Emily Alonso
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
Rebecca Andersen
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Danielle J Armadillo
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Rodrigo Bonilla
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Audrey Boochever
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
My transdisciplinary research draws on the economics and sociology of education to study and inform the ways that legislation, school boards, and school leaders address educational inequities.
Analisa Brown
Ph.D. Student - Science and Agricultural Education
Jennifer Burke Reifman
Ph.D. Candidate - Language, Literacy and Culture
Email: jburkereifman@ucdavis.edu
Ariel Collatz
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Horacio Corona Lira
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
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.
Chloe Crull
Ph.D. Student - Language, Literacy and Culture
Dagmar Derickson
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 18
Grace Ebron
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 16
Gerry Elizondo
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Roxanne Elliott
Ph.D. Student - Language, Literacy and Culture
MA in Translation & MA in TESOL
Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA
BA in Foreign Languages & Art History
Scripps College, Claremont, CA
Maria Ana Carrola Flores
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
Leroy Roches Gaines
Ed.D Student CANDEL Cohort 17
Background
Leroy Gaines brings over 19 years of combined professional experience working in both urban public-school districts and non-profits paving the way for education reform. He believes all children deserve equal access to high-quality education and school leadership as a key lever in the transformation process required to put students on a path to college and career readiness. Leroy currently serves as the Network Superintendent for the Oakland Unified School District.
Eric Garber
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Marlyn Gomez
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Santy Gray
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Jose Gutierrez
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
Positions
Assistant Principal
Social Science Teacher
Research Interests
Trauma Informed Care
Restorative Justice
Multi Tiered Systems of Support
Çağrı Güzel
Ph.D. Candidate in Education: Language, Literacy, & Culture with Emphasis in Second Language Acquisition
Çağrı Güzel joined the Graduate Group in Education Ph.D. program in 2018. His research interests lie primarily in the fields of second language acquisition (SLA), educational drama, and teacher education. He currently focuses on the impactful integration of immersive virtual reality and improvisational drama in SLA. Before coming to University of California, Davis, Güzel was working as a Language Specialist at Google, where he provided linguistic expertise on the Google Assistant, machine learning, and language processing projects.
Brianne Holden
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Taylor Holden
Ph.D. Student - Language, Literacy and Culture
Contact: tayholden@ucdavis.edu
Research Interests: Media adaptations of literary works, digital literacy practices, neurodiversity and digital literacy in the secondary classroom, writing pedagogies, computers and writing
Education:
Andrew Hood
Ph.D. Student - Mathematics Education
Stephanie Ingvaldson
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Chris Jadallah
Ph.D. Candidate, Science and Agricultural 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.
Tammy Johnson
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Leslie Kemp
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Peter Lê
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
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.
Julian Ledesma
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
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.
Garth Lewis
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 16
Background
In June 2018, Garth was elected as the first African American to serve as the Yolo County Superintendent of Schools.
Mayu Lindblad
Ph.D. Student
Education
Ph.D. in progress, Emphasis on Language, Literacy, and Culture,
University of California, Davis
Faculty Advisors:
Dr. Yuuko Uchikoshi Tonkovich, primary advisor
M.A. in Linguistics, TESOL, California State University, Fresno
B.A. in Social Education, Tohoku Fukushi University, Sendai, Japan
Teaching Experience
Associate Instructor, University of California, Davis,
East Asian Languages and Cultures
First Quarter Japanese
Second Quarter Japanese
Third Quarter Japanese
Diana Lizarraga
Ed.D. student-CANDEL Cohort 12
Education
- MA, University of San Francisco | Human Resources and Organizational Development. Emphasis in Higher Education structures, STEM diversity, and leadership development.
- BS, UC Davis | Agricultural Systems and Environment. Emphasis in Communications and Information Systems. McNair Research Scholar, NSF LSAMP/CAMP- MURALS Research Scholar, and Hugh Edmondson Pathology Research Fellow, CALESS Member.
- AA, Math, Engineering, and Science | Sacramento City College.
Stephanie Luna-Lopez
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
Mary Martin
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Teresita Martinez
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
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.
Jadda Miller
Ph.D. Student - Science and Agricultural Education
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
Anthony Luis Miranda
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
Sawsan Morrar
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
Chamee Moua
Ph.D. Student - Learning and Mind Sciences
Kaitlyn Murray
Ph.D. Student - Science & Agriculture Education
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.
Alyssa Nguyen
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
Samir Noor
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Yulianna Ortega
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Esmeralda Janet Ortiz
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Izamar Ortiz-González
Ph.D. Student-School Organization and Policy
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.
Tracy Ostrom
Ph.D. Student - Science and Agricultural Education
Cynthia (Cindy) Parks
Ph.D. Student - Learning and Mind Sciences
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.
Kat Parpana
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Abigail Garcia Patton
Ed.D. Student CANDEL Cohort 17
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.
Isela Pena-Rager
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 12
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:
Anna Peñaloza
Ph.D. Student - Language, Literacy and Culture
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.
Sonia Gabriela (Gaby) Perez
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
Ann Pivniska
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Ola Popoola
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
Téa Skye Pusey
Ph.D. Student - Science and Agricultural Education
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
Jaime Ramirez-Mendoza
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
Marney Randle
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 16
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.
Martin Reed
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Melissa Reeve
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Alexis Reyes
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Carmelita Reyes
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 16
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.
Katrina Rice
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
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.
Oscar Rios
Ph.D. Student - Learning and Mind Sciences
Daniel Rivas
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
Cesar Preciado Rodriguez
Ph.D. Student - Mathematics Education
Susan Rowe
Ph.D. Candidate - Learning & Mind Sciences
Research Interests
- Testing fairness for emergent bilinguals
- Assessments and measurements
- Psychometrics
- Dissertation topic: “Examining the Effects of Linguistic Complexity on Emergent Bilinguals’ Item Responses,” Advisers: Jamal Abedi & Megan Welsh
Education
Ph.D. Education (expected June 2023)
Learning and Mind Sciences emphasis
University of California, Davis, CA
Marisa Ruiz
Ph.D. Student - School Organization and Educational Policy
Erik Saucedo
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Emma Schectman
Ph.D. Student - Science and Agricultural Education
Kellie Rene Sequeira
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 15
Monica Simeon
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 19
Cicely Smith
Ph.D. Student - Science and Agricultural Education
Andre Spencer
Ph.D. Student - Language, Literacy and Culture
Ciara Thomas Murphy
Ph.D. Student - Learning and Mind Sciences
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
Mariana Olivio Urbina
Ph.D. Student - Learning and Mind Sciences
Quinten R. Voyce
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 16
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.
Erin Winters, MEd.
Ph.D. Student - Learning & Mind Sciences
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.
Xiaochen Xu
Ph.D. Student - Learning and Mind Sciences
Lydia Iyeczohua Zendejas
Ed.D. Student-CANDEL Cohort 17
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.
Valeria C. Zunino Edelsberg
Ph.D. Student, Learning and Mind Sciences
Graduate student at the School of Education at the University of California, Davis. Extensive academic background in education and psychology. Broad professional experience in Chilean public institutions related to education and assessment. Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact with children. Motivated, positive and flexible.
Education
Ph.D. in Education, Emphasis in Learning and Mind
Sciences
University of California, Davis, School of Education. Expected
graduation date: September 2023.