11/10/2025
✨ From Advocacy to Academia: BEAR P.A.L.S. Heads to AERA 2026! ✨
I’m incredibly honored to share that our paper, “Creating a Safe Space Within Safe Spaces: Nestled Support for Neurodivergent Students at an HBCU,” has been accepted for presentation at the 2026 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles! 🎉
This incredible opportunity is a reflection of the dedication, heart, and collaboration of everyone involved — the student mentors and mentees, faculty champions, and community partners like Dyslexia Advocation, Inc., the Jemicy School and MBZ Coaching highlighting the impact of the BEAR P.A.L.S. (Peer Allies for Learning & Support) program — a mentorship initiative designed to create belonging, advocacy, and academic support for students with learning differences at an HBCU.
BEAR P.A.L.S. came to fruition from a moment of advocacy that changed everything. While helping a parent and her son navigate the process of accessing accommodations in higher education, I saw firsthand how difficult it can be for students with learning disabilities or dyslexia to get the support they need once they reach college. That experience sparked an idea — one I shared with Dr. Gibson — and together, we wrote a grant to create BEAR P.A.L.S. I didn’t want another college student to feel unseen or unsupported. So we built a program where students could find both guidance and community — where they could thrive, not just survive.
To now share that work on the national stage at AERA — the largest gathering of education researchers in the world — is both humbling and affirming. This milestone honors every student who showed up, every mentor who led with compassion, and every educator who believed that safe spaces can exist within safe spaces.
This is more than a presentation — it’s a celebration of what’s possible when advocacy, equity, and education come together. Together, we’ve shown what’s possible when advocacy meets action.💙🧡
