RESEARCH LAB
We have an active research team that is presently working on five different projects related to social justice and education. Some studies focus specifically on school psychology as a field and ways that school psychologists can operationalize and put social justice principles into practice, whereas other studies involve related topics like school discipline, positive behavioral supports, and minoritized students . Student research team members include:
OUR TEAM
Jordan Amor
Jordan is a second year PhD student at Indiana University. She is from Bainbridge, Indiana and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Indiana in elementary education and is a licensed teacher in Indiana. She also received her Master of Arts in Educational Psychology from Ball State University. Her research interests include social justice in school psychology, academic interventions, and mental health efforts. Jordan looks forward to a career in school psychology that allows her to make improvements on the mental health and academics of students through school-wide intervention programs as well as help in implementing changes in schools due to social injustices.
Anna Brahm
Anna is a third year school psychology graduate student on the EdS track at Indiana University. She is from Moline, IL and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in psychology. Her research interests are related to social justice and trauma informed care.
Jack Komer
Jack Komer is a first year PhD student in the School Psychology program at Indiana University. Prior to coming to Indiana University, Jack received his B.S.Ed in Inclusive Special Education from Miami University with dual teaching licensure in Mild/Moderate & Moderate/Intensive disabilities. At Miami, Jack co-lead educational research investigating alternatives to exclusionary school discipline and the use of mindfulness-based intervention tools to reduce office referrals. Jack’s primary research interests are in the areas of school mental health and the application of social justice initiatives/philosophy into public education to support positive outcomes for students in marginalized communities. At Indiana University, Jack is an active member of Dr. Shriberg and Dr. Ormiston's research teams. Eventually Jack would like to work as a school leader and/or consultant helping schools facilitate multi-tiered support systems for school mental health, school safety/climate and crisis prevention (especially for students from marginalized communities).
Liz Melfi
Liz is a second year school psychology graduate student at Indiana University. She is from Cleveland, Ohio and received her BA in psychology from Denison University. Her research interests are education equity and evidence-based interventions. In her free time, Liz loves trying new restaurants with friends. Ultimately, Liz hopes to have a career as a school psychologist, implementing interventions to improve the academic performance of minoritized students.
Malena Nygaard
Malena A. Nygaard, BS, is a doctoral student in the School Psychology program at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also a certified teacher in the state of Texas. Malena is a graduate assistant for a U.S. Department of Education grant, led by Dr. Heather Ormiston, examining the impact of trauma-informed multi-tiered systems of support on student academic, behavioral, and socioemotional outcomes. Malena serves as the student leader coordinator for the National Association of School Psychologists, Graduate Student Committee. She is an editor and co-founder of In Practice, a new, annually published graduate student-led, faculty supported scholarly publication.
Her research focuses on school-based mental health practices including trauma-informed multi-tiered systems of support in schools, suicide prevention, and social justice in school psychology. She is particularly interested in examining school-based mental health services and the continuity and coordination of care for students with intensive socioemotional needs.
Jazlyn Rowan
Jazlyn is a second year school psychology graduate student at Indiana University. She is from Louisville, KY and received her undergraduate degree from Indiana State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and focus on political science and civic leadership. Her research interests involve social justice advocacy like the school to prison pipeline, mass incarceration, unconscious bias, and policies and procedures negatively impacting life trajectories of students. She looks forward to growing professionally under Dr. Shriberg’s leadership and acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to continue to work towards her life purpose.
