OLPD Student Research Conference

The OLPD Student Research Conference (OLPD SRC) is a student-run, annual event highlighting the research findings, effective practices, and theoretical/conceptual developments of OLPD graduate students.

The first OLPD SRC was held at the Continuing Education and Conference Center on Saturday, April 16, 2011. The idea of highlighting students' research stems from the 2008 WHRE (Work and Human Resource Education) Student Research Conference, during which students presented their work.

Since its inception, the conference has showcased the work of graduate students from the OLPD engaged in diverse forms of meaningful research. It also allows graduate students to test new ideas, receive feedback from colleagues and faculty, and create opportunities for dynamic scholarly engagement. The conference welcomes all types of original research submissions, including papers presented or scheduled for presentation at local or national conferences, articles written for classes, research projects conducted by faculty, pilot studies, preliminary dissertations and thesis work results.

2026 Conference Details

Friday, February 27

The OLPD Student Research Conference is an annual, student-run event dedicated to supporting your growth as scholars and professionals, providing a platform to showcase your ideas, engage with peers, receive valuable feedback, build confidence in presenting at professional conferences, and develop your academic identity by sharing your research in a supportive and engaging environment. It is also a fantastic opportunity to cultivate professional connections across the diverse tracks within the OLPD department.

We are accepting proposals through December 31, 2025. Check out details regarding the conference theme below, review the full Call for Proposals, then submit your proposal using our submissions form. We welcome submissions on the varied scholarship you engage in, including:

Research being presented at other conferences
Papers written for class
Faculty research collaborations
Pilot studies, dissertation/thesis work, and more!

We can’t wait to see the exciting research you’ll bring to the conference! If you have any questions or need more information about submitting a proposal, feel free to reach out to us.

Review the Full Call for Proposals Submit Your Proposal

2026 Conference Theme: "A Bridge Between Worlds: Practitioners and Scholars in Dialogue"

As past, present, and future scholars, we live as people who influence and create both formal and informal learning spaces. Through daily practices, struggles, and commitments in our various fields, we help envision the future of the next generation.

We each began our graduate journey with our own experiences and philosophies of education. Along the way, we have often found ourselves navigating between two worlds: the ideals of scholarship and the realities of practice. While the world of research can appear aspirational, applying scholarly insights to classrooms, communities, businesses, and organizations is rarely simple. Yet, this is where transformation takes place.The 2026 Student Research Conference seeks to create a bridge between research and practice. Across this bridge, we hope to engage in dialogue, share research, wrestle with challenges, and build understanding together.

We believe scholarship sustains practice, and practice gives life to scholarship. Our conference aspires to play the role of connector—fostering spaces where the two are not separate, but mutually reinforcing.

Meet the planning committee

SRC 2026 Planning Committee

For me, the Student Research Conference isn’t just a venue to present, it’s a workspace to grow ideas, test assumptions, and connect with mentors and peers who push my thinking in new directions. By exposing research to critique, by seeing others’ work up close, we sharpen both scholarship and ability to communicate it. As Chair of the Student Research Committee, I want us all to feel the spark I felt when I first presented at SRC, to take risks, to share work that matters, to grow in confidence. My goal is this: make every piece of this conference a chance for feedback, for encouragement, for students to step into the work they believe they are capable of. I enthusiastically look forward to walking alongside you as we lift each other’s voices higher.

Giselle Caretto PhD student Comparative and International Development Education

My name is Emily Colton and I am a third-year PhD candidate in Education Policy and Leadership. My research interests focus on the ways in which education leaders and policymakers can support educator wellbeing and retention. My first year presenting at SRC, I was nervous and unsure what to expect. What I experienced was a welcoming atmosphere where faculty and students gathered together to support the growth and development of every student scholar, whether this was their first presentation ever or they'd been to numerous other conferences. I knew I wanted to help bring about this experience for other students as well, so I joined the planning committee for the 2025 SRC. Now I'm excited to be the communications co-chair for SRC 2026!

Emily Colton PhD candidate Education Policy and Leadership

Hello! My name is Cami, and I am a first year PhD student in Higher Education. I also work in the UMN Research Development Office which has informed my research interest in how universities build and sustain research capacity, particularly how organizational policies and systems shape the experiences of the people who make up the university research ecosystem. I’m excited to serve on the SRC Committee because the conference is a unique space where OLPD students can share their work, build confidence, and cheer each other on. I’m thrilled to be part of a team helping to create an event that is both supportive and fun for our fellow scholars.

