Jasmin Solórzano Churchill is a Strategist for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, where she fosters creative thinking, perseverance, and intrinsic motivation in her students through engaging, rigorous projects.
Jasmin was deeply troubled by the under-identification of gifted Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino students in her school district. As gifted program participation has been linked to further academic opportunities for learners, the fact that non-White students were not equitably benefitting from it was unacceptable to her. She decided to pursue a doctorate to better understand systems of inequality and learn about more effective frameworks. With its emphasis on social justice, the LMU Ed.D. Program was a perfect fit.
Using a framework of educational capital, Jasmin's dissertation, “An Exploration of Gifted Hispanic/Latino Students’ Educational Capital at One Title I Elementary School,” chaired by Kenzo Sung, Ph.D., highlighted the cultural capital and community cultural wealth of gifted Hispanic/Latino students at a Title I elementary school with low gifted enrollment. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with parents and teachers of students receiving gifted services. Findings included barriers to success such as low levels of rigor and engagement at the school, undervalued linguistic capital, lack of opportunity to test for the program, and lack of navigational capital for parents and teachers.
A longtime teacher, Jasmin did not identify as a leader at the start of the program. However, her coursework continually invited her to prove that one can lead from any chair by studying aspects of her own organization, amplifying voices missing from important conversations, and implementing research-based shifts to improve equity. Seeing the positive impact of these endeavors, Jasmin now embraces her identity as a leader. Next, she plans to use her dissertation findings to advocate for increased gifted services in Title I schools, and to publish articles in journals centering giftedness and educational equity.
Jasmin would like to thank the LMU SOE faculty and staff, especially Dr. Kenzo Sung, for guiding her through this transformative experience. She is grateful for the inspiration, laughter, and support provided by her amazing Cohort 18 classmates. Most of all, she thanks her husband, David, and her son, Quinn Diego, for believing in her and keeping the home fires burning while she pursued this dream.