University of Denver Spring 2026

ACADEMICS

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Once you’ve crossed a few thousand miles, you gain a global perspective that stays with you.

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Rashida Banerjee

of Professional Psychology. “How can we be more impactful by moving out of our discipline silos?” Banerjee plans to build on the connections she’s made through COIL sessions, joint research projects, and student-faculty exchanges—while acknowledging that the environment for global activity in higher education has become more challenging. “Understanding that from a 30,000 foot view helps me look at it more objectively,” she says. “Instead of complaining about it, we can become better problem solvers.” Same question, different country While Banerjee returned to familiar ground abroad, Kim Bender stepped into a new cultural context when she traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, in 2023 as a Fulbright scholar.

Bender, the Philip D. and Eleanor G. Winn Professor for Children and Youth at Risk in the Graduate School of Social Work, specializes in participatory research methods such as photovoice, in which participants—often from marginalized communities—use photography and storytelling to document their experiences and advocate for change. In Taiwan, Bender collaborated with scholars to explore how youth participation is understood During her six-month stay, Bender also partnered with a community-based organization to conduct research with youth in an after-school program. Eager to keep the collaboration going, she applied for a COIL grant when she returned, enabling her to co-teach a research course last fall with a Taiwanese colleague. They explored social issues that vary across cultural contexts, including wellness, substance use, and aging. “It was a beautiful way to learn through teaching—which is part of our teacher-scholar model,” says Bender. The experience continues to shape her work. “Learning about completely different ways of thinking about our responsibilities to one another and about social change has been incredibly refreshing,” she reflects. “It felt like expanding what’s possible.” Learning by living it Expanding possibilities was also central to Keith Miller’s time in Italy last fall. A chemistry professor in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Miller has also held a range of student-facing leadership in a more collectivist culture and delivered workshops on photovoice to researchers and practitioners across disciplines.

GSSW professor Kim Bender (left, with daughter Poppy) was a Fulbright scholar in Taiwan.

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UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | SPRING 2026