Emily Niska

Emily Niska (Cole) is a graduate teaching assistant, educational researcher, and English Education doctoral student at Arizona State University (ASU). Her passion for reading and writing inspired her to study English and Women’s & Gender Studies as an undergraduate at Barrett Honors College at ASU and then at Brandeis University, where she completed a dual master's in English Literature and Women’s & Gender Studies and, eventually, earned her English Licensure for grades 5-12. She has been teaching English Language Arts and Composition for the past thirteen years to learners in all stages of life from fourth grade through college. She currently teaches First Year Composition and English Education courses at ASU. She also serves on the ASU Writing Programs Committee, on the executive board of the Arizona English Teachers Association (AETA) as the President-Elect, and as a Graduate Assistant Director of Writing Pedagogy for the ASU Writing Programs. Her research interests include secondary/post-secondary reading, writing, and literacy development; therapeutic writing; and equity-based pedagogies, such as culturally responsive and culturally relevant teaching, as well as anti-racist/anti-queerphobic literature instruction.