Latinas Excelling at Doctoral Degrees

Ashley Guevara is a dedicated and driven leader who is a senior majoring in Psychology at the University of Houston-Downtown. She is a proud first-generation student who began her tenure in the higher education industry in 2019 at the local community college, from which she graduated with an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts with distinguished honors. Prior to Ashley’s current role as a Retention Specialist, she gained experience in Academic Advising, Enrollment Management, and Financial Aid. Ashley has a diverse background in student leadership roles, such as leading student success initiatives when she served as Vice President and President of the Puente Club and President of her founded organization, Leverage UP. She is also the creator and founder of the organization Mujeres Exitosas, an organization that strives to help young women of color achieve their academic endeavors and higher self to increase the representation of women and access to higher education. In addition, Ashley is involved in many national professional associations such as the NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program, National Society of Leadership and Success, Center of First-Generation Student Success, and is an alumna of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. She holds certifications in leadership through the Lone Star Leadership College and the Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities (HACU), and she has earned awards as Student Leader of the Year, Organization of The Year, and Determined Leaders. She is ecstatic to be a part of the L.E.A.D.D program’s inaugural cohort!

Genesis Santos is a junior majoring in elementary education at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She is a first-generation Latina college student who simultaneously earned her high school diploma and an associate degree with honors in 2021. She serves as the Baylor First in Line office intern, a School of Education ambassador, and an elementary school teaching associate. Genesis is recognized as a McNair Scholar, Baylor Trailblazer Scholar, and a member of Kappa Delta Pi. She has also mentored students to provide free college preparation information and services. Genesis’s higher education journey and experience inspired her research interests in college access, success, and choice among young Latinos. She hopes to earn a Ph.D. in Higher Education to support underrepresented students and their postsecondary aspirations. She enjoys thrifting, watching documentaries, and spending time with her family and cats.

Nelid Rios Morales (she/her/ella) is a junior at Bryn Mawr College from Los Angeles, California. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree majoring in Sociology and a minor in Latin American, Iberian, and Latina/o Studies. Nelid is currently part of  Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, where she is researching deportation, specifically focusing on the long-term effects of emotions and psychological trauma. Nelid hopes to understand the emotional impact of a family member's deportation on the entire family. Outside of academics, Nelid likes to go hiking, go to the gym, play taekwondo, play soccer, or travel. After graduating from Bryn Mawr College, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. degree. 

Laura Raquel Aubry is a junior at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), majoring in Mexican American Studies and History. Recently, she received the Nau Undergraduate Research Scholarship granted to her by the History Department. In addition, she is a current member of the Mellon Foundation Cohort. Before attending UTSA, she attended San Antonio College, where she received an Associate of Arts Degree and was a Distinguished History Graduate. Her research interests are Latin American History, De-Colonization, Raciolinguistics, Indigenous Practices, Social Movements, Civil and Human Rights, Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rican Diaspora. Her passions are the stories that have been untold in our history books. She wants to listen to and tell the stories of people that have been colonized as well as those who are screaming to be acknowledged to speak their truth to their descendants. After she graduates from her bachelor’s program, she hopes to enter a Ph.D. program where she can blend her interests in ethnic studies and history to research the stories of the people of Latin America.

Laura’s early life started in Comerio, Puerto Rico, but she grew up in the mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts. In the meantime, to balance her life, she likes spending time with her family, gardening, knitting, taking long walks with friends, and listening to Latin Music.

Prisilla Lares is a student at the University of Texas at San Antonio pursuing a degree in Communication with a concentration in Digital Communication. Her research interests are in leadership and organizational behavior. Prisilla’s employment at St. Philip's College as the Administrative Service Specialist in the Department of Student Life allows her access to student leaders and insight into organizational dynamics. Her approach to leadership is to lead by example and empower students to continue to pursue their goals through higher education. Prisilla’s academic journey began at Palo Alto College, earning her Associate Degree in Business Management and being an active student. Among her activities, she was the chosen representative for the Catch the Next Program at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities conference in Denver, CO. 

In addition, Prisilla completed the Alamo Colleges Student Leadership Institute Tiers I and II leadership development program, served as president of the Ambassadors of Business student organization, and was an officer of the Student Government Association. Her time now focuses on earning her degree and working full-time to empower students and herself. As a First-Generation student, her passion is to immerse herself in academics and apply what she knows to improve herself and help others. As she developed her leadership skills, she was exposed to the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. A quote from this book resonated with her: “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.”

