Photo taken by Laura Francavilla
Dr. Diana Sukhram has recently been promoted to the title of acting dean of the School of Education. “I am humbled by the opportunity to represent the school of ed by being the acting dean,” she said. “It puts me in a position to do amazing work with faculty, staff, and students. I look forward to carrying out the mission of the college as well as the principles and goals of the school of ed.”
This new role allows her to manage operations within the school of ed, working with faculty and students alike and to work on her three goals for the semester. She added: “I have three main goals I want to focus on for this semester. One is accreditation, the other is student support and services to make sure that while we attract students to Old Westbury, we do everything we can to keep them… particularly to keep them in the school of ed. And [third] just to be an advocate for not only students but for the faculty and staff within the school of ed.”
She would also like to “open the line of communication and partnership” with the other schools at Old Westbury.
Before Dr. Sukhram found herself at Old Westbury however, she attended school in her native country of Belize, where she finished her work as an undergraduate. She then taught there, and afterwards came to the United States for her Master’s degree.
“I have a Master’s in special ed, particularly students with emotional and behavior disorders,” Dr. Sukhram said.
She then went on to obtain her Ph.D. in special ed at the University of Illinois. Dr. Sukhram heard about Old Westbury from a faculty member doing service work in Belize. “We were part of DISES [Division of International Special Education and Services]… because DISES comes under the umbrella of the CEC organization [Council for Exceptional Children],” she said.
She was a student representative for DISES when she heard about faculty members traveling to Belize. Using her knowledge of Belize to her advantage, she reached out and offered to give them “a little bit of the cultural exchange.” There she met Dr. Julio González.
“When I was job searching I knew that he [Dr. González] was at Old Westbury,” she said. “I had heard a lot of good things about Old Westbury mainly the student population served and the college’s mission of social justice.”
Dr. Sukhram has been at Old Westbury since 2008. “Once I came and I had the interview it was like, ‘this is where I belong,’” she said. “I also felt that the feeling was mutual …then later when I got to experience the interaction among the faculty at that time, I knew OW was the place for me … and I have been happy to be here at OW ever since.”
Dr. Sukhram started off as the Chair of the Exceptional Education and Learning Department for two terms, then she was appointed as the director of graduate education programs until she has come into her current position as acting dean.
Dr. Sukhram has also published over seven articles based on research she has conducted. “My research interest deals with reading strategies and interventions for students with learning disabilities,” she said. “I also do research in special education in international settings and my new collaboration is working with teachers in Belize to provide them with professional development as well as innovative strategies and interventions.”
Last summer, Dr. Sukhram, along with other faculty members and a former graduate student, traveled to Belize and there they helped to incorporate these strategies for teachers. She hopes to be able to travel there each summer for her work and one day have study abroad options available with Belize.
Like most of us, Dr. Sukhram has a motto that she lives by: “Be the change you want to see,” and it is quite clear that she goes above and beyond that each day.
