Dr. Susan Dawkins is the inaugural director of the Carlow Community Scholars Program, which is devoted to providing resources and support for qualified students who have experienced foster care and/or homelessness during their school years. She has dedicated her career to equity, access, and inclusion for diverse youth and adults in educational institutions and the broader community. Her teaching, programming, and research interests at the intersection of global and local experience, including the academic and social experiences of underrepresented populations such as first-generation, “at-risk”, and low-income students as well as multilingual learners.

Her achievements include teaching, mentoring, and advising diverse learners, including multilingual youth and adults and “”at-risk”” college students. Susan’s leadership of programs have consistently resulted in expanding participation and in strong retention rates. Her dissertation, “”Transcultural Identity and Bhutanese Youth in Refugee Community Organizations,”” explores the experiences and strengths of internally displaced youth in resettlement.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (2020)
• Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education – Master of Arts, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
• Bachelor of Arts, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Professional Memberships

• Fostering Success Coaching Institute
• National Association for Multicultural Education
• American Folklore Society

Research

• Experiences of youth and adults in displacement, domestic and international
• Appreciative advising and engagement
• Marginalized and minoritized learners’ experience

Publications

• Porter, M. K., Frieters-Reerman, N., Langley, S., Dawkins, S., & Reerman, A. (2020). Mobilising Shared Strengths for Collective Peace-Building with Newcomers. Journal of Transdisciplinary Peace Praxis, 2(1).
• Magdó, Z., Dawkins, S., Abbondanza, V., & Moore, W. (2019, July 31). Globalizing DualCredit Courses: The University of Pittsburgh Summer Institute for Pennsylvania Teachers. Next Generation Learning
• Porter, M., & Dawkins, S. (2017). Children of Shangri-Lost. Journal of Folklore and Education, 4, 55-70