Chanse Sonsalla, Research Associate

Chanse joined the Community Opportunity Alliance in June 2022 and became a research associate in 2023. Her primary responsibilities include supporting the Grounding Values in Research program and coordinating the Alliance's research initiatives. She is passionate about research, data use, and lifelong learning. Chanse is excited to contribute her commitment to service and community development to the Alliance.

Chanse has experience in many different education and development settings. As a certified English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, she volunteered with her university’s ESL mission, and has continued to help develop academic community events to support learning for all ages and educational environments. She previously served as a Peace Corps Education Volunteer, teaching English and Economics to secondary students in Bunumbu, Sierra Leone. More recently, she helped to revise and implement digital literacy curricula with Baker Ripley in Houston, Texas. She is currently working on completing her thesis and final academic year in the Masters of Sociology program at Illinois State University.