At By All Means Leadership Alliance (BAMLA), our founders and close collaborators are committed scholar-practitioners advancing justice, equity, and community healing through doctoral research. Each of our dissertation studies centers the lived experiences of historically marginalized populations, with an emphasis on systemic transformation across education, youth development, science engagement, and family advocacy. Our collective work reflects BAMLA’s mission: to uplift voices, expand opportunity capital, and activate youth and communities as agents of social change.

• Christopher J. Means, Doctoral Candidate — A Narrative Case Study Exploration of the Impact of a Youth Development Program on Black Male High School Graduates
  This study explores how recent Black male high school graduates perceive the impact of participating in a youth development organization in a Midwestern U.S. city.

• Lee A. Means, Doctoral Candidate — Black Men's Experiences as Leaders in the K-12 Sector

  This mixed-methods study investigates whether Black men in education believe that race or gender identity influenced their hiring or promotion to leadership roles.

• Franchesca M. Capellan, Doctoral Candidate — A Qualitative Exploration: Designing and Implementing Culturally Competent Programs Advocating for Families of Color with Incarcerated Family Members

  This phenomenological study examines how culturally competent programs are designed and implemented to support families of color with an incarcerated parent.

• Shobita Mampilly, Doctoral Candidate — Science OF AND FOR The People! Authoring Engaged Science through Spirituality & Transformative Activist Stance: Empowered Science Learning.

  This Ecogram case study is being done to understand the strategies applied through collaboration of various stakeholders in transforming a marginalized urban community from a landfill dumping ground to a thriving indigenous ecosystem, through science education, activism, and agency.