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.

Kait Murray is an educator and researcher of community leadership whose work focuses on transforming agricultural and environmental education, both in and outside of schools. She is broadly interested in how people with marginalized sexualities and genders – particularly members of the LGBTQ community – navigate and change educational systems. She researches the complex relationships between individuals and these educational spaces: how they create them, experience them, resist them, disrupt them, uphold them, transform them.

Background

Izamar Ortiz-González is a daughter of immigrant parents. This experience thought her to navigate multiple narratives at school and at home. Bridging the gap between these narratives has been her goal throughout her life as a teacher, organizer and student.

Cindy Parks is an second year doctoral student in the School of Education, and instructor in the Redwood SEED Scholars program. As a neurodiverse person, Cindy is passionate in her belief that educating parents, teachers, mentors and community members about their children’s and students’ neurodevelopmental needs can result in the implementation of parenting and learning strategies that will help children and families to live more harmonious, productive and loving lives.

Background

Abby Garcia Patton grew up in East Los Angeles and was the first in her family to pursue higher education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Spanish and a Masters in Secondary Education. She has over 17 years of experience in the field of education, starting her career as a high school English teacher and union president. 

Education:

• Ed.D. – Educational Leadership – UC Davis (in progress)
• M.A. – Spanish, Applied Linguistics & Graduate Certificate in Second Language Studies – Purdue University
• B.A. – Art, specialization in Photography – University of La Verne

Research Interests:

Katrina is a National Board Certified Teacher with over 15 years of teaching experience in urban secondary classrooms. She began her career at June Jordan School for Equity, in San Francisco, where she also worked as an administrator. Katrina then worked at her former high school, Jesse M. Bethel High School, in Vallejo, where she spent six years as the Lead Teacher of the Law Academy. Under her leadership, the Law Academy earned the Diversity Champion Award from California LAW.

Education

Ph.D. in Learning and Mind Sciences, UC Davis School of Education, in progress

M.A. in Educational Leadership, Mills College School of Education, 2015

Masters Thesis: “Understanding Students’ Epistemic Ideas as Cognitive, Metacognitive, and Affective Resources for Learning”

B.A. in Music with Highest Distinction, UC Berkeley, 2007

Background

Raised and currently residing in Fairfield, CA. Is excited to be an Aggie for the third time having completed a B.S. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Cellular & Molecular Biology as a first-gen college student and then continued to receive teaching credentials and M.A. in Education.

With a small teacher cohort, created a dual-enrollment high school program founded in 2014 where he continues to teach high school Biology, Chemistry, and a Senior Project capstone course.