Student - College of Education

Steven Drake

Ph.D. in Educational Policy & Planning, The University of Texas at Austin, expected 2028
M.Ed. in Educational Policy & Planning, The University of Texas at Austin, 2024
B.A. in Spanish & Education, Trinity University, summa cum laude, 2022

Email: steven.drake@utexas.edu

Steven Drake (he/him) is a first-generation doctoral student in Educational Policy and Planning and a native Texan from Dallas. His research examines LGBTQIA+ identities and policy in education - specifically how queer and trans students navigate their educational environments as a result of policies that may affirm, make invisible, or harm them. Additionally, Steven is interested in rhetoric that distinguishes (queer) students as "vulnerable" and queer adults (especially those in education) as "dangerous." For him, this rhetoric poses fundamental questions about queer belonging in education, the purposes of education, and how schools protect their students and teachers.

Steven holds a Master of Education in Educational Policy and Planning from UT in addition to a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Education from Trinity University where he graduated summa cum laude. For his doctoral studies, he was awarded a Graduate Mentoring Fellowship to support his research.

Examines LGBTQIA+ youth equity and policy in education with an emphasis on queer and trans student's experiences and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric.

Jennifer J Holme (Supervisor)
Focuses on the politics and implementation of educational policy with an emphasis on school reform, equity and diversity in schools; and the intersection between housing and education policy.

Member, Educate Out Loud Committee, College of Education, The University of Texas at Austin(2023 - Present)

Graduate Mentoring Fellowship, The Graduate School, The University of Texas at Austin (2024 - 2025)

Transformative Visionary Award, First-Gen Longhorns, The University of Texas at Austin (2024)

Joylynn Reed Hailey Endowed Scholarship, Division of Diversity & Community Engagement, The University of Texas at Austin (2023)

Texas school boards and anti-LGBTQIA+ policies: Learnings from critical policy perspectives for Houston, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, UT Austin, (2024)

Contemporary LGBTQIA+ issues: Trans-affirming language and healthcare, The University of Texas at Austin (2022)