Doctoral Candidates: Renee F. Valdez

Reading, Writing and Community Violence: The Effect of Exposure to Community Violence on the Academic Performance of African American Males in an Inner-City High School in Washington, DC

Dissertation Summary

My dissertation explores the level and the types of violence in inner-city Washington, DC through the eyes of adolescent African American males. I don't know how a child can learn in an environment where, as a family watches television together, a stray bullet can penetrate the living room window, shattering the structure of their lives by claiming a young life. I don't understand how a boy, who must decide daily whether or not to carry a gun with him to school "for protection", can concentrate on spelling words and algebra. I believe the constant threat of violence in the world of some young African American males takes precedence over any other thing they are doing in school. This threat demands the attention and concentration that would otherwise go to math and reading and social studies. There are young African American males sitting in a classroom today, staring out an opaque window, believing they are not destined to live past the age of eighteen!

My dissertation explores the effect of exposure to community violence on the academic performance of African American males in an inner-city Washington, DC high school. What are the protective factors (family, mentors, self-esteem) that provide a buffer for young people growing up in a hostile and potentially deadly environment? If there are no protective factors in place, how can they be cultivated in a child's life so that he might live well past eighteen?

Bio

Renee Francene Valdez is a Ph. D. Candidate in the School of Education at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. She holds a Master's degree in Community Counseling and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, both from Adams State College, Alamosa, Colorado. She expects to receive her Ph.D. in 2008.

Valdez was born and raised in the beautiful San Luis Valley of southern Colorado where the traditions of her culture were rich and abundant, nurtured and protected by the majestic San Juan Mountains to the west and the Sangre de Cristos to the east. Identifying as Chicana, she holds dear the beauty and the passion of her cultura.

Valdez was raised by her paternal grandparents, who placed the highest value on education and always expected that she would attend college. They did all they could to support her academic pursuits, from the Bachelor's degree to the Master's, and later into the Ph.D., a level no one in here immediate family has ever reached! They are not here to celebrate this final stage of the Ph.D. process, but Valdez knows they are a constant driving force of strength and love, just as they always have been.

Being involved in SisterMentors allows Valdez to continue in that family of support and encouragement that will provide a solid foundation for continued success.