LaVonne has been sticking up for the underdog her whole life. 早在她来到康科迪亚之前，她就热衷于反对不公正，为那些没有发言权或被视为“不如”的人挺身而出.她目前的工作是帮助大学生在高等教育中实施恢复性实践. 她认为康考迪亚大学的经历不仅使她和她的同学们成为更好的公民，而且成为更好的社区领袖和更好的教育者.
请告诉我们你认为你在各自的社区中正在或已经产生的最大影响之一.
当被问及她对社区的积极影响时，拉翁看到了未来. She is engaging students today to build a better tomorrow. 她认为她在当地一所大学实施恢复性司法和恢复性实践的工作现在已经产生了很小的影响, 但她明白，她正在奠定的基础可能是巨大的. Her patience is paying off.
What have you learned about the diverse needs of this community?
“年轻的大学生很难与与自己观点不同的人交谈. 他们并不总是能够准确地表达自己和沟通他们的感受. 他们正在认识到，仅仅因为我们长得一样并不意味着我们的想法一样. 沟通脱节的部分原因似乎是学生们不知道如何相互倾听，有时, not caring if they are disrespectful of other groups.拉翁知道，任何美好明天的希望都始于今天的年轻人. 她在大学里所做的恢复性司法工作有可能产生惊人的积极影响.
作为CUI EDD项目的一部分，你的研究/学习如何帮助你满足这个社区的需求?
“It’s been an amazing 3 years! The whole journey overall prepared me for this moment. I haven’t just learned academic knowledge, but life knowledge,” says Riggs of her Concordia University Irvine experience.
Through her dissertation research, coursework and the 2 trips, LaVonne says that she is looking at education through a different lens. 特别是这些旅行确实影响了她的思维，尤其是在与她的大学社区合作时. “The D.C. trip was beyond amazing! The speakers showed us a different perception of reality. What we thought was real and what is reality was very different. This will allow us to look at our districts and our state in a different light.” The China trip broadened her perspective of social justice. “关注中国的社会公正，让我对世界有了更广阔的视野. 不同的社区对概念有不同的术语/含义，例如，“包容性”一词在中国和美国的含义不同.’ It also made me question what does social justice look like as a whole? This degree is broadening my point of view in that aspect.对拉冯来说，这两次旅行不仅影响了她满足社区需求的能力，也证实了她选择了康考迪亚大学欧文分校. She feels sorry for the folks who are doing Ed.D.s at other schools. “You can’t learn these experiences in the classroom.”
LaVonne also credits her Ed.D. instructors for her success “not letting us fall by the wayside. They are in the trenches with us guiding to make sure we are successful, sometimes pulling info out of us kicking and screaming. The leadership training was amazing. 每个人都拿出了自己的“A”来挑战我们，让我们不仅成为更好的公民，而且成为更好的社区领袖和更好的教育者.
你如何利用你的研究或经验来制定策略来满足这些需求?
拉翁说，课程作业和中国之行让她意识到，自己对整个世界知之甚少, 但现在她知道如何找到信息——去哪里——以及如何读取数据. Whether it’s working with her college students or any other group, this program has taught her that she doesn't have, and doesn’t need to have, all the answers. She is confident she can do research and find the information she needs.
How has your involvement with this community impacted other areas of your life?
This is very personal for LaVonne. Injustice has always been an issue for her, even in raising her children. “Sticking up for the underdog. For those wanting to be heard and not having that ability. For those not having a seat at the table - who been looked at as ‘less-than.’ The time is now to stop that mindset for our students and even our faculty.她正在做的恢复性司法工作的一部分包括对成年人进行偏见培训. “我们都有偏见，但我们需要认识到我们的偏见，这样我们才能调整我们的思维框架，并在必要时制定备用计划。.”
拉翁希望给所有年龄段的人提供相处的工具，并在不感到羞耻的情况下解决彼此之间的问题. “We are so easily offended. 我们的社会有太多的耻辱，因为年复一年的问题没有得到解决. We even bully people with shame. It is important to teach people to learn to communicate without shaming. When we can come together without shame, 知道我们并不完美，知道我们有问题，我们就能走到一起，进行那些艰难的对话. 我们需要认识到，我们可能在一个话题上意见不一致，但我们可以在谈话结束时对彼此的观点有更多的了解和尊重.”
拉翁的目标是让人们意识到我们都是有效的，我们都有一个目标，无论我们的背景或经历如何. “如果我们倾听并愿意学习如何进行有凝聚力的对话，我们都可以为对话带来丰富的内容.”
拉翁，你的康考迪亚大学欧文分校社区为你鼓掌，并感谢你愿意参与!
Additional responses from Pre-Interview Survey
In what ways, if any, has the Ed.D. 项目提高了你评估和发展职位/项目/干预措施的能力，以回应这个社区的需求?
The Ed.D program has broadened my view of community. 它让我对学术界和教育文化的需求有了更广泛的了解. 通过这个项目，我发现了恢复性实践，并一直在寻找方法，让自己参与到各种致力于实施恢复性实践和正义的项目中. I feel the opportunities that the program has provided has been wonderful. The trips have enhanced and deepened the experience. The professors have all been knowledgeable and encouraging. With the support of the program, 我觉得我已经能够成为一个更好的教育者和社区的一员.
Presentations
"Restorative Justice: Meeting Students Where They're at.由LaVonne Riggs-Zeigen在大峡谷大学多样性演讲论坛上向学生们介绍, Phoenix, AZ, February 2019.