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Everything Happens in Time

Ogechi Irondi, IRT ’20

In my culture names have meanings that oftentimes become what you strive to do within your life or, in some cases, who you become. My name, Ogechi, means “in God’s timing”. Outside of religion and spiritual belief, my name reflects what we all know: we cannot control when or how things happen in our lives. I have been intentional in living up to my name by letting go, leaning into uncertainty, and taking things day-by-day. My PhD journey is one that very much follows this idea. I first applied to doctoral programs in 2015 when I was a 5^th grade teacher. At that time, I did not know why I wanted to pursue a doctorate only that I should. I was running from a challenging work environment into what I thought was the obvious next step after reviewing a master’s degree. Thankfully, I was unanimously rejected from every school I applied to. Though I was heartbroken, I was given time to figure out what I wanted, what I was passionate about, why I cared, and what I wanted to do when I left the classroom. It was in those years that I truly developed and understood my “why”. Then, in 2020, during a global pandemic, I applied again. This time, I was accepted into two universities: one that I wanted and the one that I needed.

Ogechi Irondi, IRT ’20

NCORE New Orleans May 30 – June 3

35th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity (NCORE) on Higher Education

IRT Associate Director and Manager of Programs Catherine Wong, IRT Arts and Sciences Specialist Brittany Zorn, IRT ’13, and IRT Education Specialist Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 presented at NCORE in New Orleans earlier this month.

What is NCORE?
According to it’s website – “the conference series constitutes the leading and most comprehensive national forum on issues of race and ethnicity in higher education. The conference focuses on the complex task of creating and sustaining comprehensive institutional change. This change work is designed to improve racial and ethnic relations and their intersections with other issues and groups on campus. The conference speakers and sessions offer strategies for expanding educational access and success for diverse, traditionally underrepresented populations.”

IRT Virtual Summer Workshop 2023

The IRT Summer Workshop in July focuses on advancing scholars preparedness for graduate school and a career thereafter through an equity-centered curriculum. The IRT has planned a series of virtual events with the consortium, alumni, and summer faculty and has adapted the curriculum for online engagement.

Alongside professional and academic skill development, alumni panels, and advising webinars, scholars also will have first-hand access to IRT Consortium graduate school deans, staff, and faculty via the virtual IRT Recruiter’s Fair held during the middle of the month.

Make Your Impact at the IRT!

Since 1990, over 400 alumni have secured doctoral degrees, and over 1,000 have earned Master’s degrees, through the IRT. The program is able to advance this critical work and guide its talented scholars thanks to donor support—contributions from its alumni, partners, and friends. Please consider making a gift to the IRT this fiscal year, ending June 30, and impact the next generation of diverse educators. Your gift—of any size—truly makes a difference. To make a donation, please use the QR code below or visit this link. Thank you!

Alumni Committee Update

Congratulations to Dr. Renée Wilmot, IRT ‘ 12, ’17! Renée successfully defended her dissertation entitled, Pilate’s Wine House: Reimagining Black Women Educators’ Histories & Futures, in May and earned a doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction & Teacher Education from Michigan State University. Wilmot also holds a masters degree in Secondary English from Boston College and a BA from the University of Virginia. Wilmot has been the IRT Alumni Committee Chair and an IRT Advisory Board student representative for the past two years. She has also served as a faculty member for the IRT Summer Workshop and IRT Curriculum Coordinator for several years. As Wilmot’s role of chair ends, she will begin an assistant professor position at Michigan State University in Black, Feminisms, Genders & Sexualities in the Department of African American and African Studies.

We are pleased to welcome Truth Hunter, IRT ’11 who will be acting as the interim chair. Truth is currently pursuing a doctorate in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. Hunter also has a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from the university and a BA from Mount Holyoke College.

I am excited to serve as the interim chair for the IRT Alumni Committee because I truly believe in the mission of IRT, and if there’s anything I can do to give back, I want to be a part of it!
Truth Hunter, IRT ’11