CST Graduate Research Assistant honored with Dr. Mark and Mrs. Judy Searle Graduate Scholarship
July 1, 2020 - SCRD news: Kim Pham and Tasha Love, each of whom are pursuing a PhD degree in ASU’s School of Community Resources and Development (SCRD), are recipients of the 2020 Dr. Mark and Mrs. Judy Searle Graduate Scholarship.
The scholarship, which supports doctoral student dissertation research, is annually open to SCRD PhD students who have completed their comprehensive exams and will have successfully defended their proposal.
The scholarship is provided by and named for ASU Executive Vice President and University Provost Mark Searle and his wife, Judy.
Kim Pham is from Vietnam. She achieved a Master of Science degree in parks, recreation and tourism at the University of Missouri. Before coming to the United States for graduate study, Kim worked for several years as travel consultant, sales manager, and product executive with travel agents in her country. She has great interest in sustainable tourism and community development through tourism.
Her current research interests include sustainable practices in tourism, impacts of tourism, tourism planning and implementation, destination marketing, travel planning, tourist behavior, and customer service. Kim is working as a graduate research assistant at ASU’s Center for Sustainable Tourism.
Pham’s dissertation will address “overtourism,” which Wikipedia defines as “the perceived congestion or overcrowding from an excess of tourists, resulting in conflicts with locals” and which has become a pressing issue at many destinations recently. Pham will explain this phenomenon from a theoretical perspective; assess local residents’ perceptions; and examine how stakeholders are involved in sustainable tourism development to mitigate the negative effects of overtourism.
Tasha Love’s research focuses on strategies for attracting and retaining college graduates for community development in low-income communities. She is particularly interested in patterns of interaction that may be critical to understanding students’ desires/plans to return to their home communities to be active in the development of the community.
Love’s dissertation involves a study that uses a mixed methods approach. She explores low income college students and graduates’ relationships with their home communities during their college journey and their desires/plans to return home after graduation to be active in the development of their home community.
Love has noted that communities of concentrated disadvantage are marked by limited opportunities for upward mobility and economic growth as well as a host of issues stemming from negative self-identity, poor social bonds and disparate access to quality education.
SCRD Director Christine Buzinde called Love’s and Pham’s achievements important accomplishments.”
“These are important accomplishments. On behalf of the School we honor our awardees and express sincere gratitude to our award sponsors,” Buzinde said.
Mark Searle was founding dean of the College of Human Services on the West campus, where he served as faculty member and as West campus provost before becoming vice provost for academic affairs, vice president for academic personnel and deputy provost and chief of staff to the provost. In 2015 he was named executive vice president and provost of the university.
Judy Searle originally trained as a teacher and served in several healthcare organizations as the leader of volunteer services. She is an active volunteer with the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum, Phoenix Holocaust Survivors Association and many other charitable organizations.
(Source: https://scrd.asu.edu/content/2-scrd-phd-students-honored-dr-mark-and-mrs-judy-searle-graduate-scholarship)
