Thanks for navigating to my site! My name is Kaleb Germinaro, Ph.D., and I am a faculty member at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a former high school football coach, dog dad, son, brother, friend and many other things! These are some of the identities I hold most dear, and they also are what my time is catered towards.
Currently living in Seattle, WA, I have had the privilege of engaging with this place, learning and loving how it’s added to my journey and supported me over time while allowing me to grow. I moved here from Philly where I went to the University of Pennsylvania and received my BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics with a focus in Urban Studies and my master’s in Human Development. I moved to Philly from Phoenix, where I grew up and played football, allowing me to play in college. I then was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 19, which set me on my disability justice and academic path. This is key to my story as I keenly pay attention to and focus on space, how my disability and Blackness are supported and/or suppressed in spaces, and how I navigate justice and liberation through my spatial orientations.
Many things are important to me; they all boil down to supporting spatial belonging in many forms. Sometimes it looks like designing a lesson plan, and other times it looks like facilitating the adoption of a dog, I am here for it. In my free time, I coach high school football, do photography, bike, and enjoy short (incline-less) strolls through the woods and my pup. I also dabble in photography and enjoy art, supporting it, and making space for it outside of my academic pursuits. Feel free to check out some of my photos as well. Enjoy.