Former DC teacher, recent UVA Grad, and current Research Director; Passionate about school integration (esp in early ed) & critical participatory action researchhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3mdgjtlduk224🚨calling all Virginia residents 🚨 There are multiple bills impacting school funding and youth mental health services up this session. Use this link to tell your representatives how much you value school funding and access to mental health care: https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/VAKIDS/Campaigns/133202/Respond27 Jan 2026 19:51 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdgjtlduk224https://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lz36wd3ae22wWe are facing devastating threats to food and healthcare access following HR1 ⬇️ I presented at the GA to the Commission to End Hunger on potential harms to VA counties & the pressing need to invest/safeguard access to SNAP, Medicaid, & school meals (thru impacted community eligibility provisions) [contains quote post or other embedded content]18 Sep 2025 01:24 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lz36wd3ae22whttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lxhxtlwzak2h🔔 After some late evenings, excited to share this @voicesforvakids.bsky.social data tool mapping Medicaid and SNAP cuts by county in VA, as a result of H.R.1 🔔 https://vakids.org/posts/cuts-by-county-mapping-the-impacts-of-h-r-1-on-snap-and-medicaid-in-virginia28 Aug 2025 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxhxtlwzak2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lxf3e3xnbc2xWorking on this YPAR project prepared me to be a better advocate for youth mental health in my new role. Check out the first of two papers from an awesome team https://jprm.scholasticahq.com/article/137013-empowering-and-supporting-youth-outside-the-classroom-practices-from-a-mental-health-ypar-initiative27 Aug 2025 12:57 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxf3e3xnbc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lrgbch46nk2jSo honored to be able to share a localized, participatory model of school integration at this time of backlash! While it’s important to work on all fronts, organizing efforts throughout the course of history and now are pivotal to shaping the course of history. Please read and share! [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 Jun 2025 15:45 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrgbch46nk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lprmx2ztq22bWanted to share with my small but mighty BlueSky community that this past week, I officially became a doctor and had a new working paper out! edworkingpapers.com/ai25-119022 May 2025 17:22 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lprmx2ztq22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lo2bmrogck27🚨 new commentary alert 🚨 please check out this piece on why we need substantive school integration now more than ever (I promise this is not all doom and gloom and worth the five-ten minute read) https://tcf.org/content/commentary/why-substantively-integrated-schools-matter-at-this-moment-in-history/https://tcf.org/content/commentary/why-substantively-integrated-schools-matter-at-this-moment-in-history/30 Apr 2025 17:03 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo2bmrogck27https://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lmwwckesy22rBig life update: I am thrilled to share that I have accepted the Research Director role at @voicesforvakids.bsky.social ! I am looking forward to joining this amazing team in the fight for economic, health, and education justice within the state of Virginia.16 Apr 2025 15:37 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmwwckesy22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3llwdioj5722oSo honored to make it (for a second time!!) on The Integrated Schools Podcast! Appreciative to be regrounded in hope and a sense of beloved, intergenerational, and interracial community https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ucf1LT27fmq6irQileyXT?si=ekZKttqWRCWIv4T_0_XyFA&t=68103 Apr 2025 16:35 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3llwdioj5722ohttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lljkrvixgk2vExcited to share that I passed my dissertation defense, “It’s Time to Act: Employing Critical Particiaptory Action Research to Create Substantively Integrated Schools.” I’m so appreciative of the village that brought me to this point and can’t wait to see what the next chapter has in store!29 Mar 2025 14:41 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lljkrvixgk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lbffahuo722fCheck out my latest publication, providing counter-narratives from historically marginalized families in a rural context, surrounding what they desire from early childhood education https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1463949124129347920 Nov 2024 16:39 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbffahuo722fhttps://bsky.app/profile/vitaebella.bsky.social/post/3lba7z7e3jk2dSo proud to have been a part of this Century Foundation report on creating intentionally diverse early childhood spaces through blending and braiding funding!! Please check it out https://tcf.org/content/report/early-childhood-programs-that-blend-and-braid-funding-to-achieve-diversity/18 Nov 2024 15:23 +0000at://did:plc:z7exvanbdb3vbk2qmafq4of3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lba7z7e3jk2d