Professional Growth Plan

During the 2024–2025 academic year, I expanded my identity from classroom educator to emerging educational technology leader, higher education instructor, researcher, and community advocate. I focused on strengthening inclusive instructional practices, developing culturally responsive learning environments, and creating opportunities for students whose identities and abilities have historically been overlooked. This year established the foundation for the leadership, scholarship, and service that would shape the remainder of my doctoral journey.

Doctoral and Professional Growth

• Successfully completed the first year of the Ed.D. in Educational Technology Leadership program.

• Updated and expanded my digital portfolio to document my educational philosophy, leadership development, professional goals, scholarship, and service.

• Strengthened my research interest in the intersections of disability, migration, culture, language, and educational access.

• Began developing professional connections with international, refugee-serving, disability-focused, and educational organizations.

• Submitted proposals to three professional conferences.

• Attended professional learning opportunities focused on educational justice, culturally responsive practice, and inclusive education, including an event featuring Dr. Bettina Love at Montclair State University.

Teaching and Inclusive Curriculum

• Differentiated the SONDAY literacy curriculum for bilingual special education students.

• Created original educational games and instructional resources to make literacy intervention more engaging, accessible, and culturally responsive.

• Developed a calming room at Middle School No. 7 to provide students with a supportive environment for emotional regulation, sensory needs, and self-management.

• Taught an adult ESL course for newly arrived mothers in Jersey City.

• Provided test-preparation instruction to students at HoLa School in Hoboken.

• Earned New Jersey ESL and bilingual education certifications.

Cultural Responsiveness and Student Belonging

• Continued and expanded the school-based Henna Club, engaging more than 60 students in cultural arts, identity, leadership, and community-building.

• Received social media recognition from Malala Yousafzai’s account for the Henna Club initiative.

• Used cultural programming to foster belonging and create opportunities for students to share and celebrate their identities.

Digital Leadership and Communication

• Created and managed digital and social media content for Middle School No. 7.

• Helped the school’s TikTok platform reach approximately one million views and 12,800 followers.

• Used digital storytelling to highlight students, educators, school initiatives, and community accomplishments.

• Strengthened family and community engagement through accessible and creative online communication.

New Professional Roles

• Became an Adjunct Professor at New Jersey City University.

• Began teaching and supporting educators through university-based coursework.

• Joined A. Harry Moore Laboratory School as a Demonstration Teacher in the L.I.F.T. Program.

• Began serving transition-age students with multiple disabilities in a university-affiliated laboratory school environment.

This year demonstrated that educational technology leadership extends far beyond the use of digital tools. I learned that leadership can also be expressed through accessible curriculum, cultural affirmation, family engagement, creative problem-solving, and the intentional design of environments in which students feel safe and represented. My transition into higher education and A. Harry Moore Laboratory School broadened my understanding of how educators can influence practice across classrooms, programs, and communities.

The 2025–2026 academic year marked a significant transformation in my professional identity. I moved beyond implementing inclusive practices within my own classroom and began leading schoolwide technology initiatives, teaching future and practicing educators, contributing to international scholarship, and preparing for systems-level leadership. My work increasingly connected educational technology, assistive technology, disability, multilingualism, migration, and community engagement.

Goals Achieved

Doctoral Progress and Research

• Successfully completed Year 2 of the Ed.D. in Educational Technology Leadership program.

• Completed and passed the doctoral comprehensive examination during Summer Institute 2025.

• Developed an extensive dissertation research plan and proposal.

• Refined my study’s focus on educational access, assistive technology, systems navigation, and the experiences of resettled refugees with disabilities in the United States.

• Completed major revisions to Chapters 1–3 of my dissertation proposal.

• Prepared and delivered my dissertation proposal presentation during Summer Institute 2026.

• Created a doctoral research poster communicating the purpose, framework, methodology, and significance of my proposed study.

• Continued completing research ethics and human-subjects preparation related to the Institutional Review Board process.

• Connected my dissertation research to my long-term goal of improving inclusive educational access for displaced and resettled communities.

Comparative and International Education Scholarship

• Participated in the 2026 Comparative and International Education Society Annual Conference in San Diego.

• Was selected for the CIES New Scholars Publications Mentoring Workshop.

• Developed the paper, “Intersectional Perspectives on Education for Resettled Refugees with Disabilities in the United States.”

• Engaged with scholars whose work addresses disability, migration, education, culture, language, and displacement.

• Participated in professional learning sessions related to international education, refugee education, inclusive education, research, technology, and educational equity.

• Was elected Secretary of the CIES New Scholars Technology Committee.

• Continued involvement with the CIES South Asia Special Interest Group.

• Expanded my scholarly network through mentorship, committee leadership, and conference participation.

