Before pursuing her doctoral degree education, Nefetaria earned her bachelor’s
degree in psychology with a concentration in culture and Africana studies from the University of Delaware. After which, she earned her master’s degree in education with a certificate in community leadership from Widener University. Nefetaria also has several years of experience in youth development and community engagement. From this perspective, she aims to pursue academic and policy work centered on pan-Africanism and the sociology of education. More specifically, Nefetaria is interested in ways to capture youth experiences, document youth voice, and cultivate spaces to develop youth agency as bridge between theory and practice.

Education

• Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Foundations, Widener University.
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology, University of Delaware.

Professional Experience

• Graduate Teaching Assistant & Research Fellow (2017 – present)
  College Education & Human Development, University of Delaware
• Mentor Coordinator & Case Manager (2014 – 2016)
  Face Forward II Program, Boys & Girls Club of Chester
• Assistant Coordinator, Workforce Development (2012 – 2017)
  Department of Public Affairs, City of Chester
• Undergraduate Research Assistant (2012 – 2013)
  College of Arts & Sciences, University of Delaware
• Program Assistant, Youth Development (2011 – 2012)
  Chester Youth Collaborative, Crozer Keystone Health System

Honors and Awards

• University Graduate Scholars Award ($49,000), 2017-2019
  Office of Graduate & Professional Education, University of Delaware
• Student of Distinction Honoree, 2018-2019
  Office of the Provost & Vice Provost for Diversity, University of Delaware
• Women of Promise Honoree, 2010
  Office of Equity and Inclusion, University of Delaware
• Scholarship Award ($1,500), 2009
  Collegiate Presidential Inaugural Conference, Washington DC
• Student of Distinction Honoree, 2008
  International Youth Leadership Forum, Beijing (China)

Publications

Refereed Articles

• Eisenman, L., Rolón Dow, R., Freedman, B., Davison, A., & Yates, N. (under
  review). “Disabled or not, people just want to feel welcome”: stories of belonging from college students with intellectual disability. Under review in Critical Education.

Edited Volume & Book Chapters

• Yates, N. (under review). Colors outside the lines: recollections and reflections
  on black girlhood. In D. Apugo & L. Mawhinney. (Eds). Strong Black Girls:
  Patchwork Stories of Remembrance, Resistance, and Resilience.

Other Publications & Reports

• Rolón Dow, R., Davison, A., & Yates, N. (under review). Tell it like it is: student
  stories of racial interactions and campus climate. Office of Graduate and
  Professional Education. University of Delaware.
• Yates, N. (2018). Modeling college: perspectives on being an undergraduate
  college readiness coach. Marie and Cynthia Jetter College & Career
  Center. Chester Education Foundation.
• Yates, N. (2017). Examining agency in black and brown communities. Parent
  Advocacy Council for Education. Christina Cultural Arts Center.

Manuscripts In-Progress

• Yates, N. & Philpotts, C. Ratchet consciousness.
• Yates, N. & Alleyne, A. Black resistance to white supremacy throughout US
  history.
• Payne, Y.A., Aviles, A., & Yates, N. “Teachers think the kids around here, don’t
  really want to learn”: street-identified black men and women’s attitudes toward teachers, schools and learning.
• Codding, D., Yates, N., Rolón-Dow, R., Mouza, C., & Pollock, L. Context and
  positionality: a reflexive analysis of community-based computer science
  research.

Presentations

Conferences

• Payne, Y.A., Aviles, A., & Yates, N. (November 2019). “Teachers Think the Kids
  Around Here, Don’t Really Want to Learn”. American Society of
  Criminology. San Francisco, California.
• Yates, N. (May 2019). The Miseducation of Workreadiness: Neoliberalism and the
  Racialization of Youth Employment Initiatives. International Congress of
  Qualitative Inquiry. Urbana, Illinois. (Committee Chair – Coalition for
  Qualitative Inquiry: Critical Research with Youth and Children)
• Yates, N. (April 2019). Modeling College: Perspectives on Being an
  Undergraduate College Readiness Coach. Steele Symposium. Newark, DE.
• Yates, N. (March 2019). Creative Coding: Exploring the Potential of Arts-Based
  Computer Science Education for Minoritized Youth. Black Doctoral
  Network. Los Angeles, California.