UC Davis PhD Alumnus is Director of Strategic Chicana/o and Latina/o Retention Initiatives

Cirilo Cortez (MA ’08, PhD ’12) is back on campus three years after earning his doctorate in education. This summer he became the Director of Strategic Chicana/o and Latina/o Retention Initiatives for Student Affairs at UC Davis. “I earned a doctorate to be an example to the Chicano/Latino community not only here in Davis but statewide,” he said, “and to develop the skills I’d need to do more for this community. I saw myself being an advocate for their success in education. We need more professionals in higher education advocating for this population.”

Cortez’s dissertation documented a successful mentoring program for Latino youth in a local school district.  Now as the Director of Strategic Chicana/o and Latina/o Retention Initiative he’ll be leading efforts to increase the achievement and graduation rates for Chicana/o and Latina/o students, and will work on student success from orientation through graduation.

Accordingly to Cortez, Chicano/Latino students can face multiple barriers to success. “These students may be low-income, and tend to come from families where they are the first to attend university, first to earn a bachelor’s degree,” said Cortez. “They have to cope with the academic rigor of a research institution without a lot of family support. Another issue is not having a sense of belonging on campus—they’re hungry for a place where their voices are heard. And they also may not know about the resources that are available on campus, or how to navigate a system like this.

A success story himself, Cortez is ready to help the next generation of Chicano/Latino students succeed at UC Davis. “I’ve come back prepared to share my story and my expertise and be able to develop the programming, connections, and collaborations that will help them move forward with their education,” he said.