• Received acceptance for an NJECC presentation, with the exact presentation title and date added as supporting evidence.

Higher Education Teaching

• Continued serving as an Adjunct Professor through New Jersey City University and Kean–Jersey City.

• Taught in the Special Education Department and New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey.

• Designed and facilitated graduate and educator-preparation coursework.

• Taught courses related to speech and language development, corrective instruction, assistive technology, inclusive curriculum, early childhood math and science, assessment, collaboration, accommodations, and modifications.

• Developed complete course syllabi, Blackboard modules, learner profiles, assignments, rubrics, reflections, group projects, and instructional resources.

• Provided individualized feedback to graduate students and practicing educators.

• Applied adult-learning principles to support students in accelerated and online courses.

• Connected course content to authentic classroom practice and the needs of diverse learners.

You may list the courses underneath:

• ECE 656: Building Meaningful Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: Math and Science

• SPEC 669: Speech and Language Development

• SPEC 675: Corrective Techniques for Teaching Exceptional Students

• SPEC 605: Add the official course title

• Additional verified New Pathways or Special Education courses

Inclusive Teaching at A. Harry Moore

• Served as Demonstration Teacher in the L.I.F.T. Program from June 2025 through June 2026.

• Designed accessible instruction for transition-age students with multiple disabilities.

• Taught functional academics, Family and Consumer Science, activities of daily living, Spanish, ELA-integrated content, career readiness, and community-based instruction.

• Created differentiated learning experiences based on students’ communication, physical, sensory, cognitive, academic, and behavioral needs.

• Integrated Smart Boards, iPads, AAC, eye gaze, switches, partner-assisted scanning, Seesaw, Vizzle, Boom Learning, EPIC!, Bamboozle, Twinkl, Lalilo, and IXL.

• Created opportunities for students to build independence, communication, self-advocacy, and functional life skills.

• Collaborated with teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists, administrators, families, university personnel, and community organizations.

• Reorganized the L.I.F.T. schedule to strengthen program coordination and instructional consistency.

• Supported experiential and community-based learning opportunities for transition-age students.

Schoolwide Educational Technology Leadership

• Designed and led the 2025 schoolwide Hour of Code initiative, “Mission: Code Possible.”

• Coordinated accessible coding experiences across 24 classes serving students ages 3–21.

• Adapted coding activities for students using touch access, eye gaze, switches, AAC, and partner-assisted scanning.

• Demonstrated that students with significant and multiple disabilities can participate meaningfully in computer science education when appropriate access supports are provided.

• Developed accessible resources and guidance for educators implementing coding activities.

• Expanded the initiative through Hour of AI and the “Top Secret Agents of Code” theme.

• Supported schoolwide digital learning, technology implementation, and accessible instructional design.

• Contributed to the redesign of the A. Harry Moore Laboratory School website.

• Managed or supported school social media, digital storytelling, event coverage, and family communication.

• Assisted educators in identifying digital tools aligned with instructional and IEP-related needs.

• Helped strengthen technology use across early childhood, elementary, middle school, high school, and transition programs.

School and Community Partnerships

• Supported collaborations with the Jersey City Free Public Library.

• Helped develop Bookmobile and literacy programming for students.

• Contributed to inclusive programming with Liberty Science Center.

• Coordinated or supported programming with Cole the Deaf Dog & Friends.

• Participated in the development of the Tandem pilot initiative.

• Helped create accessible schoolwide experiences connecting technology, literacy, science, communication, and community engagement.

• Supported programming for the A. Harry Moore summer community serving approximately 110 students.

Leadership Recognition and Advancement

• Was selected to serve as Technology Coordinator at A. Harry Moore Laboratory School / Kean University beginning in June 2026.

• Transitioned from classroom-based demonstration teaching into a schoolwide educational technology leadership role.

• Was formally accepted as a 2026–2027 NJLEND Fellow through The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

• Expanded my leadership focus to include interdisciplinary collaboration, disability policy, advocacy, family-centered practice, cultural responsiveness, and systems change.

Public Scholarship and Creative Projects

• Continued developing the concept for Special Education Without Borders, a podcast focused on disability, education, culture, migration, and global access.

• Curated potential guests and topics connected to international special education and refugee education.

• Continued developing a children’s book manuscript.

• Used my website and digital portfolio to communicate research, instructional practice, leadership growth, and community service.

• Evaluated professional seminars and conference sessions to connect new learning to my teaching, leadership, and dissertation work.

