Nefetaria A. Yates

Nefetaria Yates is a Ph.D. in Education student specializing in Sociocultural and Community-based Approaches in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. She aims to pursue academic and policy work centered on pan-Africanism and the sociology of education. More specifically, Nefetaria is interested in ways to capture youth experiences, document youth voice, and cultivate spaces to develop youth agency as bridge between theory and practice.

Before pursuing her doctoral degree education, Nefetaria earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in culture and Africana studies from the University of Delaware. After which, she earned her master’s degree in education with a certificate in community leadership from Widener University. Nefetaria also has several years of experience in youth development and community engagement.

Education

• M.Ed., Educational Foundations, Widener University, Chester, PA
• B.A., Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE

Professional Experience

• Graduate Teaching Assistant and Research Fellow, College Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, 2017–present
• Mentor Coordinator and Case Manager, Face Forward II Program, Boys and Girls Club of Chester, 2014–2016
• Assistant Coordinator, Workforce Development, Department of Public Affairs, City of Chester, 2012–2017
  Undergraduate Research Assistant, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Delaware, 2012–2013
• Program Assistant, Youth Development, Chester Youth Collaborative, Crozer Keystone Health System, 2011–2012

Honors and Awards

• University Graduate Scholars Award, Office of Graduate and Professional Education, University of Delaware, 2017–2019
• Student of Distinction Honoree, Office of the Provost & Vice Provost for Diversity, University of Delaware, 2018–2019
• Women of Promise Honoree, Office of Equity and Inclusion, University of Delaware, 2010
  Scholarship Award, Collegiate Presidential Inaugural Conference, Washington DC, 2009
• Student of Distinction Honoree, International Youth Leadership Forum, Beijing, China, 2008

Publications

• Eisenman, L., Rolón Dow, R., Freedman, B., Davison, A., & Yates, N. (under review). “Disabled or not, people just want to feel welcome”: stories of belonging from college students with intellectual disability. Under review in Critical Education.
• Yates, N. (under review). Colors outside the lines: recollections and reflections on black girlhood. In D. Apugo & L. Mawhinney. (Eds). Strong Black Girls:Patchwork Stories of Remembrance, Resistance, and Resilience.
• Rolón Dow, R., Davison, A., & Yates, N. (under review). Tell it like it is: student stories of racial interactions and campus climate. Office of Graduate and Professional Education. University of Delaware.
• Yates, N. (2018). Modeling college: perspectives on being an undergraduate college readiness coach. Marie and Cynthia Jetter College & Career Center. Chester Education Foundation.
• Yates, N. (2017). Examining agency in black and brown communities. Parent Advocacy Council for Education. Christina Cultural Arts Center.

Presentations

• Payne, Y.A., Aviles, A., & Yates, N. (November 2019). “Teachers Think the Kids Around Here, Don’t Really Want to Learn.” American Society of Criminology. San Francisco, California.
• Yates, N. (May 2019). The Miseducation of Workreadiness: Neoliberalism and the Racialization of Youth Employment Initiatives. International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. Urbana, Illinois.
• Yates, N. (April 2019). Modeling College: Perspectives on Being an Undergraduate College Readiness Coach. Steele Symposium. Newark, DE.
• Yates, N. (March 2019). Creative Coding: Exploring the Potential of Arts-Based Computer Science Education for Minoritized Youth. Black Doctoral Network. Los Angeles, California.