2025 Rising Alumni Award Recipient: Lana Peterson
Lekie Dwanyen (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Michigan State University. Her research involves the study of traumatic stress and relational health in families affected by war and political violence. She is interested in culturally and contextually relevant strategies to reduce mental health disparities in marginalized communities.
Dr. Dwayen is invested in advancing systemic family therapy and global mental health research and practice with immigrant and refugee families, as well as families in post-conflict settings. Along these lines, she has engaged Liberian refugees in the U.S. and stakeholders in the national mental health system in Uganda to examine culturally relevant strategies to address family- and community-level mental health concerns.
Current Job: Director of the Data Practices and Analytics Division at the Minnesota Department of Education
CEHD Degree: MEd and PhD, learning technologies
Current job
Director of the Data Practices and Analytics Division at the Minnesota Department of Education
CEHD degrees
MEd and PhD, learning technologies
What is your favorite memory from the University of Minnesota?
My favorite memories from my time at UMN were sharing meals and trying new food with other students in the program. Food played an important role in building community, sharing cultures, and comforting our stressed grad student bodies. During my time in CEHD, my peers and I had thematic program potlucks, made fresh dumplings for the lunar new year, were treated to home-cooked meals from visiting parents, and would find hidden gem global food restaurants around the metro. The peak shared foodie experiences were always at conferences at locations such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Washington D.C., and San Antonio.
What professor(s) or course(s) were most influential during your time in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)?
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from and work with Dr. Cassie Scharber during my time in the PhD program. She afforded me the opportunities within our research projects and community partnerships to apply what I was learning in my courses within real-world settings. This gave me space to build a scholarly identity and gave me the confidence to pursue my interest.
I also had the privilege of taking multiple courses from J.B. Mayo and Mark Vagle. I did not join the PhD program with the intention of becoming a researcher. However, taking courses from these two professors sparked my interest and encouraged me to chart my own path.
What was the impact and benefit of your educational experience in CEHD?
After every class in my first semester, my brain felt like scrambled eggs, and I feared I was not cut out for the PhD life. My feelings of academic inadequacy were no match for my stubbornness and ability to socialize through a situation. Eventually, everything clicked, and I could pivot from 'barely hanging on' to charting my path as an educational researcher. This shift resulted from the professors, peers, courses, and opportunities that CEHD provides. Now, I get to provide that same support and thought partnership to those who I work with and community partners.
When you have 30 minutes of free time, what do you do?
Much of my dissertation work happened during the social distancing time of COVID. Spending so much time on my computer between work and school had me searching for non-screen outlets and ways I could procrastinate writing my paper. It started with a few plants to add a little color to the yard. Four years later, anything that could be converted to garden space has been transformed, and I spend much of my free time digging in the dirt.
What gets you excited about work?
Working at the Minnesota Department of Education is fulfilling and fast-paced. Our Data Practices and Analytics Division supports the whole agency by studying the impacts of educational policy on student outcomes. This means that on any given day, I am going between meetings on a variety of programs, such as the Minnesota Study Survey, attendance district pilots, Free School Meals, out-of-school time learning, and teacher professional development. Every day feels exciting and impactful.