Contact Information
1206 South Fourth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Biography
Doctoral Candidate | Graduate Teaching Assistant | Architect | Environmental Planner
Research Interests
- Leisure and Outdoor Recreation
- Health, Resilience, & Well-being
- Pedagogy and Student Sense of Belonging
- Intersections of Leisure Studies & Queer/Trans Studies
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Leisure & Recreation
- Urban and Environmental Planning
- Environmental & Social Justice
Research Description
My research examines how recreation and leisure environments shape access, belonging, resilience, and well-being, particularly among communities that have experienced social or institutional exclusion. Using qualitative and community-engaged methods, I study how identities, relationships, organizational practices, and environmental conditions influence people’s experiences of parks, outdoor spaces, and other leisure settings. My current work extends this research by examining how recreation organizations can translate community knowledge into more responsive programs, policies, and management practices.
Education
- 2022–current | Doctor of Philosophy – Recreation, Sport, and Tourism
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
- Thesis title: Exploring the Making of Thirdspaces among Diverse LGBTQ+ Individuals in Outdoor Natural Environments
- Minor 1: Queer Studies (Completed)
- Minor 2: Gender Relations in International Development (Completed)
- Advisor: Dr. Mariela Fernandez
- Expected Completion: May 2027
- 2020–2022 | Master’s degree – Environmental Planning and Management
- Department of Planning, School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, India
- Thesis title: Potential for Water-Based Ecotourism in Lucknow: A Case of River Gomti
- Advisor: Dr. Abdul Razak Mohammed
- 2014–2019 | Bachelor’s degree – Architecture
- Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, India
- Thesis title: Marine Training Institute
Grants
- Dissertation Travel Grant 2026, Graduate College, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. [$4295]
Awards and Honors
- The Academy of Leisure Sciences Innovation in Teaching Award 2026
- J. Robert and Linda L. Rossman Graduate Research Endowment Fund 2026, Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign [$1000 for dissertation completion]
- 2026 We CU Community Engaged Scholar Recognition
- Marianne Ferber Award 2025, Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign [$2500 for dissertation research]
- 2025 We CU Community Engaged Scholar Recognition
- Outstanding Graduate Student Award 2024, Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Allen V. Sapora Research Excellence Award 2024, Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign [$1500 for proposed research]
- 2024 We CU Community Engaged Scholar Recognition
- Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism Conference Travel Award 2026
- Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism Conference Travel Award 2025
- Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism Conference Travel Award 2024
- Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism Conference Travel Award 2023
Courses Taught
- Instructor for RST 120: Parks, Recreation, and Environment
- Co-Instructor for RST 100: Recreation, Sport, and Tourism in Modern Society
- TA for RST 230: Diversity in Recreation, Sport and Tourism
- TA for RST 210: Management in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS (Mentorship of undergraduate student indicated by *)
Tewari, K., & Fernandez, M. (2026, February). Beyond Binaries: Reimagining Leisure Education Through Queer Pedagogy. [Teaching & Research Presentation]. The Academy of Leisure Sciences Conference on Research and Teaching 2026, Philadelphia, USA.
Tewari, K., Russell, Z., Cho, S.J., & Zheng, W. (2026, February). Third Places and Graduate Student Well-Being. [Research Presentation]. The Academy of Leisure Sciences Conference on Research and Teaching 2026, Philadelphia, USA.
Kluch, Y., Fernandez, M., Siskind, S., Gillooly, K., Tewari, K., Libman, H., Bronowski, L., Kamps, R.B., & Baeth, A. (2025, November). Inclusive Champions for Change through Sport (IC-ChangeS): Reflections on Creating a Social Justice Action Curriculum for U.S. High School Athletes. [Teaching & Research Presentation]. North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) Conference 2025, Seattle, WA, USA.