Natalie Elias is a first-generation Latina student. She recently transferred to San José State University and is pursuing a degree in Communications and Business. Her research interests include Education and Chicanx/Latinx studies. Natalie is passionate about helping others, her community, and Education. Family is super important to her!

Dejah-Maia is a student at Columbia University majoring in Psychology. Dejah-Maia hopes to become a School Psychologist, with an aim to be the voice for underrepresented children. She wants to give students the confidence and tools they need to succeed and continue to grow. Dejah-Maia's hobbies include reading, traveling, playing tennis, spending time with her family and her two dogs - Kaash and Kairo. 

Emily Espino Bardales attends California State University, Fullerton, majoring in Child and Adolescent studies. Her research interests include improving mental wellness for the Latinx community. She is Mexican and Honduran, and loves visiting both countries when she has a break from school.

Nancy Morales Molina was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and is the proud daughter of Salvadoran immigrants and a first-generation rising senior at The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD), pursuing a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Sociology with a minor in U.S. Latino Studies. Her journey in higher education began during her 8-year service in the U.S. Air Force, during which she obtained an Associates degree in Public Health. After she graduates from UMD she plans to enter a M.A. program for Clinical Mental Health Counseling with her ultimate goal being to provide affordable and quality mental health care to marginalized communities in the U.S. and beyond.

Jasmine Oropeza is a first-generation, Mexican-American junior at University of California, Davis majoring in Animal Science and Public Health Sciences. Her aspiration is to become a veterinarian focused on the One Health approach and hopes to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in the near future. Jasmine has been awarded the Doc and Jean Chaffee Scholarship, Contra Costa College METAS Scholarship, and Bay East Foundation Scholarship in recognition of her academic and community achievements in mentorship and animal welfare.

She hopes to establish her own veterinary education program to guide students in their pre-veterinary pursuits whilst providing affordable veterinary care to underserved communities. Beyond academics, Jasmine enjoys mentoring students, playing Pokémon games, reading romance novels, and spending time with her 22 pets.

Brianna Botello (she/ella/ela) is a junior, double majoring in Spanish and Latin American studies at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. She is a proud first-generation Latina college student who was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She currently lives in Houston, Texas where she also attended high school. At her university, she serves as the President of Sigma Delta Pi, Vice President of the Latin American Student Organization, Language Ambassador for the W.M. Keck Center for Language Studies, and as a Spanish Tutor for the Romance Languages Department. Brianna is also recognized as a scholar of the Office of Undergraduate Studies program, a member of Phi Eta Sigma, and has achieved Dean’s Award with Distinction throughout all of her semesters at Colgate. She also serves as a teaching volunteer for the Foreign Language Program where she creates and implements lesson plans to teach monolingual students Spanish at Hamilton Central Elementary School. Brianna aims to attend graduate school to obtain her Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese colonial literature with the hopes of becoming a professor. Her research interests include examining the ways in which representations of the female figure within Spanish colonial literature have translated into modern day gender violence against women throughout Latin America. During her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, watching movies, spending time with her friends, and going thrifting!

Sarahy Torres is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Oxnard, California. She double majors in Chicanx Studies and Education and Social Transformation at University of California, Los Angeles. As a research intern, she co-teaches a college transition class to high school seniors at the RFK UCLA Community School and co-authored a research brief. She currently serves as a past state council representative and communications editor for the Student California Teacher Association (SCTA), advocating for curriculum and instruction in California. Her research interests include the mental health of Latina/o first-generation students from farmworking backgrounds using critical race theories.

Lydia Ornelas was born and raised in Stockton, California. She is currently attending Hawaii Pacific University on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, pursuing a Bachelors in Biology with a Public Health minor with hopes of attending medical school. Lydia is also an athlete on the acrobatics and tumbling team.

During her time on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, she has been selected to represent her college department during women's executive leadership council meetings. There, she grew a passion for women leaders of color pursuing higher education despite the terrors of gender bias, social class, misrepresentation, etc., hindering the wonders of women empowerment.

Melissa Romero (she/her/ella) is a proud first-generation Salvadoreña student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Raised in Los Angeles by a single mother, she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Linguistics with a minor in Education Studies. Her goal is to attend graduate school to obtain a doctoral degree and become a tenured research professor in Higher Education. Melissa is dedicated to promoting systematic change in higher education to create more equitable opportunities for Latine students.

