Nadeeka Karunaratne
I am currently a PhD candidate in the Higher Education & Organizational Change program within UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies
I serve as an Adjunct Professor in California Lutheran University’s Department of Counselor Education where I teach courses such as “Organization & Administration of Higher Education” and “Student Development Theory”
I center the experiences of minoritized individuals in higher education using power-conscious frameworks such as intersectionality
The goal of fostering radical healing, or healing that addresses the complex role of intersecting forms of oppression, is the driving force of my professional work
My current research focuses on the healing and responses of Women and Femme students of color to experiences of dating violence
I am a trauma-informed yoga instructor and facilitate healing yoga programs on college campuses and in the community
I facilitate trainings on intersectionality in sexual & relationship violence work, anti-racism in higher education, trauma-informed care, and wellness & healing as resistance
My background in student affairs influences my research and teaching.
I have worked in the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, the Cross-Cultural Center at UC Irvine, and UC Irvine’s Campus Assault Resources & Education Office. I received my BS in Chemistry from UC Berkeley and MA in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University.
I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area to Sri Lankan immigrant parents.
Nadeeka Karunaratne 