Candice Bledsoe was one out six professors named 2012 fellows for the Texas project for Human Rights education, a research-focused, curriculum-building program funded by the Boone Family Foundation of Dallas and overseen by the Embrey Human Rights program with the SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and sciences.
The Texas project for Human Rights education program aims to expand human rights education throughout the state by awarding grants to higher education teachers to conduct research and incorporate human rights into their varied academic disciplines. Other fellows include SMU professors Sabri Ates and Noah Simblist; University of North Texas political science professor Idean Salehyan; and two Texas Tech professors Hans Hansen and Jill Patterson.
“This is an opportunity for the fellows, and ultimately their students, to understand how relevant human rights is in any field,” says Embrey Human Rights program director Rick Halperin. Each professor will receive about $20,000 to fund trips, human rights courses and research the Holocaust with a focus on women’s rights, a guiding force behind the Boone Family Foundation.
Candice Bledsoe teaches English at Tarrant County College. Bledsoe helps girls, minorities, and economically disadvantaged youth with their written and oral communication skills.
Bledsoe believes, works for, and loves her community. She is the Founder of Poetic Diamonds and the Cutting Edge Youth Summit. Poetic Diamonds help students with their verbal and written communication skills.
The Cutting Edge Youth Summit helps to develop students in the area of mentorship, leadership, and scholarship.
Bledsoe began her studies as a business professional seeking intellectual growth, with a focus on African American literature and Human Rights. Her academic work had such an impact that she decided to leave the corporate world to pursue a career in academia and the nonprofit sector.
“My MLS degree enabled me to more directly make a difference in the lives of others,” she says. “My studies helped me realize that all things are possible.”
Currently, Bledsoe is also pursuing a doctorate in Global Education at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education.
For more details about the program, visit http://smu.edu/humanrights or call 214-768-8347
