Rena Beatrice Goldstein

Department of Philosophy, University of California, Irvine

I am a second-year graduate student in the department of philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to doctoral studies, I attended California State University, Los Angeles. While at Cal State LA, I diligently completed two masters degrees, one in education (2015) and the other in philosophy (2016), and was awarded the Charter College of Education Endowed Fellowship for high honors in 2015 and 2016. After graduation I taught courses in writing, introduction to philosophy, and critical thinking at such schools as The Robert F. Kennedy High School in Koreatown, and various state schools around the Los Angeles area. Now returning to graduate work, I explore content in the field of education with the rigor of philosophical methodology. My research interests lie at the intersection of two fields: virtue epistemology and the philosophy of education, specifically how virtue and vice affect our ability to see the world (and each other) in a fair epistemic light, and whether the aim of education ought to develop virtuous citizens. I enjoy graduate work while continuing to bring philosophy to K-12 schools. I participate in Th!nk, a program that teaches philosophy to 5 th grade elementary school students in Southern California.

Ini Periodi

The Creative School, Bangalore, India

I grew up in a beautiful village on the west coast of India with rich folk forms of story telling and an array of different cultures. This, I like to believe triggered a long lasting passion and enthusiasm for life in me. I then studied in an alternative school that was situated in the outskirts of one of the biggest cities of India, Bangalore. Here the very principle of the school ensured that learning took place in a loving, free and fearless environment. We learnt for the joy of learning and were always made aware of the space that we had to question authority.

As I graduated out of school, I was convinced that , sooner or later, I would enter the field of Education. And I did, for my Masters. It was then that I became interested in both Philosophy and Sociology of Education.

I now teach Sociology to 11th graders, in a school in Bangalore. I immensely enjoy the school space because it allows me to be constantly engaged in questions at both micro and macro levels. I also share a passion for children's literature, dissemination of them and library as a learning space, with infinite possibilities.

Natalia Rogach

Department of Philosophy, Columbia University

I am starting my fourth year as a Philosophy PhD student at Columbia University, where I am writing a thesis on Dewey's "Democracy and Education" (current thesis title: "Educating the Democratic Character: John Dewey's 'Democracy and Education'"). My research interests include philosophy of education, political philosophy, ethics and history of philosophy. At this stage, I am also looking for ways to broaden my research beyond Dewey. My goal is to work across disciplinary lines and make my research relevant to contemporary issues. I also hold an MPhil in Politics from Oxford University and a BA in Philosophy from Yale.