Inaugural Convening by the HSI Research Colectiva
Toward a State Servingness Agenda: Bridging Research, Policy, and Practice
On April 25, 2024, the Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Research Colectiva held its inaugural convening at the UC Davis International Center. The HSI Research Colectiva is housed within the UC Davis School of Education and led by Dr. Marcela Cuellar, Dr. Gina Garcia, and Dr. Rebecca Covarrubias.
The inaugural convening discussed the future of California HSIs, which are colleges and universities that enroll at least 25% Hispanic/Latino students. This convening featured research from students and college leaders across the three public systems: California Community Colleges, California State University, and University of California. By bringing together researchers, policy organizations, and policymakers, the HSI Research Colectiva aimed to envision an agenda for HSI policy and practice in California. With 170 HSIs in California, the most in any state, it is imperative that the state plan for the future of these institutions and the Latino students within them.
Event Schedule and Speaker Bios
Schedule
8:30am-9:30am |
Registration and Breakfast |
9:30am-10:05am |
Welcome Remarks and State of CA HSIs |
10:05am-10:35am |
Pathways of (in)validation: Marginalized Students
Navigating Resources at a Hispanic-Serving
Institution |
10:35am-11:05am |
Finding Comunidad: Uplifting Our Voices to Unpack
“Servingness” at Sacramento State |
11:05am-11:15am |
Break |
11:15am-12:00pm |
Enhancing Student Experiences at CA HSIs
Conversations |
12:00pm-1:00pm |
Lunch |
12:20pm-12:50pm |
Insights from HSI Research Colectiva
Panel |
1:00pm-1:35pm |
Transformation Teams Leading for Change at California Community College HSIs Cynthia Olivo, Flor Huerta & Valerie Salazar (Fullerton College); Angélica Garcia & Robert Holcomb (Santa Rosa Junior College); and Gina Garcia (UC Berkeley) |
1:35pm-2:00pm |
Connecting HSI Research to Policy Wil del Pilar, The Education Trust |
2:00pm-2:50pm |
Advancing HSI Research, Policy, and Practice
Conversations |
2:50pm |
Closing |
3:30pm-5:30pm |
Reception |
3:30pm-6:00pm |
Visit
Malaquias Montoya and the Legacies of a Printed Resistance
Exhibit (Optional) Manetti Schrem Museum |
Presenter Bios
Pathways of (in)validation Presentation
Lucas Alonso
I’m a fourth-year Psychology student at UCSC, as well as a first
generation student and a transfer student from Cabrillo Community
College. My main research interests include learning about how
historical and modern forms of colonialism have shaped
post-secondary institutions and how students, faculty, and staff
can work towards decolonizing education. I’m interested in our
current research project because it opens up a space to discuss,
analyze, and transform how UCSC cares for and supports its
students, particularly students from historically marginalized
communities.
Paulina Avila
I’m from Orange Cove, CA, majoring in Psychology and Sociology.
My research interests include first-generation students’
development of resilience and motivation within educational
settings, as well as how institutions can impact their academic
success. Being a first-gen student myself has shaped my cultural
identity and influenced how I navigate higher education spaces.
However, there are still institutional barriers and unexplored
factors that directly affect students’ academic achievement and
motivations. I hope to address these educational gaps through
research and create supportive learning environments. In my spare
time, I enjoy cooking with my friends and exploring the Santa
Cruz mountains.
Michelle
Barajas
I am a fourth-year first-generation college student at UCSC
majoring in intensive Psychology and minoring in Latin American
and Latino Studies. I was born and raised in Stockton, CA and my
research interests are inspired by my upbringing, motivated to be
a voice for those who are marginalized. I am interested in the
factors that affect the reduction of the recidivism rate among
Black and brown communities in the U.S. I am also interested in
how to make the institutional system more accessible and
inclusive to those that it was not built for, encouraging student
success.
Janai Dagdagan
I am a fourth-year Intensive Psychology student at UCSC. I am a
first-generation student, a woman of color born and raised in San
Francisco. My passion for research revolves around the many
barriers to navigating institutional resources that people in my
community and I faced while growing up, and my desire to enact
change within these difficult systems. I have been fortunate to
become involved in research that reflects these experiences,
analyzing barriers such as the hidden curriculum, understanding
students’ sense of belonging, or analyzing intersectional
differences in college preparation.
