Our Team

Dr. Cheuk is a mother scholar, educator, and advocate focused on empowering and imagining futures that sustain and cultivate the learning, growth, and success of minoritized groups in postsecondary education. For much of her career, she has focused most intently on issues that include the development of culturally and linguistically diverse learners in STEM settings, the struggles, assets and possibilities of teachers of Color across the pipeline, and student activism work that transforms institutions toward more equitable and just learning spaces. Her advocacy work considers how policy and resources — or their lack thereof — contribute to the alienation and erasure of student mothers (and student parents at large) in higher educational spaces. Dr. Cheuk has worked as an K-12 educator in the South Bronx (NY), Hyde Park (IL), Ghana, and San Francisco Bay Area (CA). She is currently an assistant professor in the School of Education at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.  

She earned her B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Chicago and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Education Policy from Stanford University. 

She can be reached at her institution homepage LINK.

Laurita is an undergraduate student research assistant working toward her Psychology degree at Cal Poly SLO. She is enthusiastic about fostering social  change and uplifting communities across her studies and research. Outside of her studies, she cherishes her time spent with family and friends. She enjoys meaningful conversations and never miss the opportunity to have a good laugh. She joined our team in the winter of 2023-2024 academic year.

Check out Laurita's LinkedIn Profile to learn more.

Myles is an undergraduate student research assistant who is currently working towards his bachelor’s degree in English.  He hopes to positively impact the media campaign and uplift the narratives of student parents in higher educational spaces. He joined our team in the winter of 2023-2024 academic year.

Maya was a graduate research assistant on the Student Parent Joy team.  She has  completed her Master of Science in Higher Education Counseling / Student Affairs at Cal Poly and has been leading efforts to support Students with Dependents at Cal Poly in the Office of the Dean of Students.  She is currently a policy analyst at EdTrust-West.

Learn more about Maya's programmatic, research, and advocacy work in a recent virtual learning series, The State of Pregnant and Parenting Students in California, hosted by Michelson 20MM. Maya also shares her experiences of what it's like being a parent and full-time student at Cal Poly with Mustang News. 

Check out Maya's LinkedIn Profile to learn more.

Kaylee has completed undergraduate degree at Cal Poly.  Kaylee was a BEACoN Scholar supporting research on the visibility of institutional resources (policies and practices) for pregnant and parenting students. 

Check out Kaylee's LinkedIn Profile to learn more. 

Jasmin was an undergraduate research assistant on work supporting student parents and graduated from Cal Poly with a BA in Sociology and is completing her MA in Educational Leadership and Administration.  Jasmin is a former BEACoN researcher scholar.

Check out Jasmin's LinkedIn Profile to learn more. 

Ashlee is currently a program director with Fresno HOPE Pathways Community Hub. As an undergraduate and graduate student (M.S. in Higher Education Counseling / Student Affairs), she founded Cal Poly's Student with Dependents Initiative, led the successful passage of an Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) resolution to update class attendance policy to include students with dependents (#20-04), and is a California State University (CSU) Sally Casanova Scholar. 

Read more about her efforts in her 2021 guest blog with the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWRP), titled, Breaking Barriers, Increasing Visibility for Students with Children. 

Check out Ashlee's LinkedIn Profile to learn more.