Each Friday, a person who is making bold moves, living well, nurturing their creativity, following their passions, and making magic will be featured on Bold Living Today.

Today’s interview is with the deep thinking, hard question asking, action oriented – Magda Chia. As you can tell from my description of Magda, she is getting major stuff done. I worked with Magda briefly when she was doing nonprofit work, and then she became a graduate student and our working relationship blossomed.

Magda is a clear thinker who tackles questions that keep her up at night and seeks to find sustainable solutions that will positively impact people (or groups) who may have been forgotten or under-valued. I truly admire her work.

She’s has some amazing things to share in this interview.

question 1:

If someone is thinking it’s too late to pursue a Ph.D., what words of encouragement would you offer?

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{Magda}

My age and life experiences proved invaluable during doctoral classes, research projects, and getting employment at the end of my studies. In addition, it is extremely important that there be diverse ages represented among doctoral students. Age diversity is as important as having different gender, SES, and ethnicity representation. Age, and life experience, frames how we view the world, the types of research questions we ask, how we interact with others, and how we interpret and present data we gather.

***

{Kanesha} I love this response. Some people use age as a barrier to dive into something new. I recently created a podcast about this very topic.

question 2:

Pursuing a Ph.D. is a lot of work. How do you focus on your studies, spend time with your family, and take good care of yourself?

***

{Magda}

This is one of the most challenging aspects of doctoral work. It is important to be clear about one’s own priorities and be willing to delegate what is not high on our personal list.

***

question 3:

You are a busy woman serving as the Director of Support for Under-represented Students for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. If a family doesn’t feel welcomed in a school environment (for whatever reason) what are 4 things he/she can do to work through their fear – and advocate for their child/children?

***

{Magda}

It is so important that people find and use their voice. It is incredibly empowering to do so. They can speak to any person they feel comfortable with at the school: teachers, members of the PTA, school administrators.

Parents and guardians should also feel comfortable going to central/district offices.

State, city, and consortia internet websites can also provide a great deal of information about curriculum, large-scale assessment, and standards. For example, parents can look at www.smarterbalanced.org or http://www.cde.state.co.us/index_parentstudent.htm.

Finally, local non-profits–such as Padres Unidos–can help with information, support, and advocacy.

***

question 4:

In addition to changing the world through your work as an educator, what new and fun things are you learning to do right now?

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{Magda}

I am rediscovering New York City through Boulder eyes. I am riding my bicycle a great deal around Manhattan. In addition, I am literally stopping and smelling the roses. Every day, as I walk the dogs, I make sure to be present, truly. Watching a small bird fly from flower to flower or observing the bond between an elderly couple still holding hands as they walk are gifts I have come to appreciate.

***

{Kanesha} That’s beautiful and inspiring.

question 5:

What six words describe bold living for you?

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{Magda}

Six words: real, new, exciting yet peaceful, fresh, and open.

***

More about Magda:

Magda Chia is the Director of Support for Under-Represented Students for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Her research addresses validity and fairness in assessments across diverse student populations. She specializes in the relationship between cultural and linguistic diversity and measurement tool development, assessment implementation, measurement tool result use, and classroom instruction. Her latest work examines the fidelity of implementation of international assessment translation and cultural adaptation procedures. She has worked on a number of studies funded by the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Education, the American Institutes for Research, the Council for Aid to Education, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. She has analyzed the psychometric properties and the linguistic and cultural characteristics of large- scale assessments and performance tasks used nationally and internationally. Through Fulbright studies, Magda examined the cultural, historical, economic, and political contexts impacting educational opportunities throughout Perú. She also has helped design educational programs at the Smithsonian Institution. Magda has taught undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students in the teacher education and educational policy programs at the University of Colorado, Boulder and linguistically and culturally diverse students in New York City, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. Finally, Magda has several years of experience conducting project management at a Fortune 500 company.