Briana Moncayo Campoverde (she/her/ella) is a dedicated and driven leader who is a senior double majoring in Anthropology and Latin America and Latinx Studies at CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is a proud first-generation student and is recognized as a McNair Scholar, Chi Alpha Epsilon member, and Van DocMakers Alumni. She hopes to earn a PhD in Socio-Cultural Anthropology to explore the dynamics of street art, gentrification, and graffiti that Latinx community artists involve themselves with as a form of political activism. Outside of her academics, Briana is a filmmaker who focuses on personal stories one doesn’t typically hear. Her latest film Amor, Mariachi, y Familia showcases a family mariachi band in Queens, NY. During the five months Briana spent with the Reyes family, she learned it’s more than just a mariachi band but a family of individuals who have gone against traditional stereotypes of being a mariachi man and woman. She enjoys biking, playing soccer, running, and traveling.

Olivia Diaz is a current junior at the University of Southern California studying Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. While attending USC, Olivia found her passion for Addiction Science through the Rising STARS Grant, which funds the training of underrepresented minority students in the fields of alcohol and substance use disorders (ASUD). Olivia's academic and professional goals include attending medical school and becoming a physician, working with medically underserved communities. In her free time, Olivia can be found playing the guitar, running, exploring LA restaurants, and hanging out with her cats.

Jury Medrano Jimenez is a Salvadoran-Guatemalan first-generation college student. She graduated with her associate's degree in business in May 2024. This fall, she will be transferring to the University of Maryland, College Park at the Universities at Shady Grove to pursue a bachelor's degree in marketing at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Jury has had government experience as she interned with the U.S. Forest Service during the summer of 2023. This summer, she is interning with the Export-Import Bank of the United States. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and watching Netflix shows.

Jannah Zabadi is a rising Junior at Colgate University, majoring in Geography and minoring in Educational Studies. Her professional goals include teaching social studies at the high school level, followed by becoming a professor of geography at a university. Jannah's research interests include migrant labor and transnational or mixed identities as a function of place. She has also taken an interest in curriculum development at any education level. She enjoys leading her a cappella group, the Colgate Mantiphondrakes, practicing Taekwondo, and spending time with friends and family in her free time.

Aleishai Pena Lopez is a rising senior at California State University, Fullerton. She is majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Cell and Developmental Biology. She is double majoring in chemistry and psychology, hoping to get into an MD-PhD program in neuroscience or geroscience.

While at CSUF, Aleishai got into the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program and the Titan Scholars program to help her prepare for the graduate school application period and orient her goals. Aleishai is also a HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities) ambassador and had the chance to represent her institution at the Fall of 2023 national conference. On the side, she joined the Flying Samaritans Club, which provides medical aid to the community of El Hongo in Mexico, while volunteering at Kaiser Permanente as part of the COPE Health Scholars program to get clinical experience and a better understanding of patient-to-health provider interaction.

Aleishai had the opportunity to present her biology research at Tokyo Metropolitan University in Japan and at symposiums across California. Aleishai is eager to continue her research on Fibromyalgia and its effect on executive function across the elderly population during her senior year while going on hiking trips.

Jocelyn Torres (she/her/ella) is a third-year student double majoring in English and Education and Social Transformation at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a proud first-generation daughter of immigrant farmworkers raised in the Central Valley, Porterville, CA. She is currently involved as a peer advisor for Xinachtli de UCLA, serves as a peer counselor for the Academic Advancement Program, is the recruitment and retention advisor for Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc., and is a peer mentor for the Central Valley Project at UCLA (CVP). She also recently did a research study under the Research Rookies program at UCLA in which she examined the pipeline of Latinx students from the Central Valley entering the University of California (UC) system.

Jennifer Castro (she/her/hers) is a rising senior at The College of New Jersey in the 4 and 1 Master's Program in Special Education Elementary Education and English. She is a proud first-generation Latina college student who was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. At The College of New Jersey, she serves as the Vice president of the Leadership honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa, President of the Bonner Scholars Program, and a first-generation Roscoe Mentor alongside EOF mentor. She is heavily involved in policy and advocacy work both in and outside of TCNJ and recently advocated for two food insecurity bills on Capitol Hill. Jennifer is also academically sound as she has received and has achieved Dean’s List throughout her semesters at The College of New Jersey. Jennifer intends to pursue Graduate school after completing her Master's program at TCNJ for Child psychiatry. During her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, watching movies, and spending time with her friends.

