The SistaScholars began their journey together in 2017 at a professional conference. Drs. Gibson and Sandifer connected during a session and exchanged contact information. The pair soon began writing together via Zoom sessions and quickly produced a publication. Dr. Brant-Rajahn joined the group in 2019 and began to contribute her own unique flavor. To date, the SistaScholars have 18 collaborative projects together to include publications, presentations, and grants. The SistaScholars believe in community and utilize their collective village to engage in social justice work.
Dr. Sarah N. Brant-Rajahn
Website: https://sarahbrantrajahn.wixsite.com/mysite
Dr. Sarah Brant-Rajahn is an Assistant Professor of Counseling at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania where she serves as the School Counseling Track Coordinator. Prior to becoming a counselor educator, she served as a school counselor for the Cobb County School District, GA for 7 years and provided mental and behavioral health services in community settings. Her experiences drove her current research interests, which include school racial climate, P-16 Black student identity development, culturally responsive pedagogy and practices, and racial trauma. She has presented at numerous national, regional, and state conferences and facilitated multiple training workshops focused on cross cultural counseling and advocacy. She currently serves as the SACES Multicultural Counseling Interest Network Co-chair. Her publications include: "Cultivating social change and wellness for Black students", "Trauma and children", and "WOKE: Advocacy for African American students”.
Dr. Eva M. Gibson
Dr. Eva M. Gibson is an Associate Professor at Austin Peay State University. Prior to becoming a full-time counselor educator in 2017, Gibson served as a school counselor in the Clarksville Montgomery County School System for 11 years. Gibson was named ASCA’s “2017 Tennessee School Counselor of the Year” and currently serves on the editorial board for the Professional School Counseling journal as well as the ASCA Board of Directors. Additionally, she previously served as the President (18-19) of the Tennessee Counseling Association and Tennessee School Counseling Association (14-15). Gibson has presented at numerous conferences and delivered multiple training workshops. Professional publications include: “School counselors as social justice change agents: Addressing retention of African American males”, “A sense of mattering: A group intervention for African American boys”, and “WOKE: Advocacy for African American students”.
Dr. Mariama I. C. Sandifer
Dr. Mariama Cook Sandifer is an Assistant Professor at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville Tennessee. Prior to becoming a counselor educator, Dr. Sandifer served as a school counselor for 10 years with St. Charles Parish Public Schools in Louisiana and 4 years with Austin Independent School District in Texas. She is certified at the state and national level, is a licensed professional counselor supervisor, and has served as school counseling program awards chair for the Louisiana School Counseling Association. Dr. Sandifer has presented at numerous conferences and delivered multiple training workshops focused on ASCA model implementation, school counselor supervision, and student advocacy. Professional publications include: “School counselors as social justice change agents: Addressing retention of African American males”, “A sense of mattering: A group intervention for African American boys”, “WOKE: Advocacy for African American students”, and “Factors associated with programmatic orientation and supervision in schools”.