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College of Education

AACTE Holmes Scholars

The AACTE Holmes Scholars Program supports students from historically underrepresented communities who are enrolled in doctoral programs in the College of Education. Students receive financial support for up to three years. There is no specific deadline or application for the Holmes Scholars Program. Holmes Scholars are selected during the Ph.D. admissions process by the Department to which they are applying. If you are selected as a Holmes Scholar, your department will notify our office, you will be notified and provided next steps.

Current Scholars

Ta'lia Gordon

Ta'lia Gordon

Ta'lia Gordon is a Ph.D. student in Higher Education at the University of South Carolina. Born and raised in Ridge Spring, South Carolina, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of South Carolina. Recently, she graduated from Florida State University with a Master’s in Higher Education. During her master’s program, she served as a 2023 PURPOSE Fellow, designing a research project focused on identifying the experiences of Black student leaders at predominantly white institutions. Her research interests highlight the need to value and appreciate Black students, recognizing that the Black experience is not monolithic. She emphasizes creating spaces for students to explore their leadership identities and empowering them to see themselves as leaders, not just problem solvers for others. Currently, Ta’lia is a graduate research assistant for Henry Tran in the Department of Leadership, Learning Design, and Inquiry, where she assists with various research projects. 

Gaurav Harshe

Gaurav Harshe

Gaurav Harshe (तो, he/him) is an AACTE Holmes Scholar at the University of South Carolina, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Higher Education Administration program. He serves as the President of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and is the AERA Division J (Postsecondary Education) Student Representative for 2025-2027. His research critiques the landscape of international higher education through the lens of his experience as an international student of color, focusing on the intersectionally marginalized and privileged experiences of Indian international graduate students of color and topics related to minoritized religious and spiritual identities.

Tempestt Johnson

Tempestt Johnson

Tempestt Johnson is an AACTE Holmes Scholar, Grace Jordan MacFadden Professor Program Scholar, and SEC Emerging Scholar at the University of South Carolina where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy. Through her work with Black women and girls, she seeks to call out and critique anti-Blackness and highlight the lived experiences of Black folks across the diaspora in educational and community spaces. Her research interests include African American Language in terms of bilingualism, translanguaging, the lived experiences of Black girls and women, and the intersection between Black girlhood, African American Language, and dance.

Kerwin Johnson

Kerwin Johnson

Kerwin Johnson is an AACTE Holmes Scholar at the University of South Carolina, where he is obtaining a Ph.D. in the Teaching and Learning Program. His research focus is culturally relevant pedagogy, culturally sustaining pedagogy and literacy practices for the Secondary English Classrooms. Kerwin Johnson is from Conway, South Carolina. While in Horry County, he taught numerous English Courses at North Myrtle Beach High School for seven years and he now uses that experience to build upon his pedagogy, research, and praxis. He is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University where he obtained a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Concentrations in English and Education) and an M.A.T. in Secondary English Education. His achievements include being a Dr. James A. Stoddard Memorial Fellow, Life Scholar, Coastal Carolina Graduate Student of the Year for the Spadoni College of Education, Member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, and a presenter for the South Carolina Conference for the Teachers of English and American Educational Research Association. He aspires to attain professorship at a university contributing to research and programs that improve educational practices for students of all backgrounds. 

D’Arion Johnston

D’Arion Johnston

D’Arion Johnston (she/her) is an AATCE Holmes Scholar at the University of South Carolina, where she is a doctoral student in the Counselor Education and Supervision program. Further, she is the Secretary of the Graduate Student Association (GSA). Her research interest focuses on child centered play therapy, utilizing play therapy for trauma processing, and imposter syndrome within the counselor education programs.  




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