Team Members
From Teachers College
Mary Mendenhall has been a full-time faculty member of the International and Comparative Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University for the past 10 years. Her research is situated at the intersection of the fields of education in emergencies, refugee and forced migration studies, and teacher development. Her studies examine refugee education policies and practices across camp, urban, and resettlement contexts, with a particular focus on teacher development. Dr. Mary Mendenhall has conducted numerous research studies and international projects in Africa over the past 16+ years, dating back to her own dissertation research in Angola.
She led the joint International Rescue Committee-University of Nairobi effort to establish an Education in Emergencies master’s program in Kenya from 2009-2014. She co-led a multi-country (including Kenya), mixed-methods study on urban refugee education, in collaboration with Dr. S. Garnett Russell, funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration in 2015-2016. Later, she developed and implemented (in collaboration with local and national partners based in Kenya) the Teachers for Teachers initiative from 2015-2018 in Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei settlement, funded by IDEO.org and the European Union (via UNICEF). During four years from 2018-2022, she served as the lead researcher of an Oxfam-led consortium on teacher and student well-being in South Sudan and Uganda, funded by the European Commission’s Building Resilience in Crises through Education. Two years ago, she co-led a study on teacher professional development for learning through play in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda to inform the LEGO Foundation’s internal refugee education funding strategy.
She is currently working on a study in collaboration with UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) on teachers in refugee and displacement settings in order to inform and strengthen teacher management, professional development, and well-being practices and policies in 14 countries around the globe including several on the continent (Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, South Sudan, and Sudan).
Most recently (2022-23), Dr. Mendenhall, in close collaboration with faculty colleagues at the Mailman School of Public Health, was awarded a Columbia World Project for a new initiative – Ubumwe: Arts for Education and Public Health with Refugee Children and Youth – which aims to bolster psychosocial and educational outcomes among refugee children and youth through the integration of arts in education and community spaces.
Mary Mendenhall has been a full-time faculty member of the International and Comparative Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University for the past 10 years. Her research is situated at the intersection of the fields of education in emergencies, refugee and forced migration studies, and teacher development. Her studies examine refugee education policies and practices across camp, urban, and resettlement contexts, with a particular focus on teacher development. Dr. Mary Mendenhall has conducted numerous research studies and international projects in Africa over the past 16+ years, dating back to her own dissertation research in Angola.
She led the joint International Rescue Committee-University of Nairobi effort to establish an Education in Emergencies master’s program in Kenya from 2009-2014. She co-led a multi-country (including Kenya), mixed-methods study on urban refugee education, in collaboration with Dr. S. Garnett Russell, funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration in 2015-2016. Later, she developed and implemented (in collaboration with local and national partners based in Kenya) the Teachers for Teachers initiative from 2015-2018 in Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei settlement, funded by IDEO.org and the European Union (via UNICEF). During four years from 2018-2022, she served as the lead researcher of an Oxfam-led consortium on teacher and student well-being in South Sudan and Uganda, funded by the European Commission’s Building Resilience in Crises through Education. Two years ago, she co-led a study on teacher professional development for learning through play in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda to inform the LEGO Foundation’s internal refugee education funding strategy.
She is currently working on a study in collaboration with UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) on teachers in refugee and displacement settings in order to inform and strengthen teacher management, professional development, and well-being practices and policies in 14 countries around the globe including several on the continent (Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, South Sudan, and Sudan).
Most recently (2022-23), Dr. Mendenhall, in close collaboration with faculty colleagues at the Mailman School of Public Health, was awarded a Columbia World Project for a new initiative – Ubumwe: Arts for Education and Public Health with Refugee Children and Youth – which aims to bolster psychosocial and educational outcomes among refugee children and youth through the integration of arts in education and community spaces.
Kemigisha Richardson is a doctoral student and instructor in the International and Comparative Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests examine models and student conceptualizations of inclusion in schools in refugee and host communities in Uganda.
She is currently working as Graduate Research Assistant for the Ubumwe 2.0: Integrating Arts for Education and Psychosocial Support with Refugee Children and Youth project, which aims to bolster psychosocial and educational outcomes among refugee children and youth through the integration of arts in education and community spaces in Uganda and recently concluded her time as a Research Assistant for the AfriChild Centre at Makerere University in Uganda.
Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Kemigisha worked as a STEM educator in Hawai’i. As an educator, her vision was to provide students with a platform to feel confident in their voices and stories through interdisciplinary activities that promote collaboration, questioning, and creativity. Kemigisha holds a B.A. in Science and Management, Biotechnology from Claremont McKenna College and an M.Sc. in Educational Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
Kemigisha Richardson is a doctoral student and instructor in the International and Comparative Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests examine models and student conceptualizations of inclusion in schools in refugee and host communities in Uganda.
She is currently working as Graduate Research Assistant for the Ubumwe 2.0: Integrating Arts for Education and Psychosocial Support with Refugee Children and Youth project, which aims to bolster psychosocial and educational outcomes among refugee children and youth through the integration of arts in education and community spaces in Uganda and recently concluded her time as a Research Assistant for the AfriChild Centre at Makerere University in Uganda.
Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Kemigisha worked as a STEM educator in Hawai’i. As an educator, her vision was to provide students with a platform to feel confident in their voices and stories through interdisciplinary activities that promote collaboration, questioning, and creativity. Kemigisha holds a B.A. in Science and Management, Biotechnology from Claremont McKenna College and an M.Sc. in Educational Studies from Johns Hopkins University.
Alexandra Harakas is pursuing a masters degree in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is passionate about self-sustaining educational initiatives that empower students to forge flourishing futures. She taught at an elementary school in a predominantly Haitian-heritage community in the Dominican Republic, where she fell in love with using everyday school rhythms to engage students in active critical thinking and socio-emotional skill development.
After spending time engaging with internally displaced young adults in Cameroon, she became interested in understanding the intersection of education with young people’s future dreams in conflict-affected contexts. She is enthusiastic about researching and developing educational experiences which support students of all ages on their journeys of flourishing, despite the constraints of geopolitics on their opportunities.
Currently, she and a former colleague are piloting a bilingual literacy program in Haitian Creole and Spanish for adults in the community of her former school in the Dominican Republic. Alexandra holds a B.A. in Linguistics from Georgetown University.
Alexandra Harakas is pursuing a masters degree in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is passionate about self-sustaining educational initiatives that empower students to forge flourishing futures. She taught at an elementary school in a predominantly Haitian-heritage community in the Dominican Republic, where she fell in love with using everyday school rhythms to engage students in active critical thinking and socio-emotional skill development.
After spending time engaging with internally displaced young adults in Cameroon, she became interested in understanding the intersection of education with young people’s future dreams in conflict-affected contexts. She is enthusiastic about researching and developing educational experiences which support students of all ages on their journeys of flourishing, despite the constraints of geopolitics on their opportunities.
Currently, she and a former colleague are piloting a bilingual literacy program in Haitian Creole and Spanish for adults in the community of her former school in the Dominican Republic. Alexandra holds a B.A. in Linguistics from Georgetown University.
Issa is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at Teachers College, Columbia University. With experience as a former teacher, she is committed to helping educators gain access to resources, training, and support to ensure their students' success. Her research centers on teacher professional development, particularly in emergency contexts. Issa earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, as a Peace Corps Fellow in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology.
During her time at Teachers College, Issa also taught high school science at a project-based high school. She has worked with the International Rescue Committee's Youth Education team, supporting refugee education initiatives, and she has taught secondary science in Mozambique as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Currently, Issa serves as the Chair of Community Partnerships for the New York City Peace Corps Association.
Issa is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at Teachers College, Columbia University. With experience as a former teacher, she is committed to helping educators gain access to resources, training, and support to ensure their students' success. Her research centers on teacher professional development, particularly in emergency contexts. Issa earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, as a Peace Corps Fellow in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology.
During her time at Teachers College, Issa also taught high school science at a project-based high school. She has worked with the International Rescue Committee's Youth Education team, supporting refugee education initiatives, and she has taught secondary science in Mozambique as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Currently, Issa serves as the Chair of Community Partnerships for the New York City Peace Corps Association.
The following TC master’s students enrolled in Dr. Mendenhall’s Education in Emergencies course (spring 2023) also contributed to the original draft curriculum: Arwa Ayoub, Andreia Davies, Sarah Etzel, Sabrina Huang, Sujung Hwang, Victoria Jones, Claire Laslett, Kathryn Lin, Theo Ntwari, Kemigisha Richardson, Aishwarya Sadh, Rafa Sattar, and Ashley Smith.
The following TC master’s students enrolled in Dr. Wendy Choo’s Monitoring and Evaluation course (spring 2023) developed the initial monitoring and evaluation framework: Renna Bazlen, Evan Zhang, and JooHyun Lee.