passion for research and issues of race and ethnicity. She provided thoughtful and

insightful analysis of the theoretical and empirical work we discussed. She also was a

tremendous resource for me while I was completing my statistical analysis. She is a great

role model as an educator and a social scientist.

 I would also like to acknowledge other groups and individuals who helped me to

complete my doctoral studies. Dr. Myrna Courage and the University of Florida provided

the Alumni Fellowship that allowed me to focus on my studies full-time. Also, Dr. Scott

Miller provided the opportunity for me to work as a research assistant while completing

my dissertation and allowed me to integrate my research questions into his survey

development project. Dr. Eve Brank, from the department of statistics, taught me about

data management and computer-assisted data analysis. Lastly I would like to thank Drs.

Stephanie and Elias Sarkis for their encouragement and their crucial advice about when

to finish.