Welcome to Brazen Careerist!

About Me

Ms. White is currently a graduate student at The Ohio State University’s School of Education Policy and Leadership. Influenced by her pre-collegiate rural school experiences and her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, White seeks to obtain a Ph.D. in education policy and continue to make influential changes in the education arena. Her specific areas of interest are rural student academic aspirations and motivation and the development of change agents in rural education.

White has served as a research assistant at the Educational Policy Institute, a student adviser at The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and is currently The Ohio College Access Network’s Policy & Advocacy Specialist. In this position, White has assisted in the management and implementation of a diverse scope of policymaking and advocacy to promote the goals and guiding principles of the Network.

Alongside publishing policy briefs in The Collegium, a monthly publication distributed to state legislators and education stakeholders, White has taken the lead in the creation and implementation of the first Ohio Student Education Policy Institute. The Institute will engage college students from across the state of Ohio in the education policy analysis process and will culminate in a Summit at the Ohio Statehouse in which students will present their final analysis and policy recommendations to the legislators, policymakers members of the College Access and Economic Opportunity Caucus, and many other education leaders within the state.

Work History

• The Ohio College Access Network
• Policy & Advocacy Specialist
• April 2010 to Present

• Responsible for the management and implementation of a diverse scope of policymaking and advocacy to promote the goals and guiding philosophy of the Network; spearhead the creation of the first Ohio Student Education Policy Institute and The Ohio College Access and Economic Opportunity Caucus; author monthly publication, The Collegium, distributed to state legislators and education stakeholders; conduct preliminary research and statistical data analysis for scholarly presentations and articles; assist in the writing of federal grants; oversee and manage professional development meetings (i.e. KnowHow2Go Learning Community, AmeriCorp Advisor Training, OASFAA/OCAN Annual Conference).

• The Educational Policy Institute
• Research Assistant
• April 2009 to October 2009

• Conduct preliminary research and data collection for the Sloan Foundation, the National Council on Disability, and DeVry University. ; contribute to the writing of reports and proposals for major American and international organizations; search major news sources each week for articles related to elementary, postsecondary, international, Canadian and Australian education for insertion in weekly electronic publication; market and host educational Webinars.

• Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
• Senior Student Advisor
• August 2009 to May 2010

• Assist Ford School undergraduates in creating focus area proposals; hold office hours to assist undergraduate students with Ford School program; meet with Academic Advising team to discuss status of projects; keep detailed notes and records of peer advising meetings; creation and implementing of lasting project that contributes to the undergraduate Ford School Program.

• The United States House of Representatives
• Legislative Intern
• May 2008 to August 2008

• Developed policy and leadership skills through attending hearings and committee meetings; created policy addendum and memos for Congressional staff members; compiled data in response to constituent response; composed constituent form letters for Legislative staff regarding current political issues

Education

• The Ohio State University
• M.A. Education Policy & Leadership, Cultural Foundations, Technology & Qualitative Inquiry, Statistical Data Analysis
• 2010 - 2011

• Thesis Topic: factors which influence rural student economic stability and academic achievement post high school and rural student perceptions of peers who obtain a postsecondary degree

• The University of Michigan
• B.A. Public Policy, Multicultural Education Policy, International Relations
• 2006 - 2010