Ronald Beghetto talks with Mildred Boveda about her educational journey, coming from an immigrant family who had few formal educational opportunities in the Dominican Republic, compared to Boveda’s ethnically diverse education experience in Miami with many teachers who believed in and encouraged her. Boveda discusses how she noticed the higher her educational attainment, the whiter the learning spaces became. She became drawn to education, wanting to support minoritized and marginalized students.

Early on in her career as a special educator, Boveda reflected on how students are often labeled and categorized based on ability, and she wondered how this socialized departmentalizing impacted how teachers understand and reflect on their own sociocultural identities and the role this plays in their teaching. Boveda believes pre-service teachers should feel comfortable and prepared to talk about their own sociocultural identity, and as such, her research focuses on understanding and measuring intersectional competencies. 

You can learn more about Dr. Mildred Boveda and her work by accessing her directory page at Arizona State University and by following her on Twitter: @MildredBoveda

Ronald Beghetto talks with Emma K. Adam about her research on sleep and stress focused mostly on adolescents. She explains how the different stressors we are faced with daily affect our bodies and how those stressors can vary depending on race and gender.  She also discusses trends over time, and the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent stress. Dr. Adam addresses important questions such as: What are major stressors for adolescents? What role does sleep play in stress biology? What are some effective ways to decrease adolescent stress?

You can learn more about Dr. Emma K. Adam and her work by accessing her directory page at 

Northwestern University

 You can also follow her on twitter:

 @EmmaKAdam

Ronald Beghetto and David Berliner have a conversation about the constant disrespect teachers have suffered in US public schools, the enormous social challenges they are up against, the low pay, and how they have still risen above the challenges to make a difference, even in the current pandemic. Recently, it appears communities are appropriately recognizing the value and significance of teachers, and the efforts they are going to in order to connect with children during this uncertain time. Berliner shares how teachers are pillars of their communities that should be seen as such. Berliner discusses how community building is one of the most important issues we should be focusing on in order to solve the overwhelming issues schools face. 

You can learn more about Dr. David Berliner and his work by visiting his directory page at Arizona State University