Themes:
• Institutional and instructional strategies for supporting learner success
• Strategies for addressing challenges to supporting learner success
Audience: Higher education administrators
Poster Presenter and Biography: Krystina Daniels, Ed. D., SPHR, is a belonging and access catalyst and seasoned HR leader with an Ed. D. in Organizational Leadership and Innovation, an M. S. in Human Resources, DEI certification, and SPHR certification. With over a decade in HR, including six years in leadership, she drives mission-aligned talent strategies and programs that improve retention and performance. Krystina excels at operationalizing belonging and access goals, delivering compelling organizational narratives, and translating workforce metrics into actionable solutions. A skilled facilitator and coach, she partners with executive teams to build inclusive cultures, elevate employee experience, and align talent practices with strategic priorities.
P. 5 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Students’ Voices: A Library Focus-Group Initiative
Poster Description: Scholarly research recognizes focus groups as participatory frameworks for amplifying diverse perspectives in decision-making processes. Framed within this context, this study employed undergraduate student focus groups to examine future library planning and spatial configuration, fostering a culture of inclusion. The poster demonstrates how participants extended traditional focus group approaches by positioning equity, diversity, and inclusion as foundational principles shaping discussions of library space while engaging in high-impact practices, including problem-solving, inquiry, and critical thinking. Using a mixed-methods design, the study applies discourse analysis software to generate analytical summaries and data visualizations that inform pedagogical and institutional practices in higher education.
Poster Objectives: 1. Identify ways in which to intentionally empower student voices through well-designed focus groups. 2. Use the model of this focus-group initiative to design informal student participatory learning and engagement opportunities at their own institutions.
Themes:
• Institutional and instructional frameworks for advancing learner success
• Co-curricular approaches that enhance academic development
• Collaborative strategies that incorporate student voice in supporting academic initiatives
Audience:
• Higher education faculty, staff, and administrators
Poster Presenters and Biographies: Mayra E. Bonet,( she / her), PhD, MSLS, Assistant Professor, Saint John’ s University, earned her doctoral degree at the University of Noth Carolina( UNC) at Chapel Hill and has held academic appointments at multiple institutions. She has conducted research in South America, Canada, and Russia and has presented nationally and internationally. Her scholarly trajectory in discourse analysis has expanded to encompass broader inquiries into intercultural competence in education, as well as critical and