Tewari, K., & Fernandez, M. (2025, March). Natural Spaces and the Queer Identity. [Research Presentation]. The Academy of Leisure Sciences Conference on Research and Teaching 2025, Pittsburgh, USA.
Du, X., Tewari, K., & Cho, S. J. (2025, March). Queering Pedagogy: Integration of AI Literacy in Higher Education. [Teaching Presentation]. The Academy of Leisure Sciences Conference on Research and Teaching 2025, Pittsburgh, USA.
Tewari, K., & Fernandez, M. (2025, February). Nature-Based Recreation and Biopsychosocial Resilience in LGBTQ+ Individuals. [Research Presentation]. Spaces of Nature/Natures of Space Graduate Student Symposium at Illinois 2025, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Tewari, K. (2025, March). International Graduate Students’ Perspectives on Sense of Belonging in Leisure. [Research Presentation]. 16th Annual UIUC College of Education Graduate Student Conference 2025, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Tewari, K., & Lu, Z. (2025, March). East Meets West: Integrating Cultural Identities in Academic Settings. [Panel]. UIUC College of Education Graduate Student Conference 2025, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
*Bollapragada, S., Fernandez, M., & Tewari, K. (2024, April). Public Health Preparedness Among UIUC Students in Extreme Heat Conditions. [Poster Presentation]. UIUC Undergraduate Research Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
*Gronlund, K., Fernandez, M., & Tewari, K. (2024, April). Latina and Latino Experts’ Perceptions of Activity-Friendly Routes to Everyday Destinations. [Poster Presentation]. UIUC Undergraduate Research Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Tewari, K., Berdychevsky, L., & Stodolska, M. (2024, January 31–February 02). Impacts of Gang Involvement on Health and Well-Being: The Perilous Dimensions of Leisure. [Research Presentation]. The Academy of Leisure Sciences Conference on Research and Teaching 2024, New Orleans, USA.
Tewari, K., Lundin, E., Cho, S. J., Du, X., Oliveira, J. R., & Fernandez, M. (2024, January 31–February 02). International Graduate Students’ Perspectives on Sense of Belonging in Leisure. [Teaching Presentation]. The Academy of Leisure Sciences Conference on Research and Teaching 2024, New Orleans, USA.
Tewari, K., & Fernandez, M. (2023, April). Natural Spaces & the Queer Identity. [Panel Presentation]. Queer Studies Symposium 2023, UIUC, Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Tewari, K., & Fernandez, M. (2023, February). Urban Green Spaces and LGBTQ+ Youth: Usage, Constraints, and Perceptions of Benefits. [Poster Presentation]. The Academy of Leisure Sciences Conference on Research and Teaching 2023, New Orleans, USA.
Highlighted Publications
Tewari, K., Berdychevsky, L., & Stodolska, M. (2024). Impacts of gang involvement on health and well-being: The perilous dimensions of leisure. Leisure Sciences, 47(3), 578–600. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2024.2341152
Tewari, K., Lundin, E., Cho, S. J., Du, X., Oliveira, J. R., & Fernandez, M. (2024). International graduate students’ perspectives on sense of belonging in leisure. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 35, 100505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2024.100505
Fernandez, M., Ruiz, A. S., Fowler, B., & Tewari, K. (2025). Use of Natural Areas Among Latinxs Living in South Carolina. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 43(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2024-12053
Tewari, K. (2025). Beyond Binaries: Reimagining Leisure Education Through Queer Pedagogy. SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/1937156X.2025.2540818
Recent Publications
Tewari, K., & Du, X. (2026). Touching Grass in the Age of AI: Hyperreality and What is at Stake for Leisure? Leisure Sciences, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2026.2721399
Kluch, Y., Fernandez, M., Siskind, S., Gillooly, K., Tewari, K., Libman, H., and Baeth, A. Helping Students See (and Work Towards) Change: An Agency-Centered Model for Social Justice-Oriented Service Learning in Sport Management. (In Press) Sport Management Education Journal.