Doctoral Student Directory

Background

Horacio Corona Lira was born in Las Tortugas, Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Lindsay, California. He is the first in his family to attend and graduate from college, receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in education and Chicano studies from the University of California at Berkeley. He attributes much of his success to the work ethic instilled in him by his parents and his campesino upbringing. Horacio has over 10 years of professional experience in student affairs, student equity, and leadership in higher education.

Research 

Chris’s research examines how community-based environmental projects (e.g. community science efforts) support forms of learning and literacy that catalyze social and ecological transformation. Specifically, he studies how scientists, conservation professionals, and broader publics collectively learn and co-create knowledge through shared participation in these projects.

Background

Peter Lê (he/him) was born and raised in East Oakland. He possesses over 12 years of experience in K-12 and higher education. He has taught biology at the high school, community college, and university levels. In addition to his teaching experience, Peter has held roles in college and career counseling and school-based health.

Background

Julian comes from a family of undocumented immigrants and a bracero father. The youngest and only US born member of his family, he is a product of blue collar and racially diverse East Oakland. Since 2016, Julian has served as Executive Director of Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3), helping to lead a cluster of over ten programs that specialize in serving the more than 13,000 non-traditional and historically marginalized students at Berkeley.

Background

In June 2018, Garth was elected as the first African American to serve as the Yolo County Superintendent of Schools.

Teresita Martinez is a first-year Ph.D. student in the School Organization and Education Policy program and a graduate student researcher in the California Education Lab and the Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research at the University of California, Davis.

Research Interests

Environmental Science Education; Place-based Education; Citizen Science; Participatory Action Research; Formal and Informal Learning Environments; Traditional Ecological Knowledge; Rural Community Development; Environmental Justice

Anna holds a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona. In 2019, she completed her Master’s in Language Teaching from the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia in Tunja, Colombia. Her work in Colombia has focused on educational equity for women and girls in rural areas, as well as gender and academic writing in the public university space. As the former editorial assistant of Enletawa Journal, Anna sought to make academic journals more inclusive of voices historically silenced in academia. Currently, she is in the Ph.D.

EDUCATIONAL HISTORY

Bachelor of Arts, University of California, Merced, 2022

GPA: 3.97, Major: Sociology, Minors: Natural Sciences Education and Psychology

RESEARCH INTERESTS/AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Science Education, Educational Equity, Gender, Race, & Ethnicity, Formative Assessment Tools

EXPERIENCE

PROFESSIONAL EXPIERENCE

Middle School Math Tutor, CalTeach - Fall 2021

Background

Marney Randle (she/her) has a professional background that is a “student affairs zigzag” with multiple touch points in higher education. She has navigated various university environments, whether it’s working on campus or traveling the world via the Semester at Sea program. As a consultant and Certified Professional Coach, Marney works with clients one-on-one and has been invited to speak in various settings on topics surrounding inclusion, personal & professional development, and wellness.

Background

Carmelita serves a Senior Director in Operations in Oakland Unified School District, tackling interdepartmental problems that impact school sites.  Most recently she has focused on pandemic related food distribution and school reopening.  Carmelita was the founding principal of Oakland International High School, a community she lead for 12 years. OIHS is an alternative ed high school in Oakland Unified School District that exclusively serves newly arrived immigrants and refugees who need to acquire English as they complete high school.

Erin Winters is a doctoral student and GAANN Fellow in education with an emphasis in learning and mind sciences, specializing in educational measurement and statistics. 

Her research considers different approaches for validating the scores from high stakes and large scale for different uses.  She’s particularly interested in examining the effectiveness of different statistical approaches for establishing the instructional sensitivity of tests and assessments, especially as they relate to research design. 

Background

My path to my higher education profession started in 1990 as a student in the UC San Diego Summer Bridge program. It was there that I met a network of caring and dedicated student staff, administrators, and faculty. This network was central to my retention as a Xicana where, at the time, Latinx only represented 9% of the undergraduates. As of fall 2020, Latinx students represent 21% of the undergraduate population. After graduating, I made the conscious choice to apply to a Masters program in higher education in the east coast for two reasons.