2026-2027 Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
Sub-Committee

Munira Kairat is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Education at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a 2026 National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Dissertation Fellow. Drawing on ethnographic, community-based, and interactional approaches, her work examines transnational family, heritage language classrooms, social media narratives, and cultural performances as sites where linguistic and cultural identities and belonging are constructed. Munira’s dissertation investigates Los Angeles–based multilingual Kazakh children’s and youth’s heritage language revalorization and emerging Central Asian identity formation in a community-based program established by first-generation immigrants from Kazakhstan. Focusing on heritage multiliteracies across reading, art, poetry, dombra music, and dance, her research examines how Kazakh, English, and Russian repertoires are mobilized in learning environments shaped by transnational Central Asian community building, language revalorization, Russification legacies, and U.S. schooling. Munira joined the AAAL JEDI GSC Committee to support more inclusive and equitable experiences for AAAL graduate student members and conference attendees. She can be reached at munila_hailati@ucsb.edu

Crystal Bonano is a Ph.D. student in the Linguistics and Applied Language Studies program at the University of South Florida. She holds a B.A. in English Literature with a double minor in Linguistics and German Studies from the University of South Florida and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Crystal has been a language educator for nearly a decade and has primarily taught ESL/EAP courses in both community colleges and universities. More recently, she has also been teaching undergraduate Spanish language courses. Her research interests lie in the intersection of sociolinguistics, pragmatics, and second language communication, with a particular focus on language attitudes, accent perception, and language ideology and legitimacy. Some of her current projects include investigating dialect variation across Spanish Latin American dubbing of animated films, examining Spanish language learners' perceptions of “death talk” and death education, and implementing a module into world language courses to assess its impact on students’ awareness of their accent biases and knowledge of accent diversity. She can be reached at cbonano@usf.edu

Bolaji Bamidele is a Ph.D. candidate 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 research is driven by a commitment to making STEM learning more accessible and meaningful for all youth. It examines how race, gender, language, and migration histories shape youth identity development in science learning contexts. Bolaji has actively participated in community efforts. She has held leadership roles, including serving 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 reflected in 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 within the American Association for Applied Linguistics. Bolaji can be reached at bolaji.bamidele@usu.edu.

Xinhang Hermione Hu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Applied Linguistics and Language Education program at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is interested in transnational experience, pluri/multilingualism, race, and international students. One aspect of her research focuses on world language teaching and learning. Another area of focus is international students and their experiences with race and language. Her current projects center transnational language teachers’ identity and pedagogy, Chinese international students’ identity, and racialized experiences through ethnography, narrative inquiry, self-study, and case study. She speaks Mandarin Chinese, English, and Korean. She can be reached at xhhu@umd.edu.

Warda (they/them) is a queer and disabled Colombian-Palestinian graduate student and scholar at Georgia State University's Applied Linguistics program in Atlanta, Georgia. Warda's works on intersectional accessibility and disability justice in cultural and educational spaces draws from their passion in sociolinguistic and identity theory research as well as their community advocacy work in their personal life. This led to them pursuing research in the intersection of identity theory, cultural preservation, Palestinian diaspora studies, and heritage language education. Warda is not only interested in researching the ways to bridge the gaps in heritage language motive and cultural identity research, but also creating inclusive spaces and curriculums for Palestinian heritage language learners that will allow varying intersects of the diaspora to connect with lessons and thrive in their classes while processing collective grief. Warda joined AAAL GSC JEDI Subcommittee to help uplift the voices of scholars historically and continuously been marginalized and censored in academia. They can be contacted at wmustafaquintana1@student.gsu.edu