Andrea Guzman is in her third year at the University of Houston, where she is currently receiving her Bachelor of Science in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Development. Andrea is a proud first-generation student in college with the ambition to help students find value in their studies and highlight the opportunity to pursue higher education in Latinx communities. Outside of her studies, she volunteers as a student teacher in her neighboring community, helping students with all subjects. She also participates in a mentoring program as a Peer Assistant Leader, aiding first-year students to navigate and create pathways as they venture through their University experience. Andrea has found a community within her University as she is an active member in LAS COMADRES, a program that serves to help first-generation Latinas develop life skills and networking opportunities.

Bianca Neal is a storyteller, consultant, and co-founder of SaulPaul Productions. Bianca has more than 15 years of experience working with non-profits, government agencies, and corporations. Though her clients and partners have always been diverse, her focus has always been singular: To equip Black and Brown youth with the tools to succeed in life and expose them to various career pathways.

Currently, a doctoral student obtaining her Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership at St. Edward’s University, her focus is on Latinas in higher education. Bianca is committed to developing systems that optimize talent development as well as mentoring and coaching for leadership success with an emphasis on organizational leadership and social change.

As a speaker and guest lecturer, Bianca has presented at national conferences and universities as well as keynoted and facilitated workshops focused on and related to restorative justice.

Her new podcast, Con Ganas, features the stories of Latinas in higher education who have navigated or are navigating the terrain in academia. (Con Ganas means to do with effort and with heart).

Bianca is an award-winning filmmaker who graduated from the University of Southern California School (USC) School of Cinematic Arts with her Bachelor of Arts degree and obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Magdalena L. Barrera is an author, educator, and university leader with 18 years of experience in higher education. A former first-generation college student, she currently serves as Vice Provost for Faculty Success at San José State University (SJSU), providing thought leadership on all aspects of faculty recruitment and professional advancement within a Hispanic Serving Institution context. Prior to joining the Office of the Provost in 2020, she was professor and department chairperson of Chicana and Chicano Studies. Dr. Barrera’s research focuses on the experiences of historically underserved students and faculty in higher education; her work has appeared in a wide range of journals, edited collections, and higher education news outlets. She is the co-author of The Latinx Guide to Graduate School (Duke University Press, 2023), which offers graduate students in humanities and social sciences fields a roadmap for surviving and thriving in advanced

Anel A. Jaramillo is a neuroscientist with expertise in the neurobiological mechanisms driving emotional affect and dysregulation in psychiatric diseases, specifically alcohol use and mood disorders.

Jaramillo acquired a strong grounding in rodent models of operant behavior from her graduate training with Joyce Besheer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her Ph.D. in Neuroscience, awarded in 2017, contributed to our understanding of the behavioral and circuit mechanisms responsible for alcohol-induced subjective/interoceptive effects on alcohol intake. As a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Danny G. Winder’s lab at Vanderbilt University, she gained expertise using in vivo and ex vivo techniques in transgenic mice to define cell-type and pathway-specific circuits. Her work demonstrated functional changes in circuit activity in vivo during anxiety-like behavior, with implications for female-specific differences.

Jaramillo’s lab and NIAAA R00-funded projects aim to alleviate negative affective disturbances in abstinence by providing insight into novel peptide targets within neural pathways that will lead to better diagnostic tools and treatment options.

Aida Isela Ramos is an Associate Professor of Sociology and the Dean of the College of Education and Social & Behavioral Sciences at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Aida’s research focuses on race-ethnicity (Latinx racialization) and education (first-generation student success in faith-based higher education institutions). Previously a research fellow for the Latino Protestant Congregation Project, Aida co authored the book Latino Protestants in America: Diverse and Growing (2017, Roman & Littlefield Publishers) and is currently writing her next book, Faith on the Frontera: Religion and Racialization in the Texas-Mexico Borderlands. She has published articles in various journals, including the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JSSR), Sociology of Religion, and Social Science Quarterly. She is currently an associate editor for the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Aida holds a Ph.D. (2013) and master's degree (2010) in sociology, both from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a bachelor's of science degree in sociology from Texas A&M University (2007).

