening to the specific needs of youth. I also emphasize mentorship in many different forms, such as helping youth develop 21st century skills. These include global competencies and cross-cultural communication skills. That is why I love leading this Teacher Buddy program as well as other student-led opportunities at MSU such as RCAH Cultures and Languages across Curriculum program, where I worked with MSU Undergraduate students to develop a student-led course on Russian language and cultures.
Aanchal: I want to understand how youth experience schooling, particularly through the role of gender. For example, how do young boys and girls experience schooling differently? And how do they interact with out-of-school factors? I have also been doing the Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Teaching fellowship, which is training me to make undergraduate teaching more holistic.
Dr. Chavda: I worked on several projects on youth and education at MSU, one of which was studying experiences of secondary education students in 3 countries. The other project was trying to understand the transition for students between primary and secondary education in India. I also worked with my advisor, Dr. Amita Chudgar, to analyze youth essays from African countries collected by the Global Youth Advancement Network to understand what youth voices are compared to what youth global policy discourses are, and what similarities and disconnects exist between the two. For more details, you can explore our paper titled “Listening to youth voices: Text analysis of youth essays about their communities and concerns”.
Tianyi: What are your plans after you complete your PhD? Do you plan to work on youth related issues? In the US, back home, or somewhere else?
Aliya: I plan to continue my work, research and teaching in the areas of teacher policies, and mentorship opportunities and youth development. I hope to continue to build cross cultural bridges between MSU and the Central Asian region. Central Asia has a high number of young people and is a promising place to develop and invest in youth and youth led initiatives.
Aanchal: I plan to continue working in the International Education context, and want to focus my work on how parents' education decisions for children and also youth who are between 14-18 years of age interact with the out of school education systems in India.
Dr. Chavda: I am working at the GRIP Lab supporting a project for the professional development of teachers in different countries. A lot of my work previously was based on student life and experiences, but now I am intimately looking at the work of teachers and learning from them. I’d like to connect this with student experiences to find out how we can involve students in teacher training and development processes to develop a strong methodology that can be applied in lower income countries.
Tianyi: Any tips for international students who are planning to pursue higher education?
Aliya: Have an open mind and embrace the new experiences. Your experience will not only depend on external factors, but also your perceptions, whether they are positive or negative. Also, always be a mentee of someone and a mentor of someone, because as you are learning you will always have something you can give back to the community.
Aanchal: The good thing about attending a U.S. university is the intercultural learning that takes place even outside of your courses. You have the opportunity to build relationships with people from varied backgrounds that you never would have had a chance to meet otherwise.
Dr. Chavda: Being an international student is a very different experience from being a domestic student, so we should bring up these challenges wherever we feel they have been sidelined. Having a community of international scholars around you is very helpful, as well as reaching out to senior colleagues for their advice and to learn from their experiences.
Tianyi: Thank you for your beautiful stories and for sharing your work with us. Wishing you all the best with your future endeavors!
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