Ecford Named to Bouchet Honor Society
Ozivell Ecford, a learning sciences graduate student at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy, has been selected for the 2026 Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, which recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and excellence in doctoral education.
Ecford is a teaching artist who has spent the last two decades using music, theater, and performance to help underserved youth — particularly those involved with the criminal legal system — recover from trauma and find their voices. His work in theater, including the production “1619: A Journey of a People”, uses storytelling as a tool for healing and inclusion.
He’s currently studying arts-based educational models for young people involved in the justice system and trying to scale the solutions that show the most promise.
Beyond his research, Ecford is lead facilitator for the Cities Mentor Project — a research-based nonprofit collaboration between Chicago-area universities and Chicago Public Schools. As part of the program, undergraduate students from Northwestern, Loyola University Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and DePaul University are paired with Chicago middle schoolers.
As a research assistant in Professor Mike Horn's Tidal Lab, Ecford helps design research studies, collect data, and plan and host public-facing events, including the Coded Beats program, the When Coded Beats Come Alive Showcase, and the Bit Crush Challenge.
"These events don't just serve the research — they open Northwestern's work to broader audiences and create meaningful engagement opportunities for students and community members alike," said School of Education and Social Policy Dean Bryan Brayboy.
Ecford will present a paper at the upcoming American Educational Research Association meeting in Los Angeles that describes the design and launch of an adult literacy program that combines theater with reading and writing instruction. The program is built around healing, culture, and relationships —a departure from traditional adult literacy programs that focus mainly on job skills.
Results from a pilot program and feedback from participants suggests thoughtful teaching can help adult learners recover from past negative experiences with education, while building literacy skills and confidence. “Adult literacy programs need to do more than teach skills,” Ecford says. “They need to address people's sense of dignity, identity, and community.”
Ecford is the fifth School of Education and Social Policy graduate student to receive the award since a Northwestern chapter was established in 2017. Previous recipients include Tre Wells (2025), Karla Thomas (2023), Julissa Muñiz (2019), and Krystal Villanosa (2018).
In addition to Ecford, the 2026 inductees include Oluwagbotemi Akinsoji, Chemistry; Wisdom Akpan, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Prianka Hashim, Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences; Allegra Minor, Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences; and Lauren Rouse, Cook Family Writing Program.
Edward Alexander Bouchet received his doctorate in physics from Yale in 1876, becoming the first African American to earn a doctorate degree from an American university. The Bouchet Society develops a network of scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence in scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy.