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.

Yetunde S. Alabede is a Ph.D. Candidate in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education at Michigan State University. She is a multilingual educator, researcher, and school founder. Her research centers multilingualism, family language policy, heritage language education, literacy, and decolonial perspectives, with a focus on African and African diasporic communities. She is particularly interested in how families, communities, and digital spaces support language transmission, belonging, and cultural continuity across generations. Yetunde joined the AAAL GSC JEDI Subcommittee to help build academic spaces where scholars from historically marginalized and linguistically diverse backgrounds feel welcome, supported, and valued. She can be reached at alabedey@msu.edu

Paul Mrstik is a low-vision, neurodivergent graduate student and scholar in Hispanic Linguistics at Temple University. He is the founder of PolyGlottal Stop LLC and the creator of CAS-T (Cognitive-Affective-Sociocultural Theory) and IDEALS (Integrating Digital Epistemic Agency and Linguistic Strategies), theoretical frameworks that reimagine language learning through the intersections of emotion, identity, autonomy, and digital access. His research examines how AI, streaming media, and technology shape learner agency and motivation, with a particular focus on equity, accessibility, and Universal Design for Learning. Paul brings lived experience of disability and neurodivergence to his scholarship and advocacy, approaching justice not as an afterthought but as the starting point. He has taught university-level Spanish, designed media-integrated curriculum, and worked extensively with adult ELL learners online across the globe. His work does not retrofit inclusion — it builds from the margins outward.