Graduate Assistant for Race, Education, and Immigration (REIC) Project

Duties and Responsibilities

• The graduate assistant will work with Dr. Bazo Vienrich to interview high school counselors in Massachusetts, analyze survey data using R statistical analysis software, and conduct literature reviews on school counseling, counselors’ racial and gender identities, policies around immigrant students’ experiences in high school and access to college, and Massachusetts’ legislative history on immigrant students. 
• The graduate assistant will be responsible for maintaining organization systems that keep track of interviews conducted, surveys completed, and participant incentives delivered. 
• The graduate assistant will also assist in the development of professional development materials for high school counselors. 
• The graduate assistant should be available in-person and in a hybrid modality. Interstate travel may be necessary to conduct interviews or attend conferences.

Qualifications

Minimum

A bachelor’s degree in sociology or anthropology and at least 12 credits of graduate coursework in sociology. Must also have at least 1 semester of graduate research assistantship experience with an IRB-approved project and possess CITI certification.

Preferred

Previous academic knowledge of immigration, education, and race as it pertains to high school counselors in Massachusetts. The candidate for graduate assistant must have in-depth knowledge of the Massachusetts high school counseling landscape, including the difference between schools with a high proportion of students who fall under the First Language Not English category and all others. Additionally the graduate assistant candidate should be familiar with how charter schools in Massachusetts operate in regards to high school counselors’ roles and their treatment of immigrant students. The graduate assistant candidate should also have a background in survey design, and understand the process from research question to survey question development, and how variables are developed once the survey data is organized in a data set. Lastly, the candidate should have knowledge and professional experience of the college application process for immigrant students, including those with precarious legal statuses.

Learning Outcomes

The Graduate Assistant will participate in high-caliber research through this mixed-methods study of high school counselors’ interactions with immigrant students. Through this work the graduate assistant will learn to conduct qualitative interviews, analyze data using Dedoose and R. Additionally, the graduate assistant will learn project management skills as they keep track of various project milestones through Asana. The graduate assistant will be given the opportunity to participate in conference presentations, scholarly publications, and will be supported as they explore areas of the project that align with their academic and research interests. In sum, the graduate assistant’s learning outcomes will include acquiring writing, methodological, and software skills to a high level of expertise.

Professional Development Outcomes

The graduate assistant will have the opportunity to interact with various professional associations like the Eastern Sociological Society, the American Sociological Association, and the Massachusetts School Counselor Association. Through their role as Graduate Assistant for this externally-funded research project they will also have the opportunity to attend webinars and trainings on pursuing external grants, particularly for graduate or doctoral students. Furthermore, the graduate assistant will be able to lead conference presentations and publications, and through this elevate their standing should they choose to pursue doctoral programs in Sociology. After the completion of the graduate assistantship the student will have acquired knowledge of the higher education landscape as it pertains to research, grant funding, and scholarly publishing.

How to Apply

Please email application, CV and cover letter to Dr. Alessandra Bazo Vienrich.