I am a Kurdish from Turkey. My upbringing as a minority has instilled in me a profound understanding of people’s challenges, motivating me to support them in realizing their dreams and aspirations. Diversity, to me, means appreciating and valuing all individuals and their identities, races, genders, religions, sexual orientations, or ethnic backgrounds. I am dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where each person’s inherent worth and dignity are acknowledged. Recognizing the significance of diversity in higher education, it is through diversity and inclusion that bridges can be built between people. Drawing strength from my personal experiences, I am committed to consistently going above and beyond to celebrate diversity in every facet of my work, including research, teaching, and service. My unwavering commitment to educational equity and the desire to make a meaningful contribution drive my research endeavors. I focus on English learners, English learners with disabilities, accessibility, equity, and fairness. Teaching is my passion, and at the core of my teaching philosophy is the creation of a supportive learning environment for a diverse student body. Understanding my students, their identities, backgrounds, and goals is the initial step in this process, followed by providing a roadmap to success that addresses their unique needs and challenges. A supportive learning environment, in my view, encompasses both challenges and the solutions to overcome them. I consider service as the most meaningful aspect of contributing to a diverse, inclusive, and equal community. Since joining OSU, I have been actively involved in the Educational Studies Diversity Committee, channeling my efforts towards creating a more inclusive and equal educational environment.
Tuba Gezer, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University. She worked at the Institute for Education Policy, Johns Hopkins University. She completed her Ph.D. in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her dissertation examined providing equal educational opportunities to English learners in the United States. She is passionate about equity and equality in educational settings. Her research interests are English learners, English learners with disabilities, academic achievement, structural equation modeling, research methodology, digital citizenship, and the digital divide. Dr. Gezer has presented widely, including annually, at the American Educational Research Association conference, as well as at conferences such as the Association for Educational Communication and Technology and the EdMedia World Conference on Educational Media and Technology. She is the recipient of the Excellent Research on Inclusion and Accessibility in Education Assessment by American Educational Research Association. She has published articles in journals such as the American Journal of Distance Education, and the Journal of Research on Technology in Education.
