International and Multicultural Education Department, USF

06/12/2025

Highlights from the first half of our first ever IME Department immersion course in Puerto Rico! Co-taught by .bajaj (Univ of San Francisco) & (Univ of Puerto Rico), and co-led by , this special topics course seeks to understand community organizing, education & resistance to colonialism/neoliberalism in Puerto Rico.

We started in the spring with pre-departure meetings, watching the beautiful film Nos Tenemos (by & ), reading the powerful book Puerto Rico: A National History by , consulting with our amazing alum and building community.

Our first full day included the phenomenal decolonial walking tour of viejo San Juan (& running into !). We then met with at and learned about their impactful work partnering with communities in participatory & empowering ways through design and community development. We then met with the director and an investigative journalist from — a wonderful organization holding the government accountable and exposing injustices. We learned that 500+ public schools have been closed in the name of fiscal austerity with students’ right to education being denied, especially after the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Our second full day started with a visit to the inspiring community center which was founded by the community after the local school was closed by the government. Through art, music, community events and services, La Goyco serves as a beacon for the community for mutual aid, solidarity & envisioning / enacting sustainability. We then learned about the climate justice work of through education & public policy. We got to meet the Director of the Centro de La Mujer Dominicana who is an amazing luchadora especially in light of the horrific raids happening in the migrant (primarily Dominican) community in PR. Finally we were joined by UPR professors/public school teachers of Proyecto Aurora - working with immigrant families/children in Rio Piedras.

The second half of the trip takes us out of San Juan to explore the interior & western coast of PR

05/05/2025

Congratulations to Nancy Sheftel-Gomes, IME doctoral student, on the successful defense of her dissertation, "Conflicts Teaching about Conflicts: How Jewish Educators Engage with Israel-Palestine"!!!

04/24/2025

✨ Congrats to the soon-to-be DOCTOR Jennifer Thomas on the successful defense of her dissertation, The Ecopedagogical Effectiveness of the US-ED Green Ribbon School Framework in K–12 Schools 🎉🎓🎊

04/17/2025

Have something to celebrate or share with the IME community?

Whether you’re presenting at a conference, publishing something, or involved in a meaningful project—we’d love to highlight you!

Send us a photo and a few details so we can share your accomplishments in our next newsletter! (Publishes Wednesdays during the spring and fall semesters!)

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04/16/2025

Dede Adote first year doctoral student (IME) presenting her theoretical framework, BAISCrit, at the UC Berkeley SE Conference. Developed last year, BAISCrit captures the lived experiences of Black African international students within a racialized context. This work is driven by the urgent need to address the financial, institutional, and legal barriers these students face, while also exploring how racial capitalism and neoliberalism intersect to reinforce these challenges.

Using quantitative data, her goal is to advocate for policy and social change, calling on university administrators, international offices, and department leaders to create an environment of true belonging. These students aren’t just navigating racial and migration struggles—they’re also confronting their identities in spaces that often reduce them to one narrow, stereotyped narrative about “the Africa of Africa.”

BAISCrit seeks to challenge these systemic issues, deeply rooted in structures that prioritize profit over the well-being and integration of marginalized students.

04/04/2025

Congratulations to IME Faculty, Melissa Ann Canlas on her promotion to Associate Professor!

We are so very grateful to learn with and from her every day and could not be more proud. Melissa is an inspiring teacher, scholar, and an incredible human!

03/27/2025

03/26/2025

Registration is Now Open for the Black Migration Conference!
The Migration Studies Department and the School of Law, in collaboration with Dede Adote (SOE), are excited to invite you to the 2025 Black Migration Conference, happening on Saturday, April 26, 2025.

In times of uncertainty, we will come together to define this moment: Thriving and Not Just Surviving. This event will focus on recognizing challenges, advocating for change, and envisioning new futures rooted in collective action, engagement, and liberation.

RSVP at bit.ly/2025-black-migration-conference-reg

If you have any questions please reach out to Dede [email protected]