Andrew O’Brien
I’m a fourth-year Psychology and Cognitive Science double major
at UCSC. My research interests involve social psychology, more
specifically, concepts surrounding criminal justice reform and
the treatment of those within that system and any systems that
dehumanize people. What brought me to this project was noticing
how little effort my campus was putting into the well-being of
students, especially students who weren’t fortunate to be able to
bypass those barriers. It motivates me to look deeper into those
institutions and identify where they can support marginalized
students. I’m hoping to continue this research in the future.
Jennifer Ochoa
I am a third-year Psychology major with a minor in Latin American
and Latino studies. I am a first-generation college student and a
second-generation immigrant from Mendota, CA. My research
interests lie in understanding marginalized students’ experiences
within the public school system and higher education.
Specifically, how institutional barriers undermine student
success. My motivation behind this research project stems from my
experiences and those of my peers in higher education. I hope
this project will help shed light on marginalized students’
challenges and how we can better support them. In my spare time,
I love going to the beach.
Ejovboke Erica
Okene
I am a fourth-year transfer student studying Psychology at UCSC.
I am from Los Angeles but I also lived in Nigeria for four years.
My research interest examines the impact of adverse environments
or events on biopsychosocial development and their intersections
with race and gender. I am interested in this project because my
personal experiences with campus support resonate with the
perspectives shared by students, motivating me to explore how
institutions can better cater to the needs of marginalized
students who are trying to assimilate into institutions that were
not built for them.
Leslie
Rodriguez
I am a third-year Psychology student at UCSC and a transfer
student from Cabrillo College. I was born and raised in
Watsonville, California, and was a first-generation student until
I helped my mother attain her bachelor’s degree. My main research
interest is learning ways to improve academic success for
students with disabilities. What brought me to this research
project was the ability to find ways post-secondary institutions
can effectively serve diverse students who are academically
underserved. My goals for the future are to go to graduate school
and continue research on educational equal access for
disadvantaged and diverse students.
Melissa
Rodriguez
I’m a third year Psychology student with a minor in Legal
Studies. I’m from Fontana, California. I’m interested in
developmental psychology, including how bilingual children learn
differently from monolinguals, and in forensics psychology.
Conducting research on our institution has been a privilege since
understanding students’ different experiences has made me
passionate about the research we do in CREA. My drive to dig
deeper is knowing that my younger sister will soon be entering
college and I want to help change the lack of awareness about
HSIs and what that means to students.
Amanda Sevilla
I am a third year Psychology and Feminist Studies double major. I
am from Los Angeles, CA, specifically South Central LA. I am a
first-generation, low-income, Latiné college student who is
interested in reconstructing institutions of oppression into ones
of equity and equal opportunity. My research interests are deeply
inspired by both my intersectional identities and my hometown. I
am interested in bridging psychology and feminist studies
together to research the impacts of childhood obesity and
uncovering the capitalist drive to keep BIPOC unhealthy and
dependent on a system that does not serve us. Fun fact, I love
astrology!
Finding Comunidad Presentation
Amber Gonzalez
Amber Gonzalez, Ph.D. is a tenured Professor in the Child and
Adolescent Development (CHAD) program at California State
University, Sacramento. Using participatory action research and
mixed methods, her scholarly activities focus on exploring the
influence of social support networks and institutional structures
on Latine college student identity development and educational
and career aspirations and motivations. In addition, she explores
the ways in which students use these aspirations and motivations
to ensure their success, manage failure, and persist. Her
scholarly work has been published in the Journal of Hispanic
Higher Education, Journal of Educational Research, and College
Student Journal. In addition to her scholarly activities, she
serves as an academic advisor to students of color and faculty
advisor to multiple Latine student organizations. In addition to
her engagement with students, she serves as an active member of
the Faculty Senate at Sacramento State and has led efforts in
creating programming to support and retain faculty of color.
Through her multiple roles on campus, she has collaborated with
various university stakeholders to address inequities within
campus policies, programming, and practices. Her institutional
and community service and leadership activities center on
advocating for equity and social justice for students and faculty
of color.
Maria Razo-Soto
My name is Maria Razo-Soto, I am a first-generation Latine
graduate student attending Sacramento State University. My
current research interests are on the undocumented Latine student
experience in higher education and how their aspirations are
supported for graduate school. My work on this HSI project as a
Graduate Research Assistant has positively influenced me as a
scholar in higher education. The impact we have made has allowed
me to see the significance of research and how it leads to
positive change to better serve our Latine students. My hope is
to continue to see positive changes in higher education and prove
that we have earned our place here.
