The Education and HDFS Graduate Association (EGA) is the official student organization of full- and part-time graduate students at the University of Delaware’s School of Education and Department  of Human Development and Family Sciences. Officers are elected to EGA each year for a one-year term. Students are granted membership in this association upon acceptance to the School, and its officers are elected from among your peers and colleagues.

The EGA serves as a link to news, information, and events within the school that affects graduate students. It also serves as an advocate and representative to the faculty and administration of the School on matters ranging from quality of life to programs and advising. The EGA also holds events throughout the semester. Connect with them on Facebook.

2026 Officers

Sotheara Veng

President, Data Analyst & Communications Committee Member

Sotheara Veng is a Ph.D. student in the Education program with a specialization in Learning Sciences. He previously served as a lecturer in the Department of English at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His work also includes consulting on national education technology and data system initiatives in Cambodia, where he collaborates with government and development partners to design data management systems and Generative AI-enabled learning supports.

His research focuses on motivation and self-regulated learning in technology-enhanced environments, including generative AI-supported academic reading and writing, computational thinking, GenAI literacy, and culturally responsive STEM education.

Laurence Wang

Vice President, Data Analyst, Education Workshops Committee Member

Senran (Laurence) Wang is a Ph.D. student in the Education and Social Policy program. She holds a Bachelor of Economics from Renmin University of China and an M.A. in Education and Social Policy from New York University. Previously, she worked with high school students in the Washington Metropolitan Area, supporting them in navigating the college application process. Her research interests center on transitions and pathways from high school to postsecondary education and the academic and professional impacts of higher education policies, using quantitative methods.

Amanda Man

Secretary & Social Event Committee

Amanda On-Yee Man (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, Newark, DE. She completed her B.A. in English Literature and Secondary Education at Washington University in St. Louis and holds a M.S.Ed. in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. In the years between her studies, she taught secondary English language and literature in the U.S. and abroad. Her research interests focus on the interactions between and within schools, communities, and young people during and after crises and contention.

Joy Polk

Treasurer, Second-Year Representative & Social Events Committee Member

Joy Polk (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Educational Statistics and Research Methods at the University of Delaware’s School of Education. She earned her M.Ed. in Quantitative Methods from Vanderbilt University and her B.S. in Psychology, with minors in Mathematics and Cognitive Science, from Villanova University. Previously, she taught math and science to students in grades 6–12 and contributed to research and evaluation projects with Assessment for Good, Reading Reimagined, and the Center for Rural School Health & Education. Her research interests focus on how people understand, weigh, and use evidence in educational decision-making, with broader interests in critical approaches, mixed methods, measurement, and evaluation.

Zhixian Zhuang

Social Events Committee Member

Zhixian Zhuang is a Ph.D. student in the School of Education with a specialization in Literacy. She earned her undergraduate degree in China and completed her master’s degree in the United Kingdom before beginning her doctoral studies at the University of Delaware.

Her research focuses on language and literacy development across cultural and linguistic contexts. She is especially interested in how language, culture, and institutional expectations intersect to shape students’ academic experiences.

Man Jiang

CGSE Representative and Social Events Committee

Man Jiang is a Ph.D. student in Education at the University of Delaware with a specialization in Literacy. Her research focuses on writing development and argumentative writing through quantitative and computational approaches. She holds a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and has over 10 years of experience teaching English to multilingual learners in U.S. K–12 and international school settings.

Bita Moradi

Educational Workshops Committee Chair

Bita is a Ph.D. student in Education, specializing in literacy. Her career as a school teacher in Iran drew her into researching language and literacy skills of K-12 students and educating K-12 teachers. Her primary goal is improving educational attainments of multilingual learners (i.e., English learners). Due to the fact that leveraging students’ gains is associated with teachers’ pedagogical practices, she is actively conducting research on teacher education programs. Currently, Bita’s research with her advisor Dr. Adrian Pasquarella pivots around educating Delaware K-12 teachers of English learners.

Mina Sajjadi

Communications Committee Member

Mina Sajjadi is a Ph.D. student in the Education and Social Policy program at the School of Education and the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration. Her research focuses on teacher professional development and educational policies, with a particular interest in culturally responsive teaching and teacher efficacy.

Mina holds a B.A. in English Translation Studies from Bu-Ali Sina University and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) from Tarbiat Modares University in Iran. She has 15 years of experience teaching English as a second language to K-12 students, university students, and IELTS examinees. Additionally, she served as the head of an English teachers’ research community group for one year and as vice-principal and educational technology administrator at various high schools for three years.

Currently, Mina collaborates with Professor Dr. Laura Desimone on multiple studies examining teacher professional development and related educational policies.

Gail Walter

First-Year Representative

Gail Walter is a Ph.D. student in the Education program with a specialization in Learning Sciences. They earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a M.A. in Psychology from the University of Chicago. Their research interests include how students learn from errors and students’ motivation for learning math and math identity.