A Little About Me…
Cristina is facing outward with the ocean behind her. She is wearing an open blue-green cardigan, with a white blouse underneath with blue patterning.
Cristina Santamaría Graff, Ph.D. is the founder and main contributor of EduSpirit.
MY BACKGROUND
Cristina has been an educator for over 30 years and has taught as a bilingual general education teacher, a bilingual special education teacher, an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher, and as a teacher educator in higher education. Her area of expertise is in bilingual special education and her main research emphasis is collaborating with families of disabled youth on projects in which families are positioned as experts in the decision-making processes that impact their children.
Cristina is also a certified Zen Shiatsu practitioner who graduated from the Desert Institute of the Healing Arts (DIHA) in Tucson, Arizona in 2002. This practice led her to work with children with intensive physical and cognitive needs. Working with these children and their families taught Cristina the multiple ways in which self is healed through intention, love, and alternative ways of understanding our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies.
With her varied experiences in both education and the healing arts, Cristina is interested in expanding upon the concept of education.
MY STORY
The idea of EduSpirit was conceived in 2012, the year that Cristina was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Committed to thriving through rather than surviving the experience, Cristina understood that her healing was contingent upon realigning her thoughts, her feelings, and her words with actionable steps toward a full recovery. In order to get better, Cristina needed to ‘get honest’ with herself about ways she was feeling dissonance (out of sync) with things she knew and believed in but was not doing. Part of getting honest with herself meant coming to the realization that she had the power to choose her healing path. This meant she had to fully believe in herself and her ability to heal. She chose LIFE, and, by doing so, became passionate about finding authentic and tangible ways of infusing life, love, and hope in all spaces.
As an educator, she began to apply the idea of ‘choosing life’ to her professional career. Choosing life meant holding space for joy amidst the difficulties that arose in various educational spaces. Because Cristina worked closely with disabled students of Color and their families she understood the importance of honoring their assets, first and foremost, within systems where they were often dehumanized. Instead of focusing only on the pervasive challenges and inequities they were confronted with daily, she wanted to be intentional in acknowledging the importance of their presence and the richness of their contributions. She also realized that to fully embrace the holistic nature of each student meant that she, as an educator, needed to lead through a humanizing and compassionate lens rooted in social justice.
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Ernest A. Lynton Award, Scholarship of Engagement (2019). Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), Brown University – The Swearer Center and in affiliation with Campus Compact
Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award, (2019). American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Brian Douglas Hiltunen Award for Community Engaged Research (2019). Indiana Campus Compact.
Charles R. Bantz Chancellor’s Community Scholar, (2018). IUPUI Campus. Community engagement in special education teacher preparation courses to plan and implement ‘Family as Faculty’ workshops for historically minoritized families of children with disabilities.
Trustees’ Teaching Award (TTA) Recipient, IUPUI, (2018). School of Education
Faculty Fellow, Indiana Campus Compact (2018 – 2019). Indiana Campus Compact. Family-driven critical pedagogy: Listening to and working with Latinx families of children with disabilities through ‘Family as Faculty’ workshops.
Faculty Fellow, Indiana Campus Compact (2017 – 2018). Indiana Campus Compact. ‘Family as Faculty’: Family-led discussions to prepare special education teacher candidates and educational practitioners to work with students with disabilities.
Outstanding Scholarship Award, (2015). Central Washington University.
Outstanding Teaching Award, (2013). Central Washington University.
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Santamaría Graff, C. (2020, December 18). Embodying and enacting the “change we want to see” through a social change orientation. Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Blog, Center for Service & Learning, IUPUI.
COVID-19: Illness and Freedom During this Uncharted Normal
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Santamaría Graff, C., & Ballesteros, M. (2024). Movement toward critical consciousness and humility through Family as Faculty (FAF) approaches. Journal of Transformative Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/154134462312092
Weaver, L., Warren-Gordon, K., Cristofulli, S., Kuban, A., Lee, J., & Santamaría Graff, C. (2023). Sense(making) & Sensibility: Reflections on an interpretivist inquiry of Critical Service Learning. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement(JHEOE), 27(1), 203-220. https://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/jheoe/article/view/2747
Santamaría Graff, C. (2023). Family as Faculty: Learning from Latinx immigrant families in a special education teacher preparation course. In M. Caspe & R. Hernández (Eds.), Family and Community Partnerships (pp. 135-142). Information Age Publishing.
