Golnar Fotouhi

I am Golnar Fotouhi, a doctoral candidate in the Research and Evaluation in Education program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. My research and professional endeavors focus on advancing equitable access to quality education for multilingual learners. My academic foundation in Translation Studies (B.A.) and Applied Linguistics (M.A.) has shaped my expertise in language education, teacher training, and culturally responsive pedagogy.

Currently, I am contributing to the Responsive Opportunities for Personalized Educator Supports and Services (ROPESS) project, a groundbreaking initiative designed to address the critical shortage of multilingual educators in Massachusetts. This project aims to expand access to bilingual education certification through tailored pathways for paraprofessionals, community members, and aspiring teachers. My role involves supporting the creation of a regional hub at UMass Lowell to foster a sustainable pipeline of multilingual educators equipped to thrive in bilingual and multilingual classroom settings.

During the 2023-2024 academic year, I taught the graduate course "Teaching Emergent Bilingual Students" at UMass Lowell, which fulfills Massachusetts' Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) endorsement requirement. This experience has deepened my commitment to preparing educators to meet the needs of linguistically diverse students.