Faculty Profile

Associate Director
Center for Excellence in Writing
odettere@buffalo.edu

• PhD, Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning, University at Buffalo, 2022
  

• Associate Director, Education, University at Buffalo
  
• Writing Instructor/Faculty, Buffalo State University
• Writing and Research Faculty, Bryant and Stratton College

I am where I am today because of the mentoring I received growing up. I stand on the shoulders of some great mentors, who helped me to navigate being a teenager and then a young adult. Therefore, I am constantly reaching to pull others up with me and helping to create space at the table. Mentoring is caring enough about someone else and sharing your experience so that you can help them avoid the pitfalls you went through. I strongly believe that my experiences in life shaped me into the person that I am today. The challenges I experienced in education and employment have taught me lessons that I can share with someone else. Hopefully, it will make their journey a little easier or less complicated. I taught for ten years, and never really had a mentor in the field to help me to navigate academia. When I became a PhD student, I had to search for a mentor and create a network of support. I became a mentor for early-stage doctoral students, and the support and knowledge we shared with each other helped us to successfully complete our PhD program. Outside of academia, I have had the rewarding experience of being a mentor to young girls in my community. The wealth of knowledge I have gathered through my lived experiences should be shared. I am a lifelong learner, so the space that mentorship provides to share and learn from each other is very important to me. 

• Minority experiences: I applied problem solving skills to deal with microaggressions and stereotypes. In the midst of systemic racism, I find ways to celebrate life and keep my joy. 
  
• Personal circumstances: I had the immigrant experience twice. I moved to Canada from Jamaica when I was ten years old. I moved to Buffalo, NY when I was 36 years old. Caring for family, working, and going to school can be overwhelming. Self care, setting boundaries, and realistic goals helped me. Extending grace to yourself and others, accepting help, and utilizing all available resources are keys to success. 
  
• Academic culture: Imposter syndrome is something I battled with as an immigrant Black woman with an accent in academia. I learned how to see my differences as assets and tap into my lived experiences to survive. Finding a network of support and being my authentic self helped.