Shaheena Salim Jumani-Alwani

I am honored to be nominated for the position of Student Representative for the Comparative and International Education Society. I approach this nomination with a strong sense of responsibility, informed by my professional experience as a nurse leader, educator, and researcher, and by my long standing engagement with complex educational and institutional systems across diverse contexts.

My academic and professional journey has been shaped by sustained involvement in leadership and governance, often at the intersection of education, health, and policy. This positioning has sharpened my awareness of how student voices are frequently present yet unevenly represented in decision making spaces, particularly for mid-career and senior professionals who return to formal study while navigating leadership, caregiving, and institutional responsibilities. I view the Student Representative role as an opportunity to advocate for more inclusive and nuanced forms of representation that reflect the diversity of student experiences within CIES.

As a researcher, I engage with education through a critical lens, attentive to questions of power, access, and epistemic justice. I am particularly interested in how comparative and international education can move beyond descriptive accounts toward more reflexive and ethically grounded inquiry. Within CIES, I would seek to support spaces that encourage critical dialogue, methodological pluralism, and respectful engagement across disciplinary, geographic, and positional differences.

If elected, I would prioritize three interconnected commitments. First, strengthening communication between student members and the Board, ensuring that student concerns, aspirations, and insights inform strategic decisions. Second, supporting platforms for scholarly development that recognize varied career stages and pathways, including those of practitioner scholars and professionals from the Global South. Third, contributing to a culture of care and collegiality within the Society, where academic rigor coexists with empathy, mentorship, and mutual accountability.

I bring to this role not only experience, but also a disposition toward listening, critical questioning, and collaborative problem solving. I believe effective representation requires both advocacy and humility, an ability to surface difficult questions while remaining open to learning.

CIES has long been a vital space for critical inquiry and global dialogue. I would be honored to contribute to its governance and to serve student members with integrity, thoughtfulness, and a deep commitment to the values of comparative and international education.