Meet Dr. McCallum’s Research Team!

Kellyn Mackerl-Cooper is a doctoral student in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at Eastern Michigan University. Her research interests include Black women and the impacts that colorism has on their perception of success in their careers and Black graduate student mental health. Kellyn Mackerl-Cooper is a doctoral student in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at Eastern Michigan University. Her research interests include Black women and the impacts that colorism has on their perception of success in their careers and Black graduate student mental health.
Syrena Michelle Webb, originally from Muskegon Heights, MI, has worked in higher education since the age of 15. In addition to currently serving as a Graduate Research Assistant while pursuing her Higher Education and Student Affairs Master’s Program at Eastern Michigan University, she has worked as a Campus Coach for the Detroit Promise scholarship organization for the past 2 years, where she advocates, eliminates barriers, focuses on the mental health and overall well-being of low-income Black college students as they navigate their way through their college journey and beyond. In the future, Syrena plans to obtain her Doctoral Degree within the Higher Education and Student Affairs department while still creating new practices within Higher Education to provide a more successful college experience for Black and Brown students.


Allison Boone Green is an instructor and doctoral candidate in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at Eastern Michigan University. Her research focuses on leadership education, women’s leadership development, and the impact of experiential education on student learning and development. She is also interested in the experiences which foster women’s leadership identity development, including mentorship, women-only learning environments, and women’s leadership development programs.
Elijah Vasquez is a Master Graduate student in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at Eastern Michigan University. As a scholar practitioner in student affairs, he hopes to work with first-generation students of color. As a first-generation student from a low-income background, his goal is to work in academic advising and pre-college outreach to assist students in their higher education journeys. His passion to help others is what drives him to achieve these goals. His research interests focus on first-generation student experiences, holistic student learning and development, student transition and accessibility, as well as inclusion and diversity in higher education. Elijah can be reached at evasque3@emich.edu. Fun fact: He is a Phoenix Founder of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity Inc., a Latino-based multicultural fraternity here at EMU.


Isadora Baughman is a Masters in College Counseling graduate student at Eastern Michigan University. From earning her B.A. in Psychology and English from Hope College, Isadora developed strong interests in working with the college student population and their academic, career, and mental health concerns. After graduating from Eastern, Isadora hopes to work at a college or university as an academic advisor, career counselor, or a member of CAPS staff. She enjoys being a part of Dr. McCallum’s research team and hopes to continue being involved in research and writing in the future.
Alex Boesch (he/him/his) serves as the Intercultural Training Director at Wayne State University. His research interests include supervision, organizational culture & change, intercultural competence, and educational policy. He is an Educational Leadership Ph.D. student at Eastern Michigan University, and he earned his master’s of education from The University of Vermont. Outside of work and class, Alex enjoys spending time with his family, watching the Great British Bake Off, and going for runs.
