Current Students

People Toggle Tertiary Menu

Faculty
Visiting Scholars & Students
Staff
Current Students
Alumni - Masters Program
Alumni - Doctoral Program

Meet Our Doctoral Students

Filter(s) Applied:

{{s.label}}

To the first page To the previous page To the next page To the last page

Displaying {{totalItems}} {{unit}}

Page {{currentPage}} / {{totalPages}}

No profiles to view at this time. Go to full listing of doctoral student profiles.

To the first page To the previous page To the next page To the last page

Meet Our Masters Students

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Zeynep Can

Zeynep Can was born and raised in Turkey and learned English by listening to Rihanna. She graduated from Middle East Technical University in the Foreign Language Education program and completed a minor in History of Philosophy. She has been an English teacher to students of all ages and skills. Zeynep, a keen cinema enthusiast, studied at Universidad de Deusto in Spain as an exchange student to take the Literature and Cinema course they offered. Because of the same interest in cinema, she has completed all coursework at Bilkent University, Media and Visual Studies MA program while working as a teaching assistant for three different undergraduate courses about cinema history and adaptation theory. She is a visiting Fulbright Fellow and is eager to immerse herself in the fields of epistemology and ethics as an MA student in the Philosophy and Education program.

Patti Devine

Patricia holds a BA in Philosophy with a double concentration in Ethics & Society, and Phil, Politics, & Law from Marist University. She is originally from the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California. Her desire for a greater worldview sparked at an early age that only grew fonder into adulthood.

Raised in an era before homosexual relationships were acknowledged or accepted, Patricia’s mothers displayed a resilience and advocation against injustices of the era until they could be lawfully wed. Seeing firsthand both the struggles and triumphs of her family solidified her determination to help form a more ethical and morally just world.
She has been greatly inspired by the contributions of Fredrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Virgina Held, Christopher Hitchens, Patricia S. Churchland, Martha Nussbaum, and Emma Dabiri.

Patricia often volunteers with youth development programs and veteran peer support services which allows her to provide them with perspectives through a philosophical lens that encourages introspection for all age groups and cultural backgrounds.She is eager to learn more and believes that the immersion of Philosophy and Education will present significant opportunity for further philosophical works that will lead to the betterment of our society.

Zixuan Huang

Born and raised in Zhejiang, China, Zixuan moved to the United States as a high school sophomore. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. degree in philosophy with a German Studies minor. He also holds an M.A. degree in philosophy from King’s College London. Motivated by an urge to teach new generations of students in an increasingly tumultuous world and partially disillusioned with the current approaches to philosophy as a discipline, Zixuan thinks that attending Teachers College should mark an important life pivot for him to explore the worlds of theory and practice. In terms of philosophy, he finds existentialism and phenomenology particularly fascinating, while philosophy of the mind and the theories of decolonization motivate him the most as an aspiring future educator. He wishes to become an inspiring history teacher just like those who have inspired him.

Balgum Kim

Balgum Kim, whose name translates to 'brightness' in English, is dedicated to illuminating people's lives through education. With over 15 years of experience as a private tutor, consultant, mentor, and coach, she has helped bridge generational and cultural gaps for immigrant families. Her passion for people inspired her educational journey, leading to a B.A. in Psychology from UC Irvine and a Neuroscience Certification from UPenn LPS. Currently, she is refining a self-management coaching program to further her mission of helping people live, love, laugh, and learn.

Seungyoon Lee

Seungyoon Lee graduated from Yonsei University in Korea with a BS in Creative Technology and Management and a BA in Economics. While serving as student council president, he recognized education's potential to empower individuals to lead meaningful, authentic lives by exploring their identities and roles within their communities. After graduation, Seungyoon served as a lieutenant in the Korean Army, where he developed a deep passion for understanding how educational experiences can stimulate individual growth while harmoniously aligning organizational objectives. This experience strengthened his belief that education must extend beyond traditional boundaries. Through his master's program at Teachers College, majoring in Philosophy and Education, he aims to deepen his philosophical foundation regarding the role of lifelong education in supporting meaningful progress for society as a whole.

Stephen Onley

Stephen served in the United States Army for seven years, including a 2009 deployment to Afghanistan. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Indiana University. His undergraduate studies unexpectedly sparked an interest in philosophy, leading him to explore the works of thinkers such as Buddha, Viktor Frankl, Aristotle, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Carl Jung. This period of self-discovery significantly impacted his post-military transition. For the past three years, he has served as an advocate and leader for veterans in higher education. Stephen's research interests include the question of how individuals can utilize self-discovery, informed by philosophical frameworks, to overcome trauma and achieve personal growth. He seeks to investigate how community colleges can facilitate this process more effectively. Stephen also maintains a keen interest in psychoanalytical perspectives on the self and the philosophical complexities of the mind-body problem.

