Da’Ja’Nay Askew, MSEd

Da'Ja'Nay Askew holds a Bachelor's in Psychology and Social Work from Defiance College and a Master's in Higher Education from Purdue University. She is a Higher Education Ph.D student at Indiana University. Her research interests are in community-university partnerships through a Critical Theory perspective and using narratives to depict Black Joy. Ms. Askew demonstrates leadership through her community-based research and mentorship through program creation and community involvement. She has created an annual event called, Unifying the Culture for local Black high school student leaders. In addition to her studies, Ms. Askew is a Graduate Research Assistant for the  Center of Postsecondary Research at Indiana University, working on projects involving student career readiness skills and mentorship for 21st century scholars. She is also a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist in the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) at Indiana University where she consults instructors on anti-racist pedagogy in the classroom while creating equitable research projects.

Ms. Askew has over 10 years of teaching experience with all ages. She has taught at Defiance College and Sylvan Learning Center along with some cultural experience at TruCare NFP teaching minoritized students about their human rights. Furthermore, Da’Ja’Nay has experience in the social justice field through Geminus Head Start and being an intern at other social service agencies while advocating for equality and equal opportunity for underrepresented populations. Ms. Askew values social justice, equality, and equity as she is on her way to becoming a strong change agent and celebrity scholar. 

Motivation and Inspiration

Da’Ja’Nay knows what it is like to endure difficult times. During her undergraduate career, she was exposed to consistent racism, microaggressions, and barriers to opportunities. This caused her to have poor mental health including depression and anxiety. She wanted to make a change in higher education and ensure that future generations of students did not have to endure the difficulties she faced.

Ms. Askew is an emerging scholar who is determined to change the functioning of higher education to make people come first, rid of deficit models, and welcome a new system of counterspace. Her current work focuses on supporting and protecting faculty of color by implementing policy changes through a Black Joy and Rest is Resistance Framework. Da’Ja’Nay is heavily involved in activism work, as it brings about substantial change. Her identities as a first-generation, Black female scholar have great influence on her motivation to pursue her scholar-activism work. Keeping God first and centering Him in her life, Ms. Askew will make ever-lasting change within higher education and with the spaces she occupies.