About Sobha Kavanakudiyil, EdD

20+ years of building strong, creative learning experiences.

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Meet Sobha Kavanakudiyil, EdD

Dr. Sobha Kavanakudiyil is a theatre practitioner, scholar, and higher education leader whose work examines identity, equity, and representation in theatre education. Through qualitative research and creative practice, she develops frameworks that support more inclusive and transformative approaches to teacher preparation and arts education. She is currently the Program Director for the Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York—CUNY.

Mentorship That Inspires Change

As Director of the Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York, she works alongside faculty and graduate students in a public urban institution grounded in equity and access. She leads curriculum development and mentorship that integrates creative practice with critical inquiry, preparing theater educators to engage questions of identity, representation, and systemic power within educational and cultural institutions.

Scholarship Meets Creative Practice

Sobha earned her EdD in Higher Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2026. Her dissertation is titled “(Re)Imagine Theatre Education Teacher Preparation in Higher Education.” The dissertation integrates:

  • Qualitative research
  • Ethnodrama
  • Development of the VOICE Reflective Framework

Advancing Equity With VOICE

The VOICE Reflective Framework is a strategic tool that supports programs in advancing equity across:

  • Curriculum
  • Mentorship
  • Recruitment
  • Institutional culture
Engage Into Creative Research

Areas of Work

Her work centers on:

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Equity centered teacher preparation

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Graduate program leadership

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Theatre education
and curriculum design

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Creative practice as scholarship

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Identity in the performing arts

Belonging, Identity, and Equity

As the daughter of immigrants, Sobha’s work is shaped by questions of belonging, access, and representation. She is committed to preparing educators who center identity as foundational to both pedagogical and artistic practice and to advancing theater education as a site of equity driven institutional transformation.

Sobha Kavanakudiyil
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Areas of Work

Her work centers on:

  • Innovative

  • Relationship Building

  • Leadership

  • Visionary

  • Strategic Planning

  • Mentorship

key strengths

  • Manager

  • Commitment to Quality

  • Collaborative

Curriculum Vitae

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