TWU sociology PhD student receives 2020 Virginia Chandler Dykes scholarship

Aubree Evans, a graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. in sociology with a concentration in social stratification and the sociology of higher education, will receive the 2020 Virginia Chandler Dykes scholarship from the College of Arts and Sciences. 

By fall 2021, Evans plans to complete her dissertation, which focuses on power in higher education. From her personal experiences and studies, Evans knows the life-changing power of education. During her doctoral program she began to examine the structural oppression of people who hold marginalized identities and how this plays out in higher education classrooms. Her goal is to impact teaching in a way that affords students more agency over their learning. She also is interested in doing phenomenological research in higher education. 

Evans is the director of professional learning at BranchED, the nation’s only nonprofit that works almost exclusively with Educator Preparation Programs at Minority Serving Institutions with the goal of bringing highly effective, diverse educators to all classrooms. She was previously a faculty member at Zayed University in Dubai and has worked at TWU in the Departments of Teaching and Learning with Technology and the Center for Faculty Excellence.

She received her bachelor’s in English from the University of Central Florida and her master’s in the teaching of languages from the University of Southern Mississippi. Evans is a member of Phi Kappa Phi as well as the National Society of Leadership and Success, and she is the recipient multiple scholarships and awards.

Evans lives in Denton with her husband, a librarian at TWU, and 12-year-old son.

About Virginia Chandler Dykes scholarships 

Five graduate students, one from each of the five colleges at Texas Woman’s University, will receive Virginia Chandler Dykes scholarships at the February 20 TWU Dallas Leadership Luncheon, founded by Virginia Chandler Dykes. The annual luncheon is presented by Bank of Texas, Texas Woman’s University, and the Texas Woman’s University Foundation, and will be held at The Belo Mansion and Pavilion in Dallas.

In the past 17 years, more than $1 million has been raised for scholarships from the proceeds of this luncheon. This year's Dallas Leadership Luncheon will honor Jennifer Staubach Gates, Dallas City Councilmember, as the recipient of the 2020 Virginia Chandler Dykes Leadership Award.

Page last updated 5:34 PM, February 3, 2020