Santamaría Graff, C., & Artiles, A. J. (2023). Engaging the intersection of language and ability differences: Toward more equitable family-centered models. In D. Nieto, K. Escamilla, E. Almanza, T. Hogan, and J. Rodríguez (Eds.), ¡Qué BUENO! A history of advocacy and care for culturally and linguistically diverse education. Velázquez Press: El Monte, CA.
Santamaría Graff, C., Price, J. F., & Coomer, M. N. (2023). Technology as a bridge to co-create learning environments for equity and inclusion for students with intersectional identities. In F. E. Obiakor & J. Bakken (Eds.), Using Technology to Enhance Special Education. Advances in Special Education, Volume 37. Bingley, UK: Emerald.
Santamaría Graff, C. (2022). Family as Faculty: An approach to centering families’ expertise for the benefit of youth with disabilities. In T. Aceves & B. Talbott (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Special Education (pp. 308-321). Routledge Press.
Santamaría Graff. C. (2022). Mothers of color of children with dis/abilities: Centering their children’s assets in Family as Faculty projects. In F. Waitoller & K. A. K. Thorius (Eds.) Sustaining disability: A disabilities crosspollination to asset pedagogies (pp. 126-143). Teachers College Press.
Santamaría Graff, C. (2021). Co-investigation and Education in Family as Faculty approaches: A (re)positioning of power. Theory Into Practice, 60(1), pp. 39 – 50.
Santamaría Graff, C. (2021). How do we arm ourselves with love? Examining “armed love” through educators’ critical conversations in an online platform. In D. J. Davis (Ed.), United we stand: The role of spirituality in engaging and healing communities. (1st ed., chapter 15). Contemporary Perspectives on Spirituality in Education Series. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. https://www.infoagepub.com/products/United-We-Stand
Santamaría Graff, C., & Manlove, J. (2021). Beyond the color lines: A Duoethnography of multiraciality and unhooking from whiteness. In C. Hayes, I. M., Carter, & K. Elderson (Eds.), Chapter 13 (pp. 230 – 261). Unhooking from Whiteness: It’s a Process. Boston, MA: Brill Publishers.
Santamaría Graff, C., & Sherman, B. (2020). Models of School-Family Relations.. In U. Sharma and S. Salend (Eds.). Inclusive and Special Education. New York: Oxford University Press.
Santamaría Graff, C., Manlove, J., Stuckey, S., & Foley, M. (2020). Examining pre-service special education teachers’ biases and evolving understandings about families through a Family as Faculty approach.Preventing School Failure.
King Thorius, K. A., Santamaría Graff, C., & Skelton, S. M. (2019). Rooted in legacy & holding space: Our commitment to new beginnings. Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, 19(1), 1 – 3.
Santamaría Graff, C., & Boehner, J. (2019). Forming a mutually respectful university/parent-to-parent organization community partnership through a “Family as Faculty” project.Engage!: Urban University Community Journal. DOI: 10.18060/22816
Santamaría Graff, C. (2019). The unbearable whiteness of being. Reflexivity of Pain and Privilege. Exploring the reflexivity of pain and privilege (Section 1). Brill Publishers. https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004393813/BP000012.xml
Warren-Gordon, K., & Santamaría Graff, C. (2018, Nov/Dec). Critical Service-Learning as a vehicle for change in higher education courses.Changes, 50(60), 20 – 23.
Santamaría Graff, C. (2017). “Build That Wall!”: Manufacturing the enemy, yet again. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 30(10), 999 – 1005.
King Thorius, K. K., & Santamaría Graff, C. (2017). Extending peer-assisted learning strategies for racially, linguistically, and ability diverse learners. Intervention in School and Clinic, 1-8.
