SHSU Center for Assessment, Research and Educational Safety Announces Inaugural CARES Fellowship Recipients

SHSU Center for Assessment, Research and Educational Safety Announces Inaugural CARES Fellowship Recipients 

 The Sam Houston State University Center for Assessment, Research and Educational Safety (CARES), a research center within the College of Education, has announced the inaugural class of CARES Fellows. This milestone marks the first year of a program designed to cultivate high-quality, practitioner-relevant research dedicated to keeping schools and universities safe. 

The CARES Fellowship pairs exceptional graduate students with experienced faculty mentors to produce scholarship that directly addresses the safety challenges facing K–12 schools, colleges and universities. The program reflects CARES’s commitment to bridging rigorous academic inquiry and real-world practice in school safety. 

The three inaugural CARES Fellows include Amy Gándara, Catherine Filipovich and Jacqueline Moreno. 

Gándara is a doctoral student in Higher Education Leadership and currently serves as a Coordinator of Academic Planning and Assessment at SHSU.  Gándara joins the inaugural CARES Fellowship class under the supervision of Matthew Fuller, professor of educational leadership and director of CARES. 

“As a CARES Doctoral Fellow, I will bring a focused research agenda, strong analytical skills and a commitment to translating research into actionable strategies that support prevention. I am motivated to contribute meaningful scholarship to help institutions better understand crisis risk factors, strengthen safety practices and protect the well-being of students, faculty and staff. It is a true honor to be awarded this fellowship, and I look forward to making my contribution to supporting safety in higher education,” Gándara said.  

Gándara’s fellowship project centers on a wholistic examination of the ways in which higher education institutions implement threat assessment and general safety provisions. Her work addresses a recognized gap in the field, with implications for emergency managers, law enforcement and university leaders.  

Filipovich is a doctoral student in Curriculum and Instruction and currently serves as a virtual tutor in the private sector. Filipovich joins the inaugural CARES Fellowship class under the supervision of Jamie Coyne, bringing a background in K-8 education and instructional leadership to research focused on staff and stakeholder preparedness to detect, deter and respond to crisis situations.  

“As an educator and parent, the issue of school safety affects everyone. Improving school safety strengthens institutions, contributes to student and staff well-being, and benefits the overall climate of K-12 schools,” Filipovich said 

Filipovich’s fellowship project centers on examining protocols that contribute to K-12 school preparedness in potential or real crisis situations. The study seeks to analyze empirical evidence and understand how institutional safety measures deter school violence. The study seeks to examine how school safety protocols are perceived and implemented by school personnel in K-12 institutions. The topic is relevant in that first responders, teachers, and administrators will be better equipped to prevent or respond to crisis situations with information gleaned from the study. The work addresses a recognized gap in the field that may inform policies that make schools and universities safer.  

Moreno is a doctoral student in Counselor Education and currently serves as a school counselor for Klein ISD. Moreno joins the inaugural CARES Fellowship class under the co-supervision of Tershundrea Branch and Felicia Mirghassemi, bringing a background in school counseling and community engaged research to this study focused on educator perceptions of school safety.   

“School safety isn’t just about locks and drills; it’s about whether students feel seen, supported and connected. My research exposes critical gaps in how educators view that reality and use data to drive smarter, stronger counseling programs. This fellowship gives me the platform to push that conversation and change forward,” Moreno said.  

Moreno’s fellowship project examines how educators’ perceptions of school safety, particularly around student mental health and connectedness, differ across professional roles and influence the design of data-driven school counseling programs. This work is highly relevant as it positions mental health as a core component of school safety. The project addresses a key gap in understanding how stakeholder misalignments impact practice, with implications for school counselors, educators, administrators and policymakers in improving targeted interventions and program design. 

As a leading research center within the College of Education, CARES remains committed to producing rigorous, applied research that informs policy and practice across educational settings. Through initiatives like the CARES Fellowship, the center continues to foster meaningful collaboration, support emerging scholars and drive solutions that create safer learning environments throughout Texas and beyond.