Faith Garrington is a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Educational Psychology with a concentration in Special Education and minoring in Sociocultural Studies in Education and Quantitative Methods in Education. She is a graduate research assistant under Dr. LeAnne Johnson’s supervision. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota and her master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis on Emotional Behavioral Disabilities from the University of St. Thomas. Before starting the Ph.D. program, she served as a Special Education Resource Teacher at Minneapolis Public Schools. Throughout her professional and academic experiences, she has maintained a focus on educational equity and inclusion with a desire to transform and develop systems and people for racial equity. Her work aims to empirically validate, advance, and amplify the voices and work of those who have been historically marginalized and exploited through science and research.
Ashleigh Avina is a doctoral student in Educational Psychology with a focus on Special Education. Ashleigh’s research interest is focused on understanding trauma and adversity in relation to individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She received her undergraduate degree in Special Education (K-12) at the University of Alabama. Prior to becoming a doctoral student, Ashleigh was a special education teacher for 3 years. She has taught in a self-contained setting for Middle and Elementary aged students. Her passion is primarily with middle-school aged students with significant support needs. Ashleigh was born in Georgia and raised in Alabama. Before moving to Minnesota, Ashleigh was heavily involved in scuba diving the Florida Spring and the gulf coast. In her free time, Ashleigh enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and walking her dog, Molly Wrinkles who is an American Bulldog.
Regan Baney is entering her second year in the Special Education Master’s program at the University of Minnesota. She is also pursuing her Board Certified Behavioral Analyst training as part of her degree. She is also a graduate assistant under Dr. LeAnne Johnson, her academic advisor. Regan currently works in a practicum position at the Achieving Independence and Maturity program for Lionsgate, a charter school in her community for Autistic adults. Regan has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Writing from SUNY Buffalo State University in Western New York. At Buff State, she first began to focus her work on serving those on the spectrum and conducting research on Autism while working at the on-campus daycare and the Summit Center in Getzville, a self-contained school for Autistic children and young adults. While finishing up her Bachelor’s degree a semester early, Regan created her honors thesis on the importance of differentiating between Person-First and Identity-First language in how we discuss diagnoses such as Autism that she presented last spring at the Midwestern Psychological Association conference in Chicago. Regan’s focus takes a neurodiversity-affirming approach to uplifting, educating, advocating, and caring for Autistic individuals. In her free time, Regan loves to draw, write, hike, and spend time with her loved ones.