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professional headshot of Sashir Moore-Sloan

Sashir Moore-Sloan: Bringing History to Life for the Next Generation of Scholars

Sashir Moore-Sloan teaches American History, World History, Women’s Studies, and AP U.S. History at Charles E. Jordan High School, and has taught in Durham schools for more than twenty years. She is also as an adjunct professor in the History Department at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). This summer, she will be an instructor in…

Akanke Mason-Hogans: Finding Meaning in Moments

For Akanke Mason-Hogans, returning to the Hank and Billye Suber Aaron Young Scholars Summer Research Institute as a co-instructor feels like a natural continuation of a journey that began long before her first day in a classroom. Mason-Hogans, a Durham native and graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, didn’t always know she wanted to…

Jaelyn Nixon: Studying Systems, Supporting Students, and Staying Curious

Jaelyn Nixon didn’t plan on becoming a public policy scholar. She didn’t plan on teaching high school students research methods, either. But then again, her path has never really followed a straight line. What has stayed consistent is her curiosity. “I knew I wanted to study people,” says Nixon, a returning instructor to the Hank…

Shamia Truitt: Teaching as Art, Equity, and Legacy

For Shamia Truitt, teaching is far more than a career, it is a calling rooted in service, creativity, and a steadfast commitment to equity. Throughout her more than two decades in the classroom, Truitt has championed a holistic, student-centered philosophy that honors the complexity of her students’ lives. Today, as a 7th grade teacher at…

Oyinkan Ajasa: A Journey from Scholar to Teacher

Once a student in the Hank and Billye Suber Aaron Young Scholars Summer Research Institute, Oyinkan Ajasa has come full circle, returning this summer as a teaching assistant with years of study, community work, and teaching experience at her disposal. “It feels surreal to be back in this space,” Ajasa says. “This program gave me…

Kollin Brown: From Aaron Young Scholar to Aspiring Educator

Kollin Brown’s journey is one that comes full circle. Once a high school participant in the Cook Center’s Hank and Billye Suber Aaron Young Scholars Summer Research Institute, Brown returns this summer—not as a student, but as a teacher’s assistant. It has been 7 years since Brown was an Aaron Young Scholar himself. Now, after…

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Jorge Zumaeta publishes in Journal of Risk and Financial Management

Core Faculty Jorge Zumaeta, Senior Director of Continuing Education and Adjunct in the Department of International Business at Florida International University, recently published an article in the Journal of Risk and Financial Management. The study examined social preference parameters and financial decision-making among welfare recipients in Miami, Florida, comparing their behaviors to those of college…

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Kristen Cooksey Stowers featured in UCONN Today

Faculty Affiliate Kristen Cooksey Stowers, Assistant Professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Population Health Sciences at Duke University, was recently featured in UConn Today for her role in strengthening community-engaged health research. There can be unnecessary red tape that makes day-to-day work tough….

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Sarah Gaither’s research featured in Duke Psychiatry blog on Colleges embracing peer support

Faculty Affiliate Sarah Gaither, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Duke University’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, was recently featured in the Duke Psychiatry blog for her role as co-author of a new study on peer support programs in higher education. The study, published in the Journal of American College Health, provides the most comprehensive look to…

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Sarah Gaither publishes paper in Journal of Experimental Child Psychology on children’s socializing preferences

Faculty Affiliate Sarah Gaither, Associate Professor in Duke University’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, recently co-authored a new article in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. The study examined how group identity and wealth status shape social preferences among children in Hong Kong. Researchers compared responses from 115 Chinese children and 84 ethnic minority South…