Celina German

Celina German is a first year doctoral student in the Learning, Literacies, and Technology program at Arizona State University. Her research interests include self efficacy and informal learning spaces. German's research focuses on how district funding, teacher preparation programs, and community partnerships influence racial identity development in after school programs. German's teaching experiences informs her lines of inquiry. Before starting her PhD program, German taught 11th grade English Literature in Phoenix’s West Valley (Avondale, AZ) and led her school site’s Black Student Union. 

Guided by her time in the classroom and personal educational upbringing, German did not see a teacher workforce that ethnically and racially represented the student demographics. As a result, German looked to the out of school time sector to see how student-led initiatives and community based curriculum enriched the academic high school experience. Utilizing Youth Participatory Action Research methodology, German explores how young people of color co-construct critical consciousness and racial self-efficacy with educators.