Santamaría Graff, C. C., & Kozleski, E. B. (2014). Calcifying sorting and segregating: Brown at 60.Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, 14(2), 52-67.
Santamaría Graff, C. C. & Vazquez, S. L. (2014). Family resistance as a tool in urban school reform. In E. B. Kozleski & K. King Thorius (Eds.), Ability, equity, and culture: Sustaining inclusive urban education reform. New York: Teachers College Press.
Santamaría Graff, C. C., McCain, T., & Gomez-Vilchis, V. (2013). Latina resilience in higher education: Contributing factors including seasonal farmworker experiences.Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 12(4), 334 – 344.
Santamaría, L. J., Santamaría, C. C. & Fletcher, T. V. (2009). Pre-service teachers’ journeys toward cultural competence. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education: An International Journal, 3(1).
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Santamaría Graff, C. (2023, August 24). Holding space for and affirming multiple intersections of identity in higher education. Cal Lutheran Faculty Retreat at Ventura Marriott, Ventura, CA.
Santamaría Graff, C. & Williams, T. (2022, October 14). Seeing the positives during current teacher shortages: Reconceptualizing recruitment & retention strategies. Association of Teacher Educators – Indiana (ATE-I) Conference. Central Indiana Educational Service Center, Indianapolis, IN.
Santamaría Graff, C. (2021, November 5). Whose knowledge counts?: (Re)positioning Immigrant Family Voices in Higher Educational Settings. Engagement with refugee and immigrant communities during a pandemic: Collaborations, challenges, and resilience. Guilford College, Greensboro, NC (virtual presentation).
Santamaría Graff, C. (2021, May 7). Leaving power and privilege at the door: (Re)positioning communities’ voices and centering their assets. Left exposed: Risk, vulnerability, & identities. Franklin College Intercultural Honors Experience Symposium. Franklin College, IN.
Santamaría Graff, C. (2019, October 18). Creating reciprocal family-community-school partnerships to center student learning and well-being. ATEI Conference for Indiana State Teachers Association: Education (ISTA) through the lenses of equity: Empowering educators, learners, and other stakeholders. Indianapolis, IN.
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Family as Faculty - An AI-Generated Podcast of my work: “Family as Faculty: Flipping the Script on Power in Special Education”
Aceves, T., & Santamaría Graff, C. (2022, December). Centering family voices in professional training for educators. Research to Practice. DDEL Voices, 12(2), 5-6.
Council for Exceptional Children: Teacher Education Division – Diversity Caucus (2022, April). Interview with Dr. Cristina Santamaría Graff. Posted to YouTube on October 17, 2022.
National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE) (2022). Engaging Family as Faculty, p. 21. Educator Preparation Framework for Family and Community Partnerships.
Maier, D. (2022, May). CEC-DR Families Research Spotlight - Featured Article: “Examining pre-service special education teachers’ biases and evolving understandings about families through a family as faculty approach”. Council for Exceptional Children Diversity (CEC-DR), Focus on Research, 35(2), pp. 7-9.
Waitoller, F. (2022, January). Research with and for BIPOC students with disabilities and their families. Council for Exceptional Children Diversity (CEC-DR) Committee Spotlight: Focus on Research. Newsletter, 35(1), p. 2.
Burke, E., Cook, E., Judon, A., Taylor, B., & Caspe, M. (2021, September). Commitment to Learning with and from Families: Family as Faculty. Four Perspectives on Preparing Educators to Engage Families and Communities. National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE).
Santamaría Graff, C. (2021, September 24). Family as Faculty! A Project to Authentically Engage Parents, Students, and Community Partners in Meeting Common Goals. IUPUI Center for TRIP Research Introduction.
Santamaría Graff, C. (2021, September 17). 2017 – 2018 Block Grant: Family as Faculty. IUPUI School of Education Faculty Research.
Family as Faculty (2020, July 2). Compact Nation Podcast. National Campus Compact.
