Project MALES is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023-2024 Graduate Scholars Program (PM-GSP). After receiving a competitive pool of applications from across the country, the following scholars were selected to join the 2023-2024 cohort: Ramon Johnson (University of Washington), Gabriel Pulido (Pennsylvania State University), Omar Sanchez (The Ohio State University), and Briana Savage (University of California, Riverside).
The mission of PM-GSP is to support the academic and career advancement of emerging scholars whose research is focused on the educational outcomes of male students of color.
These scholars reflect impressive accomplishments, and the PM-GSP is excited to have them join the Project MALES network. In addition to being paired up with a Faculty and Research Affiliate mentor, these scholars will receive a $500 stipend and professional development.
Ramon Johnson is an interdisciplinary artist and PhD Candidate in the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington. Johnson’s work uses archival and ethnographic methods to explore the concept of “progress” in regard to LGBTQ+ organizing efforts undertaken by single sex Historically Black Colleges & University students and campus stakeholders, interrogating how these institutions try to embrace or contain that organizing within institutional cultures that are overdetermined by neoliberalism, anti-Blackness, and respectability politics.
Gabriel Pulido was born and raised in Sacramento, California, and first became involved with creative writing in the youth poetry slam scene. While at UC Santa Cruz, Gabriel utilized classroom lessons to fuel his creative writing endeavors. Currently, he is a fifth-year doctoral candidate in Higher Education (with a double minor in African American and Diaspora Studies & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) at Pennsylvania State University. Gabriel considers himself a transdisciplinary scholar whose work often travels across multiple fields. Ultimately, Gabriel seeks to perform the work while honoring the rich histories and legacies that scholar-activists have fought for. Presently, Gabriel has three lines of research commitments: 1. Artistic Performance and Retention in Higher Education 2. Mentorship, Relationality, and Belonging and 3. Arts-based methodologies and activism in social science research. Gabriel’s academic and creative writing often intersect and find a home at the center of healing. Gabriel considers himself a conjurer of joy, love, and resilience, as he uses both creative and academic writing to work toward collective liberation. When not writing, Gabriel can be found near a body of water dreaming of becoming just as free.
Omar Sanchez, M.S., is a doctoral scholar at The Ohio State University, enrolled in the Kinesiology Ph.D. program specializing in Adapted Physical Education. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and his master’s degree in Sports Pedagogy, both from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Specifically, among the Hispanic community, his research centers around the promotion of physical activity for individuals with disabilities, childhood obesity, and after-school program interventions.
Briana Savage is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education Administration and Policy program at the University of California, Riverside. Her research agenda explores how race and gender impact college athlete experiences. More specifically, her projects focus on Black male athlete development, Black athlete experiences during college (e.g., sources of support, engagement activities, and mentorship), and helping college athletes navigate the academic enterprise in order to gain skills that will generate opportunities for postgraduate success.
Congratulations to our newly selected cohort of PM-GSP scholars on their well-deserved success. We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation for our GSP co-chairs: Drs. José Del Real Viramontes, Guillermo Ortega, and Lazaro Camacho.
Learn more about the Graduate Scholars Program.