Cami Connell PhD student Higher Education

Hi, my name is Ana. I am a second-year MA CIDE student, and my research focuses on creating spaces that center on the lived experiences of Latinx second-generation students as sources of knowledge, allowing their stories to be seen and validated in the current K-12 context. I am excited to be sharing this space with you all. Graduate school can prove challenging; proving and trying new ideas sometimes proves to be a journey in itself. However, by leaning into our networks of support, we can harness the power of lifting each other up and learning from one another. SRC seeks to foster this sentiment among students by providing a venue on which their ideas can be heard, seen, and validated. We encourage you to participate in this year's SRC either by submitting your work, as a presenter, reviewer, or volunteer. We are sure there is a space for you here.

Ana Diaz MA student Comparative and International Development Education

My name is Neamatallah Elsayed (Neama) and I’m a third-year Ph.D. student in Comparative and International Development Education (CIDE). Situated within the sociology of education, my research interests lie at the intersection of national belonging and education in the Middle East, with a particular interest in how education systems navigate nationalist ideologies and colonial frameworks. I use qualitative and interpretive methods to explore how these dynamics shape students’ experiences. I’m really excited to be part of the SRC, especially with this year’s theme. It is an opportunity to create spaces where research and practice genuinely inform one another, which resonates with my own work in trying to bridge academic inquiry with lived experiences and community knowledge. I’m excited to contribute to making the SRC an inclusive, engaging space where diverse forms of scholarship and practice can meet.

Neama Elsayed PhD student Comparative and International Development Education

Hello everyone! My name is Marcus, a third year PhD student in the Comparative and International Development Education Program at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Currently, I am studying Black and queer youth activism in the United States and am interested in how structural and interpersonal institutions of power coalesce to promote or inhibit Black activism. I decided to join the SRC team to build on my previous experience where I organized two student-led virtual conferences on behalf of CEHD. Ideally, my goal this year is to make the SRC conference more accessible and less intimidating for burgeoning scholars.

Marcus Jenkins PhD student Comparative and International Development Education

I’m from South Korea, where the passion for education runs high. I’ve always carried deep concerns and curiosity about the quality of education for the next generation. Now, I’m in my second year of the PhD program in Educational Policy and Leadership. My research focuses on improving public schools and vividly uncovering the realities of school segregation in the United States. I’m also grateful to serve again as a committee member—this time as Co-Chair of the Program Committee. Even before I entered UMN, I received an email about the Student Research Conference (SRC), which impressed me with how OLPD students independently run their own research conferences. That spirit of independence was one of the key reasons I chose UMN for my doctoral studies. This year, our theme is about bridging practitioners and scholars—something I believe will give you a powerful, resonant experience and motivation to continue your research journey.

Shinae (Summer) Lee PhD student Education Policy and Leadership

I am Nikoo, a third-year Ph.D. student in Comparative International Development Education, and I am a fellow with the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change. My research interests include, but are not limited to, public space and democratic deliberation, sociopolitical learning, social movement learning, educational counter spaces, and minority education. Having worked as both a practitioner in schools and now as a scholar, I'm particularly drawn to SRC's mission of bridging these worlds. I believe meaningful change happens when academic insights meet on-the-ground experience, and I'm eager to help foster these connections through the conference. I've previously presented at and participated in SRC, but I'm thrilled to join the organizing committee this year. I'm eager to learn the behind-the-scenes work and collaborate with the community to make this conference more inclusive, memorable, and—most importantly—fun!

Nikoo Somayeh PhD student Comparative and International Development Education

My name is Yilin Wei. I am in my third year now and a Ph.D. candidate in the CIDE program. My research interests lie in the collaborations between the philosophy studies in epistemic oppression and pedagogical praxis that can respond to them. I am excited to be a member of the planning team this year. I hope to grow through interconnectedness with the team members and all the conference participants, where I learn, relearn, and unlearn about myself and beyond.

Yilin Wei PhD candidate Comparative and International Development Education

Hi, my name is Renee Wharton. I am a second-year OLPD doctoral student in the Human Resource Development track. My research explores early talent development and professional identity formation during internship programs. I joined the SRC Planning Committee because I was a presenter and reviewer for last year's conference and found the experience to be extremely helpful in further developing myself as a scholar and practitioner. As a member of the submissions sub-committee, I am passionate about fostering a culture of thoughtful peer review and constructive critique. I believe that “iron sharpens iron”—that by engaging deeply with each other’s work, scholars can refine their ideas, strengthen their writing, and elevate their quality of research. My motivation to serve stems from a desire to create spaces where emerging researchers feel supported, challenged, and inspired to grow.

Renee Wharton PhD student Human Resource Development