We are pleased to share that Dr. Kia Viona Johnson (Cohort 20) was selected to receive the 2025 Arrupe Doctoral Student Award for Inclusive Excellence and Social Justice! Facilitated by LMU's Office of the Provost, the award is highly selective and recognizes a doctoral graduate who has shown robust academic achievement and outstanding contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Kia earned her undergraduate degree in Spanish with dreams of working in a field that connected language and people. After graduation, she took a position as a bus driver and paraprofessional supporting Kindergarten students in rural North Carolina. It was there that she connected deeply with one multilingual learner in particular, and because of her Spanish background, she was able to support him in meaningful ways. That experience ignited her passion for English as a Second Language and led her to pursue a provisional teaching license. By the end of that school year, she was hired as a high school ESL teacher and has been committed to multilingual learners ever since
Over the years, Kia worked her way up from teacher to state-level English language proficiency assessment specialist, and now serves as the Senior Director for PK-12 Professional Development and Evaluations at the Center for Applied Linguistics. In her role, she directs national PD and evaluation initiatives for multilingual learners across PreK–12 Language & Literacy and Dual Language & Multilingual Education programs.
Kia decided to pursue her education doctorate after she completed an African American political leadership program at Virginia State University in 2022, which deepened her passion for advocacy and using her voice for the underrepresented. That experience, paired with her love for teaching, led her to enroll in LMU’s Ed.D. Program as she deemed it to be the perfect home for the work she was called to do.
Some of the most meaningful highlights of Kia’s educational journey at LMU include building a supportive community with her Cohort 20 colleagues who share a commitment to equity and justice, and engaging in coursework that challenged her to think critically about systemic inequities in education. These experiences have affirmed her purpose and equipped her to lead change that truly centers the needs of multilingual learners and the educators who serve them.
Kia’s dissertation, “Bless Your Heart”: Resilient, Contextually Responsive Leadership Navigating Title III Policy in Low-Incidence Districts of a New Destination State, chaired by Dr. William Perez, explored how Title III coordinators in low-incidence districts in Virginia navigate the unique challenges of leading English learner programs with limited resources and personnel. Through qualitative interviews, she found that coordinators often wear multiple hats and rely heavily on collaboration, creativity, and informal networks to meet the needs of multilingual learners. Key findings revealed a lack of targeted professional development, limited access to bilingual staff, and minimal guidance tailored to low-incidence contexts. Despite these barriers, coordinators demonstrated a strong commitment to equity and made strategic decisions to maximize impact with minimal support. The study highlights the need for more intentional state-level support, differentiated technical assistance, and investment in leadership development tailored to low-incidence districts serving multilingual learners.
Please join us in congratulating Kia on her award. We are very proud to have her as part of our doctoral community and look forward to seeing what she will do next!