2019 Rising Alumni: Brynja Halldórsdóttir Gudjonsson
Brynja Halldórsdóttir Gudjonsson is a Professor at the University of Iceland School of Education. Brynja is a graduate of the Comparative and International Development Education program. Her research focuses on immigrant students and how they experience higher education, and how immigrants access resources and build community. She chairs the Department of International Studies in Education and serves as undergraduate student coordinator. Brynja’s research is inspired by her experience in Icelandic society as a child with two nationalities–her mother was Irish. She is currently working on a project focused on public discourse about immigrants, including looking at hate speech in the comment sections of online news sites.
Employer
Assistant Professor, Chair of Department of International Studies in Education, Department of Diversity and Education, School of Education at the University of Iceland
CEHD Degree
Ph.D. Educational Policy and Administration, Comparative & International Development Education (2012); M.A. Educational Policy and Administration, Comparative International Development Education (2003); B.A. Quantitative Economics & Russian Area Studies (1995)
Please list any professional accomplishments you wish to mention.
I am a Pazedak Grant recipient.
What professor(s) or course(s) were most influential during your time in CEHD?
Melissa Anderson’s class on organizational theory was an inspiration. Peter Demerath’s course on anthropology of education and Art Harkin’s classes on systems theory and knowledge formats also were formative.
What is your favorite memory from the University of Minnesota?
Attending a talk by Naim Maydun on micro-aggressions was a turning point in my understanding of race and lived experiences of oppression in an institutional and systemic framework.
What was the impact and benefit of your educational experience in CEHD?
The learning and experiences I had during my time at the University of Minnesota were varied and engaging and allowed me the freedom of pursuing an interdisciplinary line of study that prepared me to be an engaged and empathetic scholar.
What skills are important to succeed as an emerging professional today?
The ability to actively listen, learn with your students, and empathize with others.
When you have 30 minutes of free time, what do you do?
I’ll go for a walk or read a science fiction or fantasy book. Right now, I really enjoy post-apocalyptic novels.
How do others describe you?
Open-minded and engaged.
How do you describe yourself?
Curious and contrarian.
What's a good book you'd recommend to others?
Anything by Bell Hooks or Patricia Hill Collins.
If you could have coffee with anyone from history, who would it be?
Steven Biko.
What gets you excited about work?
Leanring
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A teacher.
Outside of your job, how do you grow professionally?
Reading and learning new things outside of my field of research and work.
What is a “fun fact” about you?
I am left-handed and play the violin.