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  4. Thea Racelis

Thea Racelis

Ph.D. Student, School of Education
Program Area: Curriculum, Culture, and Change

EducationThea Racelis

  • Ph.D. in Education, Virginia Commonwealth University (May 2026)
  • M.Ed. in Secondary Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (May 2021)
  • M.Div., Claremont School of Theology (May 2014)
  • M.A. in English Education, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (2007)

Line of Research

My research focuses on educational policy and legislation that limit the exploration of subjects related to race, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation in schools.

Research and Scholarship

  • Racelis, T., Strunk, K., & Thacker, N. (2023) Imposter Participants in Queer and Trans Mental Health Research. Manuscript accepted for publication.
  • Racelis, T. & Parkhouse, H. (2023) Locating Our Role in the Struggle: Lessons from the Past on Teachers’ Persistence, Solidarity, and Remoralization. Manuscript accepted for publication.
  • Strunk, K., Thacker, N., & Racelis, T. (2023, August) “Exploring Education for Providing LGBTQ+-Affirming Mental Health Care” American Psychological Association Poster Session, Washington D.C.
  • Racelis, T., Strunk, K., & Thacker, N. (2024, April). Imposter Participants in Queer and Trans Mental Health Research. Paper submitted to be presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Parkhouse, H., Racelis, T., Williams, C. D., Lozada, F. T., Senechal, J., & Golden, C. (2024, April). Centering ethnic-racial identity in culturally responsive home-school collaborations with Black and Latine youth. Paper submitted to be presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
  • Senechal, J., Racelis, T., Rodriguez, B., & Goldman E. (2023, June). “Engaging the Voices of Students and Parents to Develop a Framework for Family Engagement in Curriculum” MERC Summit Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice Through Shifting Paradigms in Public Education, Richmond, VA.
  • Golden, C. & Racelis, T. “Funds of racialized identity: A conceptual model of funds of identity and ethnic-racial socialization” Graduate Research Symposium, March 2023, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

Biography

Thea Racelis is a second-year doctoral student in the Curriculum, Culture, and Change program at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education. Her research interests are centered on equity and access for underserved students and for underrepresented educators. She is also deeply interested in critical hope and liberatory pedagogical approaches to learning.

What does the Holmes Scholars program mean to you?

I am grateful for the opportunity to connect and learn as someone who is part of a community that has been historically underrepresented in academia. The Holmes program helps to draw back the curtain to show the inner workings of academia and help me to identify the spaces where I can be an agent of change and transformation.

Curriculum Vitae