This year shifted my understanding of leadership from individual classroom practice to systems-level responsibility. Through my work at A. Harry Moore, adjunct teaching, CIES participation, doctoral research, and NJLEND acceptance, I began to see how technology leadership can shape not only instruction, but also professional learning, school culture, accessibility, communication, policy, and community partnerships. I also learned that meaningful innovation must begin with the learner rather than the tool. Technology is only inclusive when it is intentionally aligned with a person’s strengths, communication needs, identity, goals, and lived experience.

During the 2026–2027 academic year, I will focus on completing my doctoral research while applying my learning through schoolwide technology leadership, interdisciplinary fellowship experiences, university teaching, and professional scholarship. My central goal is to ensure that my research and leadership produce practical, sustainable improvements in access for students, educators, families, and communities.

Doctoral Research and Degree Completion

• Finalize revisions to my dissertation proposal following faculty feedback.

• Complete and submit all materials required for Institutional Review Board review.

• Obtain IRB approval before beginning research activities.

• Recruit participants through ethical and culturally responsive processes.

• Conduct interviews, surveys, or other approved data-collection activities.

• Maintain participant confidentiality and follow all approved research procedures.

• Analyze findings using the study’s approved qualitative methodology.

• Connect findings to practical recommendations for educators, organizations, resettlement agencies, families, and policymakers.

• Complete remaining dissertation chapters.

• Prepare for and successfully defend the dissertation.

• Graduate with the Ed.D. in Educational Technology Leadership, anticipated in March 2027.

• Translate dissertation findings into conference proposals, practitioner resources, presentations, and publication submissions.

Technology Coordinator Leadership

• Lead schoolwide educational technology implementation at A. Harry Moore Laboratory School / Kean University.

• Conduct a schoolwide review of current technology use, accessibility needs, staff capacity, and implementation barriers.

• Develop a clear educational technology vision aligned with the school’s mission and students’ needs.

• Establish systems for requesting, evaluating, implementing, and monitoring educational and assistive technologies.

• Support educators in aligning technology with IEP goals, communication needs, instructional objectives, and student independence.

• Develop accessible professional learning for teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists, and administrators.

• Create practical technology guides, video tutorials, resource libraries, and implementation supports.

• Increase the effective use of eye gaze, AAC, switch access, touch access, iPads, Smart Boards, and accessible digital platforms.

• Develop ways to measure whether technology increases student access, communication, participation, engagement, and independence.

• Continue strengthening the school website, digital communications, family resources, and community storytelling.

• Expand Hour of Code and Hour of AI into sustainable annual schoolwide initiatives.

• Build student-centered technology experiences across all age groups and instructional programs.

• Strengthen partnerships with Kean University, community organizations, libraries, science institutions, and technology providers.

• Explore grant opportunities and external funding for assistive and educational technology.

NJLEND Fellowship

• Complete the 2026–2027 NJLEND fellowship.

• Participate in interdisciplinary learning related to neurodevelopmental and related disabilities.

• Strengthen my understanding of family-centered practice, advocacy, policy, leadership, and systems change.

• Collaborate with professionals and fellows from multiple disciplines.

• Connect NJLEND learning to the needs of transition-age youth with intellectual, developmental, and multiple disabilities.

• Examine how disability services can become more culturally and linguistically responsive.

• Explore the experiences of immigrant, refugee, and multilingual families navigating disability systems.

• Develop a leadership project that connects educational technology, disability access, transition, culture, and family advocacy.

• Share relevant learning with colleagues at A. Harry Moore and within my broader professional communities.

Higher Education and Professional Learning

• Continue teaching in the Special Education Department and New Pathways.

• Refine courses using student feedback, current research, accessibility principles, and authentic practice-based assignments.

• Integrate more examples involving assistive technology, multilingual learners, disability, cultural responsiveness, and family collaboration.

• Mentor emerging educators in creating inclusive and accessible learning environments.

• Develop workshops or professional learning sessions for schools, universities, and professional organizations.

• Expand my teaching portfolio with syllabi, instructional materials, student feedback, and reflective analyses.

Scholarship and Dissemination

• Present at the NJECC conference or other accepted professional events.

• Submit dissertation-related work to CIES and additional educational technology, disability, refugee education, or special education conferences.

• Revise the CIES mentoring workshop paper for publication.

• Submit at least one manuscript to a peer-reviewed or practitioner-focused publication.

• Develop a public-facing summary of my dissertation research.

• Continue participating in CIES committee leadership.

• Build professional connections with scholars and organizations working in disability, migration, refugee education, and educational technology.

• Seek opportunities to facilitate panels, workshops, webinars, or collaborative presentations.

• Document schoolwide technology initiatives through case studies, presentations, or practitioner resources.

Language and Global Learning

• Continue strengthening Spanish for professional and family communication.

• Continue foundational study of Arabic and American Sign Language.

• Identify realistic, measurable language-learning benchmarks.

