Melissa Sofia Lewis
Melissa Sofia Lewis is a PhD Candidate at Stanford University in the Developmental and Psychological Sciences Program housed within the Graduate School of Education. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Teacher Education, with a concentration in English as a Second Language, and a minor in Spanish from the University of Delaware. As a pre-service teacher excited to teach the next generation of scholars, she questioned how to support Multilingual Learners who simultaneously need both English Language Development and Special Education Services. With many questions remaining unanswered, she pursued a Ph.D., determined to accurately and efficiently differentiate between a language barrier and a learning difference to improve academic outcomes for these learners. Specifically, her research focuses on the writing development of upper-elementary-aged Multilingual Learners with learning disabilities.
Early in her doctoral journey, she was awarded the American Association of University Professors Grant (AAUP) from the University of Delaware. Melissa was an editorial assistant for The Teacher’s College Press Book Series on Disability, Equity & Culture. Currently, she is the Co-Director of the SWAYWO (So what are you working on) Graduate Student conference, and has since been honoured with Stanford’s Community Impact Award for her educational contributions and insights through this role. Stanford's Enhancing Diversity in Education(EDGE) fellowship supports her commitment to Multilingual Special Education and her overall research development.
In the first year of her doctoral program, Melissa began working with Associate Dean Dr. Anne Charity Hudley, where her organizational skills served as an asset to the co-development of an Advising Toolkit for incoming PhD students. Since joining the lab, she has worked on numerous projects with other members as a research assistant and collaborative peer, providing both quantitative and qualitative contributions. Through the BAD Lab, she has served as a summer research mentor, supporting undergraduate students in their own research development.