Counseling, Educational Psychology & Research
Graduate Student Committee
The Diversity Committee is a group of people engaged in critical conversations about multicultural issues within ourselves, within the group, and in the community around us. Our mission is to equip individuals for educating, mentoring, serving, and actively engaging in opportunities that challenge stereotyped beliefs and create an atmosphere of openness, curiosity, inspiration, responsibility and concern for others.
The Diversity Committee was formed out of a need to engage University of Memphis graduate students in active dialogue on diversity issues. It has been many things over the years including a space for students to examine their own views, biases, and assumptions with support from peers, as well as a resource within the department to spearhead multicultural activities. The Diversity Committee aims to illuminate multiculturalism through explicit conversation within the campus community and active service to the community. Through our mission we also hope to be an integral catalyst for the training of internationally competent professionals steeped in the knowledge of social justice issues.
The Diversity Committee is housed in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research. Membership is open to any University of Memphis graduate student who is committed to the mission stated above regardless of their department. Please feel free to join us at a meeting or contact the committee officers for more information!
Connect with us!
- View our Diversity Training Statement
- Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheDiversityCommittee
- Follow us on Instagram: @uofmdiversitycommittee
- If you would like to join the Diversity Committee, please visit Tiger Zone and request to become a member.
Bobbie Hall, President (She/her)
Bobbie is a first-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program. She received her bachelor’s degree from Miami University (of Ohio) in Psychology, with focuses in multiculturalism and psychopathology, and a minor in disability studies. Bobbie’s research experience includes accessibility, religious sociology, endometrial cancer outcomes and health disparities, and child/family development. At U of M, Bobbie’s research is informed by critical disability theory, disability and social justice, and intersectionality theory. She is particularly focused on the experiences of multiply marginalized individuals, examining both the positive and negative dimensions of their participation in identity-based communities. Her work is primarily qualitative and mixed methods, with a focus on community engagement and involvement. In her spare time, you’ll find her learning about and appreciating the local, national, and international ecology and natural world (ask her about her love for bogs, moss, and mushrooms). She is also a member of Literacy Mid-South and Memphis Arts Women’s Chorus.
Kara Lawrence, Vice President (She/her)
Kara is originally from Macon, GA and most recently lived in Champaign, Illinois. She earned her MA in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Georgia State University and a BA in Psychology from Spelman College. Following her education, she worked in the field of sexual assault advocacy for about four years, before deciding to go back to school. That decision brought her to Memphis, where she is currently a second year in the Counseling Psychology PhD program at UofM. Her developing research interests are centered on survivorship and exploring the impact experiences of sexual assault have on interpersonal/romantic relationships, and overall wellness in Black women and other women of color. She is also interested in exploring the intersecting roles of fatness, queerness, and blackness on sexuality. In her spare time, she loves to hang out with family and friends, read/listen to romance novels, explore new restaurants/coffee shops, binge her favorite shows and shop (for anything really).
Jaimerin (Jaime) Pigrum; Secretary (She/her)
Jaimerin M. Pigrum is a first-year doctoral student in Counseling Education and Supervision at the University of Memphis, where she also earned her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Her professional and academic journey is grounded in a passion for understanding how self-worth and self-esteem influence career development and identity formation. Drawing on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, Jaimerin’s research explores how vocational and trade careers contribute to personal meaning, confidence, and self-concept compared to traditional college pathways.
In addition to her academic work, Jaimerin has professional experience supporting youth and families through community-based intervention services, where she integrates relational, developmental, and strength-based approaches to counseling. She is dedicated to promoting awareness of diverse pathways to fulfillment and professional success. She is also an educator with the University of Memphis psychology department teaching the intro general psychology course as an adjunct professor.
When she’s not studying or teaching, Jaimerin enjoys solving puzzles, building Legos, and reading horror novels. She’s also an avid runner and proud pet parent to her tuxedo companions, Floyd and Fiona.
Colleen Avila; Treasurer, Social Media Coordinator & CPSY First-year Representative
(They/them)
Colleen is a first-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program. They are from Frederick, MD, and in 2023 they earned their B.A. in Studio Art and Philosophy/Neuroscience/Psychology, with a minor in Latin American Studies, from Washington University in St. Louis. Their research interests center on ethnic/racial and gender identity construction (in particular, critical whiteness studies and masculinities), as well as restorative justice. In their free time, Colleen enjoys baking, making mixed-media art, biking, and watching movies!
Sepideh T. Dashti; EDPR Representative (she/her)
Sepideh is a Memphis-based interdisciplinary researcher, artist, and educator, and a part-time PhD student in the EDPR program whose work focuses on belonging, identity formation, and the experiences of marginalized individuals in academic spaces. Her doctoral research explores how women and other minoritized groups negotiate visibility, agency, and involvement in institutional structures. Alongside her scholarship, she maintains a multifaceted artistic practice from her diasporic experience as an Iranian immigrant to challenge dominant narratives and amplify marginalized voices. She also teaches as an adjunct faculty in the Department of Art and Design and the Women & Gender Studies Program, integrating critical theory, creative practice, and lived experience into her pedagogy.
Kumasi Turner; Counseling Master's Representative (He/him)
DeKayla Thomas; Counselor Ed & Supervision Co-Representative (she/her)
Ruby Winters; Counselor Ed & Supervision Co-Representative (she/her)
Madeline Brodt, Faculty Advisor (She/her/hers)
Madeline Brodt is currently an Assistant Professor in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research. Previously, she was an assistant professor in the Counseling and Counseling Psychology department at Oklahoma State University. She received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston after completing her internship at the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System, American Lake Division.
Madeline values justice, compassion, and honesty and emphasizes these in all areas of her life. She believes that the personal is professional and professional is personal. Outside of work, she loves hanging out with her two corgis and partner. She also enjoys creating pottery, watching drag, and reading.
- If you are interested in knowing more about the Diversity Committee, please email Bobbie Hall (bahall1@memphis.edu), follow us on Instagram (@uofmdiversitycommittee) or Facebook (facebook.com/TheDiversityCommittee) or look for the Graduate Student Group emails that come through the CEPR listserv.