Search Institute welcomes four new research fellows this summer as part of our Summer Scholars Fellowship for 2024. Cia Elder, LaShanda Harbin, Gloria Stout, and Keara Williams will be paired with a mentor from Search Institute’s research team, and will work on active Search Institute research projects that align with their interests and areas of study. The Scholars will develop new insights during their time with Search Institute, placing a strong emphasis on generating actionable knowledge that can inform best practices around inclusive and equitable relationship-building and positive youth development. 

The goal of the Fellowship is to broaden the pathway into applied research, especially for scholars who are historically underrepresented in the research field. The Fellowship runs from June 17 through September 13. It is funded through a generous grant from the Bezos Family Foundation.

“This is an important opportunity both for the scholars taking part in the Fellowship as well as for the field of applied, positive youth development research,” says Dr. Joanna Williams, Senior Director of Research for Search Institute. “There is a critical need to better support doctoral student trainees, particularly those from groups historically underrepresented in academia, in order to continue strengthening and diversifying the pipeline into applied research, and we are committed to doing that at Search Institute.”

“The Summer Scholars Fellowship offers both rigorous academic research opportunities and exposure to settings where research is directly used by youth-serving organizations,” said Jody S. Rosentswieg, Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives at Bezos Family Foundation.  “We are proud to support Search Institute’s work and hope to build more opportunities for historically marginalized Scholars to shape future policies and practices in youth development.”

Meet the Research Fellows

Cia Elder is a doctoral student in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Her research focuses on natural mentoring relationships for early to middle adolescents. Utilizing a positive youth development framework, she focuses on the context of relationships for youth and how they interpret their relationships with significant adults—furthermore, providing spaces for youth to feel empowered and uplifted in the face of adversity. She received her bachelor's degree at Central Michigan University in Child Development and Psychology, and her master's degree at UNCG in Human Development and Family Studies. Cia is joining the team to work on Rooted in Relationships: Cultivating Character Through Communities of Practice.

LaShanda Harbin is a PhD candidate in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Before coming to Madison in 2021, LaShanda earned an MA in Urban Education Policy at Brown University and a BA in both African American Studies and Education from Bowdoin College. She has spent the last decade working in various educational spaces in Chicago, New England, and now Wisconsin. Her independent research focuses on improving school safety for Black queer and transgender youth. LaShanda will be on the Youth Ecological Strengths (YES) and PRYDE project teams.

Gloria Stout is a 4th-year doctoral candidate in the Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS) department at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests focus broadly on race-related stressors, social support/supportive relationships, and mental health outcomes among Black and other minoritized youth. Gloria is originally from Richmond, Virginia, and holds a B.A. in psychology from the University of Virginia and an M.A. from UT Austin in HDFS. Gloria is joining the Positioning Mentors as SoCap Builders project.

Keara Williams, M.Ed., is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at the School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her research centers on Black third spaces and Black joy within the context of public schools. Growing up in South Central, Los Angeles, she intimately understands the multifaceted inequalities and poverty prevalent in the area. One of the central tenets of her research is the challenge to deficit narratives that often overshadow discussions of Black youth experiences. While acknowledging the systemic barriers and challenges faced by this demographic, she advocates for a narrative that affirms the resilience, creativity, joy, and positive youth development inherent within Black communities and Black students. Keara will work with the Cultural Adaptation of Developmental Relationships in Education (CADRE) project.

Each of the summer scholars are mentored by a member of Search Institute’s research team. Cia Elder’s mentor is Miray Seward, Ph.D., LaShanda Harbin is mentored by Katherine Ross, Ph.D., Gloria Stout is mentored by Ashley Boat, Ph.D., and Keara Williams is Mentored by Nanyamka Redmond, Ph.D.