Gifted and Creative Education

Ayşe Hilal is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Educational Psychology department and a graduate research assistant in the Gifted and Creative Education (GCE) program at the University of Georgia (UGA). With five years of teaching experience and an M.S. in Multidisciplinary Studies from SUNY Buffalo she has developed a genuine interest in exploring the underlying social-emotional learning (SEL) mechanisms that drive learning and development. Her research focuses on SEL and well-being. She is the recipient of UGA’s Graduate School Doctoral Fellow Award. Outside of academia, she is a passionate East Coast Swing dancer, seizing any opportunity to dance.

Melani̇e is a first year Ph.D. student in the Educational Psychology department and a graduate assistant in the Gifted and Creative Education (GCE) program at the University of Georgia. She graduated from University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in psychology (and a minor in Counseling and Human Development & Family Sciences), which has led her to pursue a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology, particularly in the field of creativity. She has experience working in a lab as an undergraduate assistant, collecting and finding correlations between data sets. Her personal interests include reading and playing games.

Si̇nan is a first year Ph.D. student in the Gifted and Creative Education (GCE) program. He received his bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Izmir University of Economics. During his undergraduate studies, he had the opportunity to both practice and observe the creative process of design. He then went on to do a Design Management Master’s at Coventry University where he investigated how criticism anticipation impacted creative performances of practicing designers. He is passionate about creativity and creative thinking in general. In his free time, he forces himself to learn new things, explore new places, and practices powerlifting.

Sofiia is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Educational Psychology department and a graduate research assistant in the Gifted and Creative Education (GCE) program at the University of Georgia. Her background in Cultural Studies (B.A.) and Science of Learning and Assessment in Education and Psychology (M.S.) has led her to pursue a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology with the scope of creativity. She has experience in developing scenario-based tests and conducting psychometric analysis of assessment tools at various laboratories focused on creativity, critical thinking, communication, and cooperation throughout her studies. She loves reading, playing piano, traveling, and hiking!

Yasemi̇n is a second year Ph.D. student in the department of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia (UGA). She serves as a research assistant for the Gifted and Creative Education (GCE) Program at UGA. Her research interests include mathematical giftedness, mathematical creativity, and problem-solving. She is the recipient of UGA’s Presidential Fellow Award. She also serves as the communication chair and the GCE representative in Graduate Researchers in Educational Psychology. In her free time, Yasemi̇n enjoys watching movies, working out, and going on hikes. Fun fact about her: she is fond of driving sports cars.

Yoojoong is a second year Ph.D. student in the Department of Educational Psychology, and she is a graduate assistant at Torrance Center and Creativity & Imagination Lab. She previously worked as a public-school resource room teacher in South Korea. She was acknowledged of developing and administering a unique curriculum for inclusive education of students with disabilities resulting in winning the Minister of Education Award at the district level (e.g., operated a small crop garden, barista certification classes and peer mentoring programs). Further, she published a paper under the theme of “Relationships between Cognitive Loading, Types of Mind Map and Creative Thinking Skills” in Asian Journal of Education. Her research and advocacy interests are the association between curiosity, creativity, and imagination, training effects of creativity and imagination, and twice-exceptionality. Currently, she is working on a research project exploring the association between curiosity, creativity, and imagination with Dr. Abraham.