UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School has named Somer Levine the recipient of the 2021 Delaine A. Eastin Fellowship. This fellowship is given to a graduate student pursuing an MA or Ph.D. in the Department of Education who is the first in her family to attend grad school and show academic progress, with a preference for female students.
Somer Levine is a first-year doctoral student focusing her research in critical reading instruction and family literacy under the guidance of Dr. Diana Arya and Dr. Karen Lunsford. Levine is a first-gen college student, the only teacher in her family, and the first in her family to pursue a doctoral degree. She earned a B.A. in English from UC Santa Barbara in 2006, her M.A. in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University in 2008, and her Ed.M. in Reading Education from Boston University in 2012. She holds a California Instructional Specialist credential in Reading with a Bilingual Authorization in Spanish and a Preliminary Administrative Services credential. For 14 years, Levine enjoyed various teaching roles in Title I public schools including reading specialist, Spanish literacy specialist, literacy coach, and English teacher. She is committed to serving marginalized populations. She is currently a faculty member in the Teacher Education Division at Pepperdine University where she prepares future teachers. Her research interests encompass critical reading instruction and family literacy in Latinx school communities.