Di-Tu Dissassa

Di-Tu Dissassa (she/her/hers) is a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland - College Park where she is studying Student Affairs in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education.

Di-Tu graduated with her Master of Arts from the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC) in 2014. At UMKC she worked in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) where she assisted incoming and current students in navigating the campus. After completing her graduate degree, she worked at the University of Michigan as a Hall Director. During this time, Di-Tu was involved with training the residential staff by facilitating intergroup dialogues on social identities, allyhood, power, and privilege to help staff create inclusive communities.

Di-Tu currently works as a Project Coordinator in the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education (CDIHE) and her research interest surround staff perceptions of campus racial climate, the occupational wellness experiences of BIPOC groups,  the educational experiences and professional experiences of Black women, second-generation immigrant student identity development, children of a refugee parent(s) experiences in the U.S. educational system, and diversity and inclusion initiatives in STEM.