KSU Professor Awarded $3.5M Spencer Foundation Grant

In conjunction with an ongoing effort to address the dearth of Asian American studies in K-12 school curriculums, Kennesaw State University professor Sohyun An is among a group of researchers recently awarded a prestigious $3.5 million Transformative Research Grant from the Spencer Foundation.

The first of its kind awarded by the foundation, the grant supports a robust collaborative research effort focused on supporting the integration of Asian American studies in the classroom.

Through the grant, An will serve as a co-principal investigator on a multidisciplinary team that includes principal investigator Noreen Naseem Rodríguez of Michigan State University; and co-principal investigators Esther Kim of College of William and Mary; Soo-yong Byun of the Pennsylvania State University; Michael Brown of the University of Michigan; and Jennifer Higgs of the University of California, Davis. Together, they will conduct an extensive study across five states to explore how communities advocate for and implement policies mandating the teaching of Asian American studies in K-12 classrooms and how these initiatives impact student learning.

Since joining KSU’s Bagwell College of Education in 2011, An has been a trailblazer in anti-racism social studies education and Asian American studies. Her contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2023 Distinguished Researcher Award from American Educational Research Association, the 2022 Distinguished Professor Award from KSU and two Spencer Foundation Small Research Grants to conduct research on anti-racist education.

“We are fortunate to have a researcher of Dr. An’s caliber among our esteemed faculty,” said Adrian Epps, dean of the Bagwell College. “She serves as an inspiration for her commitment to building the educators of tomorrow and for her advocacy beyond the classroom. We very much look forward to seeing the impact her research has on educational practices across the nation.”

Beyond her academic achievements, An is deeply committed to community engagement and grassroots activism. She co-founded Asian American Voices for Education, a grassroots collective in Georgia dedicated to advancing Asian American and ethnic studies in K-12 schools. An works with Asian American students, educators and community members to transform schools to be a space where students can see themselves and others as whole human beings, examine race in connection to power, and dream and act for a different future.