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With three children between the ages of one to four, a career as an early childhood special education classroom teacher in Brighton, CO, and a lifelong dream of pursuing a doctorate degree, Rossi desired a program created for busy working professionals that supported her interests regarding research and evaluation methods in schools. Thanks to flexible hybrid and online course formats in the School of Education & Human Development’s Doctor of Education in Leadership for Educational Equity program – and support from the Colorado Association of Latin@ Administrators and Superintendents scholarship program and Doctoral Students of Color Organization scholarship funds – her dream is within reach.  

“It’s been nice to have remote classes because all my classmates know my children,” said Rossi. “My classes are usually in the weekday evenings from 5 - 7:45 p.m. I can pick up my kids, be home in time, and still be around to help take care of them after class, which is always nice. When you are working full-time, you only get to see your children for certain windows of time.” 

Rossi earned her MA in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education through the School of Education & Human Development’s NxtGEN Teacher Residency program. She even got married on the CU Denver campus. Therefore, she fully appreciates the CU Denver education community. “I’m extremely loyal to CU Denver,” she said. 

Four years ago, she joined the EdD cohort focused on Latin@ Learners and Communities during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to finetune her knowledge and abilities to support students with disabilities in her inclusive classroom. With the recent merging of the EdD Latin@ cohort with a cohort titled Urban and Diverse Communities, her work is now situated within a supportive cohort filled with students of color who are pursuing the Justice, Equity, and Diverse Identities EdD concentration. Since she loves to learn about statistical methods, Rossi has recently added a certificate in Research and Evaluation Methods to her EdD coursework.  

Rossi is set to complete her EdD coursework in Spring of 2024, then complete her dissertation-in-practice. She is especially interested in researching English as a Second Language and how language barriers affect accessing special education services. “I’d like to support equity work by investigating the assessments and evaluations that we have for students with special needs,” she said. “A lot of assessments are in English or Spanish; but that doesn't encompass many of my students who have special education needs who need assessments in their native language.” 

Her favorite part of the EdD has been working with the world-renowned faculty. “Faculty members like Dr. Robin Brandehoff and Dr. Courtney Donovan just really build community and make me feel like I belong. They really care about me,” she said. “I get emails from them all the time about jobs, committees, student organizations, and other opportunities. Their notes really show that they do not just want me to pass classes and move on. They really want me to succeed. They stress their confidence in my capabilities weekly, helping me to push away imposter syndrome.” 

Rossi is most thankful for the scholarship funds she and other Doctoral Students of Color members have received to date. “Most of us are working class people,” she said. “We work full-time, go to school, and support families. Unfortunately, tuition and books are not free. Those costs stack up.” 

“I am a person who absolutely loves learning and inspiring children,” Rossi said. “My classmates are similar. Scholarships to the EdD program help us share our learnings to improve educational pursuits in diverse communities. One day, when we finish our doctorates, we want to give back, too. We hope to become the next generation of university donors who support educational opportunities for others.”  

Interested in becoming a contributor to the success of SEHD’s Doctoral Students of Color group on or before CU Denver’s Giving Day on April 4, 2024? Learn more here.