Kemigisha Richardson
Ph.D. Student, Comparative and International Education
Dissertation Advisor: Mary Mendenhall
Research Discipline/Bio
Kemigisha Richardson is a Ph.D. Candidate in Comparative and International Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and 2025 NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellow. Her research explores institutional structures, policies, curricula, and pedagogies that support empowering and sustainable teaching conditions, as well as positive academic and psychosocial outcomes for students in crisis-affected contexts. Prior to her doctoral studies, Kemigisha worked as a public school teacher in Hawai'i with students with diverse learning needs and newcomers with varied English literacy.
Educational Background
Master of Philosophy, Comparative and International Education, Columbia University, 2025
Master of Science, Educational Studies, Johns Hopkins University, 2019
Bachelor of Arts, Science and Management, Claremont McKenna College, 2017
Honors/Awards
National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, 2025; Dean’s Grant for Student Research, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2025; Vice President’s Grant for Student Research in Diversity, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2024; Racial Justice Fellowship, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2023; Carmela and Marie F. Volpe Fellowship, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2023
Publications/Exhibitions
Angong, M.P., Etzel, S., Hough, W., Mendenhall, M., Richardson, K., Tryon, T., & Wol, M. (2025). Teacher Compensation in Crisis Contexts: Problems & Paradoxes for Paying Teachers in South Sudan. Education International.
Mendenhall, M., Richardson, K. (2024). Teachers in Refugee & Displacement Settings: Challenges & Opportunities for Strengthening Teacher Quality & Workforce Sustainability amidst National Inclusion Efforts (Uganda Case Study). UNHCR.
Mendenhall, M., Richardson, K., Bangirana, C., Bol, J., Canavera, M., Ezekiel, W., Frieder, M., Mayevskaya, Y., Nalyong, E., Okot, O. (2024). Reimagining education: Integrating the arts in schools with refugee children. NORRAG Special Issue: Education for Society Transformation: Alternatives for a Just Future, 10.
Richardson, K. (2024). Those We Throw Away Are Diamonds: A Refugee’s Search for Home. M. Dogon and J. Krajeski. Journal of Refugee Studies, Volume 37, Issue 2, June 2024, Pages 608–610, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feae019
Mendenhall, M., Etzel, S., Richardson, K., Ikobwa, V., Okello, J., Hure, M. (In Press). Harmonizing teachers’ salaries among diverse teacher profiles: Lessons from refugee-hosting contexts in Uganda. Promising Practices in Teacher Well-being, Management, and School Leadership. INEE.
Last Updated: Jul 14, 2025