Insights from HSI Research Colectiva Panel
Dr. Stephanie
Aguilar-Smith
Dr. Stephanie Aguilar-Smith is an Assistant Professor of
Counseling and Higher Education at the University of North Texas
(UNT). She earned her Ph.D. in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong
Education and graduate certificate in Chicano and Latino Studies
from Michigan State University. She holds a Master’s in Public
Administration, a B.A. in Journalism (Public Relations), a B.A.
in International Affairs, and minor in Spanish from the
University of Georgia. Considering the evolving postsecondary
landscape, Dr. Aguilar-Smith broadly considers how policies might
be more equitable across the stratified and hierarchical system
of U.S. higher education. With this in mind, she situates herself
as a critical organizational scholar who uses qualitative and
quantitative methods to examine public and institutional-level
policies toward advancing equity and justice across higher
education, but especially within and among Hispanic-Serving
Institutions (HSIs). In particular, much of her recent work has
focused on Title V—competitive federal grants for HSIs. Before
joining UNT, Dr. Aguilar-Smith worked at several universities in
various areas including enrollment management, academic
counseling, program development, and writing center
administration. Beyond her professional background, she is the
youngest child of a large Venezuelan family, a sleepy-eyed mom, a
wife, and a lifelong champion of Latinx uplift.
Cynthia D.
Villarreal is an Assistant Professor at Northern Arizona
University in Educational Leadership. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban
Education Policy from the Rossier School of Education at the
University of Southern California. She is a fronteriza from El
Paso, Texas studying the borderlands of higher education,
Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), organizational culture,
equity in decision-making, and Chicana feminisms in higher
education. As a qualitative researcher and creative non-fiction
writer, Dr. Villarreal believes in the importance of sharing
countertestimonios to critique and transform higher education.
She uses interdisciplinary theories and research to inform her
approach to the study of HSIs and how they serve their Latine
students by interrogating the policies, structures, and culture
within colleges and universities. She is also a Racial Equity
Coach for the University of Southern California Race and Equity
Center providing support to community colleges navigating racial
equity change projects on campus. She is a mamischolar living in
the Sonoran Desert (Phoenix, Arizona) with her two children and
husband.
Marialexia Zaragoza
was born and raised in the Inland Empire, and is the daughter of
immigrant parents from Jalisco and Michoacán, Mexico; she is a
sister, a TiaNina, and an advocate for her Latine comunidades. As
a first-generation and low-income student, her identities and
experiences impact her practitioner and scholarly works.
Marialexia earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor
in Chicana/o studies from California State University, Fullerton,
where she was also a McNair Scholar. She is currently a Ph.D.
student in the Higher Education program at the University of
Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on understanding how Hispanic
Serving Institutions (HSIs) can better serve their students
through their implementation of High Impact Learning Practices,
as well as analyzing the ways in which Latine students change,
create, and influence institutional policy. Additionally,
Marialexia currently serves as the Project Analyst for the
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Hispanic Serving
Institution initiative.
Transformation Teams Leading for Change
Dr. Angélica
Garcia
Dr. Angélica Garcia is an educational leader with a demonstrated
commitment to improving access, equity and student success in
higher education. A fellow with the Aspen Institute for New
Presidents, the National Community College Hispanic Council, and
the UC Davis Wheelhouse Institute, Dr. Garcia is committed to
equity-minded leadership. Dr. Garcia earned a doctorate in
Educational Leadership at San Francisco State University, a
Master’s in Social Work at San Diego State University and a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal and Civic Studies at Saint
Mary’s College of California. Dr. Garcia was appointed the
Superintendent/President of Santa Rosa Junior College) SRJC
beginning July 1, 2023, a community college known for its
commitment to students, high transfer rates, and innovative
career education programs. Dr. Garcia’s leadership underscores
the honor and pride that SRJC has in being designated as an
Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), which advances the learning
and development for Latinx students throughout Sonoma County. She
recognizes that this designation calls upon SRJC to serve the
needs, career and academic goals, as well as create a pathway for
access to higher education for diverse student populations.
