Julie-Ann Bruskrud Receives CSUN Distinguished Thesis/Graduate Project Award

Julie-Ann Bruskrud, who graduated with her Ed.D. in Education Leadership in Spring 2025, was named one of four recipients of the CSUN Distinguished Thesis/Graduate Project Competition for 2025, which came with a $1,500 award. Her dissertation, “Professional Development on Trauma-Informed Care Through Participatory Action Research,” reported on an ambitious project to develop professional-development workshops for preschool teachers to train them to recognize childhood trauma and provide research-based care for their students. Julie-Ann employed a Participatory Action Research methodology, in which she collaborated with volunteer teachers to educate themselves about trauma-informed care (TIC) while they designed a series of TIC workshops to deliver to colleagues. Simultaneously, the team served as co-researchers, recording and reflecting on their processes, their products, and their personal growth.