Serafina L. Smith-Matos

Serafina L. Smith-Matos is a Higher Education Ph.D. student and an Eagleton Graduate Fellow in politics and government at Rutgers University. She also serves as the Assistant Dean of Recruitment and Advising within the Office of Academic Programs for the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University. Serafina is a double Rutgers alumna with over ten years of professional experience in higher education within public and private universities. Her research interests focus on exploring the experiences and leadership of first-generation and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) staff, students, and administrators within higher education. Serafina's research encompasses student mobility, belonging, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and activism within academic settings. Combining her roles as a practitioner and scholar, Serafina is deeply committed to advancing equity and access in higher education. Through her research, she seeks to address systemic barriers and create supportive environments that empower and help underrepresented individuals thrive.