Dr. Gina Ann
Garcia
Dr. Gina Ann Garcia is a professor in the School of Education at
UC Berkeley. Her research centers on issues of equity and justice
in higher education with an emphasis on understanding how
Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) embrace and enact an
organizational identity for serving minoritized populations. She
explores the experiences of administrators, faculty, and staff at
HSIs and the outcomes of students attending these institutions.
As an equity-minded scholar, she tends to the ways that race and
racism have shaped institutions of higher education. See complete
bio.
Robert Holcomb
Robert Holcomb currently serves as Vice President of Academic
Affairs/Assistant Superintendent at Santa Rosa Junior College,
overseeing all instructional programs, learning support areas,
and educational initiatives. Previously, Dr. Holcomb worked as an
instructional dean, Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Director,
and tenured professor, teaching coursework in English as a Second
Language (ESL) over a nine-year span at Rio Hondo College, in
Southern California. His academic interests include literacy
development, second language acquisition, Latin American
literature, and prose analysis. Dr. Holcomb holds a Ph.D. in
Educational Studies from Claremont Graduate University, a
master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL) and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the
University of Southern California. He is an active member of key
professional communities, including the Hispanic Association of
Colleges and Universities (HACU), Alliance for Hispanic-Serving
Institution Educators (AHSIE), and California Community College
Organización de Latinx (COLEGAS). Dr. Holcomb remains privileged
to work toward equity in higher education with the support of his
wife and four children.
Dr. Flor Huerta
Flor Huerta (she/her/ella) is the Interim Dean of Counseling &
Student Development at Fullerton College. She has worked at
Fullerton College for 25 years in various roles including
Classified, tenured faculty and management. As a
first-generation, California Community College transfer, she has
centered her professional career dedicated to advancing
initiatives to foster equitable practices, enact servingness to
innovate and design support systems for student success. She has
a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, a master’s degree in Counseling
with an emphasis in Career Development and a doctoral degree in
Educational Leadership in Higher Education.
Dr. Cynthia
Olivo
Dr. Cynthia Olivo, an established leader in higher education,
began serving as the 10th president of Fullerton College in
January 2023. Dr. Olivo’s career spans nearly three decades,
serving as a champion for equity, inclusion and academic
excellence for students. Her time in educational leadership is
marked by a student-centered philosophy that aligns with
Fullerton College’s mission to empower students to achieve their
educational goals. Dr. Olivo personally identifies with the
challenges faced by Fullerton College students and the broader
community. Her personal history as the granddaughter of migrant
farmworkers, the daughter of a single mother, a first-generation
college student and third-generation Chicana, deeply inform her
empathetic and equity-driven approach to leadership in higher
education.
Connecting HSI Research to Policy
Wil Del Pilar
Wil Del Pilar, Ph.D., serves as Ed Trust’s Senior Vice President.
In this role, Wil spearheads Ed Trust’s mission to highlight
inequities and outline solutions in order to improve access,
success, affordability, and completion in higher education for
low-income students and students of color. Prior to joining Ed
Trust, Wil served in Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s
administration as deputy secretary of postsecondary and higher
education, where he developed and implemented the state’s
strategic vision for higher education. Before joining Governor
Wolf’s team, Wil had experience in the Pennsylvania Department of
Education, working as an executive assistant in the state’s
higher education office. In this role, he managed an array of
services for the state, including the College Access Challenge
Grant and the Pennsylvania Information Management System. Wil
holds a doctorate in higher education/higher education
administration from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s
degree from California State University-Dominguez Hills, and a
bachelor’s degree from Chapman University.
Facilitators
Rosy Escandón, M.Ed. and Mark A. López, Ph.D., Ixe Advising
Rosy Escandón and Mark A. López are the multi-passionate
individuals behind Ixe Advising (pronounced ee-sheh).
With
over 40 years of experience in private and non-profit education
spaces, Rosy and Mark have made a significant impact in various
educational settings. They are knowledgeable in addressing
technology integration in classrooms, fulfilling diversity,
equity, and inclusion needs, fostering professional learning
communities, and developing strategic plans and organizational
leadership within diverse education organizations and campuses.
Both Rosy and Mark have worked extensively with Hispanic Serving Institutions and Historical Black Colleges and Universities, and possess a deep understanding of inclusive excellence and education policy. Throughout their careers, they have led small to large-scale strategies and provided oversight for organizational, state, and federal budgets.
They are committed to education, equity and anti-racist policies and practices. They are guided by the wisdom of their ancestors and fueled by their passion for education.