2025-2026 Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
Sub-Committee

Eun Cho is a doctoral student in Language and Literacy Education with a graduate certificate in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Georgia State University, where she was awarded the Dean's Doctoral Fellowship (2024-2028). She holds an M.A. in Foreign Language Education in English from Seoul National University. Eun’s research focuses on translingual identity, teacher identity, critical pedagogy with her broader question of how language can empower people at the margins, particularly among transnational women across generations. Her epistemology is grounded in critical theories that advocate for human emancipation. Prior to her doctoral studies, she taught English to underprivileged elementary students in Korea for three years through a community-based program. Eun also identifies as a writer who has published book chapters on feminist pedagogy and bell hooks' theories applied to the Korean context in public, non-academic books. She joined the JEDI Sub-committee of AAAL with a hope to develop a solidarity research group focused on the emancipation of women and queer individuals, while also working to create a more inclusive conference environment for international participants who had long flights to attend the conference and need dedicated resting spaces. She can be reached at echo28@gsu.edu and her research can be found at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eun-Cho-23.

​Seon Ja Chang is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia, with a concentration in TESOL and World Language Education. She holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature with a minor in Economics from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, and an M.Ed. in Bilingual Education and TESL from the University of Central Oklahoma. Seon Ja brings over 15 years of experience as an English teacher in South Korean public high schools. Her current research focuses on the development of disciplinary literacies among newly arrived immigrant multilingual students, particularly in STEM classrooms. She is also interested in the genealogy of bi/multilingual education in the U.S. and in postqualitative inquiry, thinking with poststructural and posthumanist philosophies. She joined the AAAL JEDI GSC Committee with a commitment to fostering more inclusive and equitable experiences for all AAAL conference attendees. She can be reached at seonja.chang@uga.edu.

​Asya Gorlova is a Doctoral Candidate in the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Graduate Interdisciplinary Program at the University of Arizona. She holds an MA in Linguistics from Saint Petersburg State University and an MA in Russian and Slavonic Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Asya has been a language teacher for over 8 years. Her research explores adult refugee language learning settings. In particular, she focuses on how refugee resettlement policies and language teacher practices, experiences, and professional learning shape the educational experiences of adult refugee language learners. She joined the AAAL JEDI GSC Committee to support work on more transparent and sustainable JEDI practices and advocate for more accessible conference experiences. She can be reached at agorlova@arizona.edu.

Bolaji Bamidele is pursuing her doctorate in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences at Utah State University. She holds a BSc and MSc in Sociology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her scholarly interests encompass identity, equity, culture, and broadening women and minorities participation in STEM. Specifically, her research explores how race, gender, language, and migration histories shape the science identities of African refugee-background girls in informal science programs. She investigates how culturally and linguistically designed science programs support learners’ intersecting identities and broaden participation in STEM. Bolaji has actively participated in various community efforts. She has taken on leadership positions, such as Vice President of the GCCF student organization, and currently serves on the NARST Equity and Ethics Committee. Her dedication to science education research, leadership, and academic excellence is highlighted by several awards, including the Sandra K. Abell Scholar Award, the USU Graduate Enhancement Award, the University of Ibadan Scholars Award, and the Dean's Honors Award. Through her service on the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Sub-Committee, she continues to foster community-building and inclusive advocacy for graduate students in the American Association for Applied Linguistics. Bolaji can be reached at bolaji.bamidele@usu.edu