Lake Ouyang

Lake Ouyang was born in Guangdong, China. He graduated from Stony Brook University with a BS in Mathematics and an MAT in Mathematics. During his undergraduate years, he has done personal readings in Buddhist philosophy, Confucianism, and Daoism, finding a deep resonance with all three. This experience formed his belief that education fundamentally cultivates and influences the development of humanity, and shapes our future world. Driven by this conviction, Lake became a middle school teacher. He has a research interest in Virtue ethics and Character Education, seeking answers to questions such as how to teach virtue and practical wisdom, how to guide people in pursuing a good life, and how to introduce philosophy to both children and the general public. Additionally, Lake enjoys comparative studies of Eastern and Western philosophy and wishes to find common ground between these traditions.

Emilia Tanu

Emilia has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland-College Park. Her experiences with researching empathy in STEM education surprised her, resulting in a desire to pursue more philosophical questions about STEM and education. Emilia also currently teaches kindergarten and first grade Math full-time at a public charter school in the South Bronx.

Maryna Tkachenko

Maryna graduated from CUNY Brooklyn College in December 2019 with a BA in Political Science and Philosophy. She concentrated on feminist political philosophy. Her current interests revolve around feminist epistemology, politics of education, ethics of education, and how these factors shape knowledge production. Combining her background in philosophy and her family's teaching experiences in the Soviet Union, Maryna seeks to gain a better understanding of diverse pedagogical approaches.

Master of Education (Ed.M.)

Brady Gilliam

Brady Gilliam is the founder of the Gilliam Writers Group, a Brooklyn-based education and editorial firm that specializes in improving people’s writing. His work as a writing coach and business leader is informed by his early experiences in the publishing industry as well as his ongoing discussions with a wide range of clients and students, from career authors to eight-year-old bookworms.

Brady earned his B.A. in Comparative Literature and Anthropology from UNC Chapel Hill (2019), attending Duke University simultaneously through the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program. He spent the 2016-17 academic year as a visiting student in English and History at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University.

Since founding the Gilliam Writers Group, his career in educational leadership and learning design has been driven by three core values: first, his conviction in the interdependence of educational practice and philosophical thought; second, his commitment to long-term, historically informed thinking; and third, his trust in the principle of “hybridity,” in the benefits of interdisciplinary, diversely inspired approaches to work and life.

Brady’s main academic interest is “enduring institutions” in education – organizations that tether individual learning to history’s longue durée.

Stephen McDonald

Stephen McDonald returns to Teachers College as an Ed.M. student in the Philosophy and Education program. He teaches history at an independent preparatory school in Manhattan. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Marist College and his Master of Arts in Teaching Social Studies here at Teachers College, Columbia University. Stephen studied political science at the University of Vermont where he also wrote for the student newspaper and was active in the Debate Union; this was followed by a career in banking. He then returned to school, at Marist, with the intention of going on to law school but jokes, “I got lost on my way to Columbia Law and found myself at Teachers College.” After Marist, his passion for history and learning took him to Trinity College (Connecticut) pursuing graduate study in American Studies, which inspired him to pursue a new career in teaching. Stephen has taught history and social studies at independent schools in New York and New Jersey, where he has taught ancient and modern world history, American history and government, and economics. Stephen shares his passion for history with his students, often reminding them, “What makes these lessons timeless is just how timely they can be.” When he is not in the classroom, as either a teacher or a student, he is a frequent traveler and photographer. He has a daughter in college, presently studying education.

Kuan Lin Tsang

Kuan-Lin Tseng

Kuan Lin Tsang was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He has a Master of Arts (Hons) from the University of Edinburgh, majoring in Philosophy and English Literature (2016). Since then, he has worked as a language teacher in schools in Taipei. When he is not working, Kuan is a barista who started a coffee workshop in 2019.

becky lallande

Becky Lallande

Becky Lallande is an educator, dancer, and vocalist from Annandale, Virginia and holds a MA in Psychology in Education and a BA in Religious Studies. Prior to attending graduate school she developed a career as a teaching artist with a focus on early childhood development in the arts. Now with over 15 years of experience in arts education she is passionate in the foundations of learning and cultivating meaningful relationships in educative spaces. She is trained in arts integration techniques for the classroom, trauma-informed arts-based practices, and the modern dance style of Isadora Duncan for children. As an educator she finds a deep importance in understanding the ways in which people communicate with each other, especially through a wide range of perspectives and needs. With deep inquiry toward the intersections of post-materialist science, music, and imagination, she seeks methods of practical implications of research on these topics in education and everyday life. Additional academic research interests include embodied cognition, perceptual studies, policy in education, and the history of psychology and education in the United States.

Current Students