Stephany Cuevas interdisciplinary research and practice focus on Latinx family engagement in students' higher education aspirations. Central to her research is the notion that Latinx students do not experience education in isolation, as sole compartmentalized, individual students. She considers it imperative to consider the significant and central role families have in shaping Latinx students' educational experiences. Her current research explores how family engagement shifts and changes as first-generation students advance in and complete their post-secondary trajectories. 

For the past 10 years, Stephany's has worked to support underrepresented students, their families, and the educators who work with them; she is committed to work that actively seeks to expose and combat issues of inequality. Stephany's has also worked with different school districts, individual schools, out-of-school organizations, and nonprofit community organizations across the United States, developing trainings and curriculum, professional development sessions, and doing evaluation work. 

Stephany's scholarship has appeared in the Journal of Higher Education, the Harvard Educational Review, and the Journal of Latinos and Education. Her research has been recognized by the Family-School-Community Partnerships Special Interest Group at American Education Research Association (AERA), the American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education, and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. She was also named a 2019 Emerging Scholar of Color by the University of Houston-Downtown.

Shetay Ashford-Hanserd is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies at Texas State University. Prior to joining Texas State, Shetay worked for 13 years in the high technology (i.e., high tech) industry as a Technical Trainer, Consultant, and Global Training Program Manager with Fortune 500 multinational corporations such as General Electric, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Dell Computers. Additionally, she gained experience as a continuing education and university instructor and a project manager of a longitudinal, mixed-methods research study, which was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Shetay research agenda primarily focuses on broadening participation of women of color and historically underrepresented minorities in the U.S. P-20 (preschool, K-12, undergraduate, graduate) STEM (science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship, mathematics) and Computing (STEM+C) workforce ecosystem.

By integrating research into teaching and service, Shetay's research agenda is divided into three distinct, yet interrelated, research domains to inform students, community partners, and economic development or workforce stakeholders of evidence-based success factors and interventions.

Nancy Raquel Mirabal is Associate Professor in the American Studies Department and Director of the U.S. Latina/o Studies Program at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Nancy is an historian who has published widely in the fields of Afro-diasporic, gentrification, and spatial studies. She is the author of Suspect Freedoms: The Racial and Sexual Politics of Cubanidad in New York, 1823-1957 (NYU Press, 2017) and co-editor of Keywords for Latina/o Studies (NYU Press, 2017). She is working on two projects: Whiteness as Gentrification and a co-authored text with Amanda Huron and Manuel Mendez, Radical Lens: Visual Culture and the Racial Politics of Place in Washington DC, 1973-1999.

She is a recipient of several grants and awards, including the Scholar in Residence Fellowship, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, University Chancellor Postdoctoral Fellowship, U.C. Berkeley; Social Science Research Council International Migration Fellowship; a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant; and a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians. In 2021 Mirabal was named a University of Maryland Graduate Faculty Mentor of the Year.

Gloria González-López holds the C. B. Smith Sr. Centennial Chair #1 in U.S.-Mexico Relations and is a professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a first-generation college student and a member of an extended family with a long history of transnational Mexico-U.S. migration.

She is the author of Family Secrets: Stories of Incest and Sexual Violence in Mexico (NYU Press, 2015) and Erotic Journeys: Mexican Immigrants and Their Sex Lives (University of California Press, 2005); she has published her academic work extensively in Spanish. She is also a couples and family therapist by training and has worked with Latina immigrant women with histories of sexual violence. She is a consultant for professionals working in sexual violence eradication, prevention, and treatment programs at grassroots organizations and academic institutions in Mexico. Because of the kindness and generosity of students, colleagues, mentors, and supervisors, she received the 2021 Simon-Gagnon Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2022 Feminist Scholar-Activist Award, both from the Sexualities Section and the Sex & Gender Section of the American Sociological Association, respectively.

Genevieve Negrón-Gonzales is Professor in the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. She is an interdisciplinary scholar of education and immigration. Her research focuses on the educational and political lives of undocumented young people; deportation, immigrant families and violence at the border; and the educational navigations of Latinx communities. Her books include Encountering Poverty: Living and Acting in an Unequal World (co-authored with Ananya Roy, Claire Talwalker and Kweku Opoku-Agyemang, 2016, UC Press), We Are Not Dreamers: Undocumented Scholars Theorize Undocumented Life in the United States (co-edited with Leisy Abrego, Duke University Press, 2020), and The Latinx Guide to Graduate School (co-authored with Magdalena Barrera, Duke University Press, 2023).