• Use multilingual communication to strengthen relationships with students, families, educators, and community members.

• Continue learning from international and culturally diverse perspectives.

Public Scholarship and Creative Work

• Move Special Education Without Borders from concept development toward production.

• Record or release an introductory episode or pilot.

• Develop a clear format, audience, purpose, and publication schedule.

• Invite educators, researchers, advocates, families, and community leaders to discuss global disability and educational access.

• Continue revising and submitting my children’s book manuscript.

• Develop accessible educational resources based on my research and professional practice.

I will measure progress through evidence of implementation, reflection, and impact. Indicators will include completion of doctoral milestones, IRB approval, research participation, dissertation progress, professional presentations, manuscript submissions, educator feedback, professional-development participation, documented technology use, student access and engagement, strengthened partnerships, and the creation of sustainable resources. Success will also be measured by whether students, families, and educators experience greater access, confidence, representation, and support.

Beyond the completion of my doctorate, I intend to build a career that connects educational technology, disability advocacy, multilingual education, international research, and community service. My long-term vision is to collaborate with communities and organizations to create inclusive educational resources and systems that remain useful, accessible, culturally responsive, and sustainable.

Long-Term Goals

International Education and Consulting

• Serve as an international education and educational technology consultant.

• Collaborate with organizations supporting refugees, displaced learners, immigrants, newcomers, and individuals with disabilities.

• Pursue opportunities with organizations such as Sesame Workshop, the International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNHCR, the Women’s Refugee Commission, the International Disability Alliance, and other community-based or international partners.

• Support the development of culturally and linguistically responsive educational technology resources.

• Advise organizations on accessibility, inclusive curriculum, disability representation, teacher training, and family engagement.

• Work directly with local partners rather than imposing externally designed solutions.

• Center the knowledge, priorities, and lived experiences of the communities involved.

Refugee and Displacement Settings

• Partner with organizations working in refugee camps, resettlement communities, and displacement-affected regions.

• Co-design accessible educational resources for children and adults with disabilities.

• Support educators working in low-resource and emergency education settings.

• Develop low-cost, low-bandwidth, multilingual, and adaptable technology solutions.

• Address barriers related to communication, disability identification, stigma, educational continuity, and systems navigation.

• Develop training that can be sustained by local educators and community leaders.

• Evaluate impact with community-defined measures of success.

Research and Publication

• Continue research related to disability policy, education, and inclusion in Pakistan.

• Expand research to include other displaced, migrant, and multilingual communities.

• Publish dissertation findings in academic and practitioner-focused outlets.

• Develop collaborative research partnerships with scholars, educators, families, and organizations.

• Present research nationally and internationally.

• Translate academic research into accessible resources for educators, families, advocates, and communities.

• Mentor emerging researchers and educators from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Educational Technology and Disability Leadership

• Advance into district, university, nonprofit, or international educational technology leadership.

• Build scalable models for inclusive technology implementation.

• Support organizations in evaluating whether technology meaningfully improves access.

• Develop professional learning related to AAC, assistive technology, accessible instructional design, and culturally responsive implementation.

• Advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities and families in technology design and decision-making.

• Contribute to policy conversations related to educational technology, disability, multilingualism, and access.

Higher Education and Mentorship

• Continue teaching in higher education.

• Develop courses related to educational technology, disability, global education, multilingual learners, refugee education, and culturally responsive leadership.

• Mentor educators and doctoral students.

• Serve on research, curriculum, accessibility, and community-engagement committees.

• Build partnerships between universities, schools, disability organizations, and refugee-serving agencies.

Public Scholarship

• Continue and expand Special Education Without Borders.

• Develop the podcast into a platform for international dialogue, practitioner learning, and community storytelling.

• Create multilingual and accessible formats where possible.

• Publish children’s books and educational materials that affirm disability, culture, migration, language, and identity.

• Develop workshops, toolkits, digital resources, and open-access materials.

• Use public scholarship to make research understandable and useful beyond academic settings.

Service and Legacy

• Remain grounded in service to marginalized communities.

• Support emerging leaders from immigrant, refugee, disabled, multilingual, and underrepresented backgrounds.

• Create scholarships, mentorship opportunities, or accessible professional networks.

• Build initiatives that can continue without depending solely on my individual involvement.

• Measure my success through the access, opportunities, relationships, and sustainable change created with the communities I serve.

My goal is not simply to introduce technology into underserved communities. My goal is to work alongside communities to create educational opportunities that are accessible, culturally grounded, responsive to lived experience, and sustainable over time. I hope to use my roles as an educator, researcher, technology leader, advocate, and community partner to build systems in which disability, culture, language, and migration are understood as essential considerations rather than afterthoughts.