Michiko Kealoha headshot

Michiko Kealoha

Adjunct Professor

Part-Time Faculty

Biography

Dr. Kealoha is a mother scholar dedicated to serving the community through student affairs. She has committed 15+ years of service to higher education communities and is passionate about seeking justice and radically imagining with students to create positive change in our educational systems.

Research Areas

  • Human rights education
  • Social movements
  • Counter-narratives and storytelling through the arts
  • Community colleges

Appointments

  • Institute Director of NASPA Community College Division
  • President of California Community Colleges Student Affairs Association
  • Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Queen Program

Education

  • University of San Francisco, Ed.D. in International and Multicultural Education, Emphasis: Human Rights  Education, 2022
  • University of the Pacific, MA in Educational Administration, Emphasis: Leadership & Student Affairs, 2011
  • University of the Pacific, BA in English and Film, 2009

Awards & Distinctions

  • University of San Francisco Commencement Speaker,  2022
  • TedX Featured Speaker, 2020
  • San Mateo County Community College Board of Trustees Above and Beyond Award, 2018
  • University of the Pacific Residence Director of the Year, 2011
  • University of the Pacific and San Joaquin County Woman of Distinction Award, 2011

Selected Publications

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  • Kealoha, M. (2023). Reeling and healing from hate speech: Student affairs professionals’ of color share post-pandemic imaginations for community colleges. Educational Studies: Special Issue on COVID and White Supremacy, 58(2).
  •  Kealoha, M. (2022). Uncertain and unpacking: How moving and rebuilding our home during COVID-19 led to reinventing my work. In Goings , R.B., Antione, S.C.,  Tomlin, A.,  & Gardner, M. Contemporary Perspectives on Access, Equity, and Achievement: Dissertating During a Pandemic, Narratives from Scholars of Color. Information Age Publishing
  •  Kealoha, M. (2020). Chasing rainbows: Finding our interwoven narrative and voice through collaborative auto-ethnographic poetry. International Journal of Human Rights Education, 4(10), 1-28.
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