Melody Mann is a PhD Sociology student working under the mentorship of Dr. Nicholas C. Smith. Melody has completed her BA Child & Adolescent Development / Minor Early Childhood Special Education from San José State University as a McNair Scholar, her MS Special Education (Mild to Moderate) from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, and her MA Psychology (Cognition and Development) from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Professionally, Melody has 5+ years of classroom teaching experience in general and special education settings (Montessori and HeadStart included), served as an mentor for first generation college students, and was an academic coach for students with intellectual and learning disabilities. Melody's research has focused on the mental health, educational enrichment, and accessibility to social and educational services for racially marginalized students and families. In her doctoral program, Melody aims to investigate the erasure of Punjabis from the South Asian diaspora, specifically speaking to the experiences families have in navigating special education and topics of disability. Her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion informs her research objective to create holistic representation for historically underrepresented populations in academia.
Areas of Interest
- Disability Studies
- Asian American
- Children & Youth
- Families
Degrees
-
MAPsychology
-
MSSpecial Education (Mild - Moderate Disabilities)
-
BAChild & Adolescent Development (Teacher Prep) / Minor Early Childhood Special Education
Awards
-
2024-12-25Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Research Scholar
Conferences
-
Society for Research in Child Development 2025 Biennial Meeting
-
Council of Exceptional Children Convention Expo
-
Division of Early Childhood 40th International Conference
Research
- Special Education
- Race and ethnicity
- Immigrant and refugees
