Kriscia Gabriela Tejada (Ella/She/Her/Hers)

I am a second-year doctoral student in the Educational Leadership program at UCLA. My research centers on the lived experiences of undocumented secondary students from the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) in Los Angeles Council District One who experienced acute harms during the 2025 ICE raids. Despite bearing direct knowledge of these crises, student voices remain largely absent from school crisis planning and district safety protocols, a gap that perpetuates harm and limits possibilities for meaningful institutional change.

My commitment to this work is rooted in my educational journey. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Law and Society, and Political Science at UC Riverside, followed by master’s degrees in Counseling at the University of San Diego and in Education at UCLA. These experiences have shaped my conviction that educational access and academic success for undocumented students requires centering their voices and expertise.

With my doctorate, I aim to partner with community organizations, school leaders, and local government to translate research into actionable change. By positioning student voices as evidence and advocacy tools, I hope to transform how Los Angeles schools respond to crisis, build institutional accountability, and advance genuine educational equity for undocumented students.