Higher Education & Organizational Change (HEOC) Student Directory

Specialization

Family engagement

Teaching and Research Interests

Family Engagement
Student Success
Community

Education

M.A. Student Affairs Administration (Michigan State University)
B.A. Public Heath (UC Merced)

Advisor

Cecilia Rios-Aguilar

Student Bio

I am a first-year PhD student in Higher Education and Organizational Change with an academic background in African American & Diaspora Studies and Political Science. My graduate coursework spans advanced quantitative and qualitative research methods in higher education. Current projects include a social network analysis of recruitment practices among private colleges and universities, as well as a qualitative case study on faculty racial diversity. I serve on the board of the National Black Student Achievement Association, working to reimagine K-12 support structures for Black and African American students. Additionally, I am a program assistant in institutional advancement for EMEAC, an environmental justice nonprofit focused on personal and public sustainability initiatives.

Specialization

Equity, Access, and Attainment

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

Gordon and Olga Smith Fellowship (2024)

Education

M.A. Higher Education and Organizational Change (UCLA)
B.A. African American & Diaspora Studies (Vanderbilt University)
B.A Political Science (Vanderbilt University)

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Student Bio

Joana Granados is a Spanish-speaking, first-generation Latina (Mexican and Salvadoran) from Compton, California. Her academic journey has been marked by overcoming systemic barriers, including food insecurity, transportation challenges, and the complexities of living in a mixed-status family. Despite these obstacles, she was among the few from her high school to attend a Research One institution, earning her undergraduate degree at UC San Diego.
After completing her bachelor’s, Joana returned to Compton as a college advisor in student affairs, supporting low-income, first-generation Black and Latina/o/e students. Inspired by their experiences post-graduation, she pursued a student affairs focused master’s degree at the University of Maryland to deepen her understanding of how policies and practices affect diverse student populations.

Although students have been a focus since the beginning of her trajectory, after three years of working with a program designed for Black, Indigenous, and Latina/o/e early career faculty, Joana gained an interest in institutional changes to support their retention in academia. She recognizes that a diverse faculty is crucial in inspiring students of color and fostering an equitable educational pipeline.

At UCLA, her research centers on the intersections of race, class, and generation status in higher education. She aims to translate research into actionable policies that advance socioeconomic mobility for underserved communities and promote a more inclusive academic environment.

Specialization

Education pipeline for Latina/o/e groups
College access
Early-career faculty
Faculty intervention models

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Program, 2024
Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Perspective Award, 2022
PBS American Graduate Champion, 2016
Gates Millennium Scholarship Recipient, 2013

Education

B.A. Ethnic Studies & Sociology; University of California – San Diego
M.Ed. Higher Education, Student Affairs and International Education Policy; University of Maryland – College Park

Publications

Granados, J. (2022). Humanizing Essential Partners in Fraternity and Sorority Houses. Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Perspective magazine.
Granados, J., Huddleston, T. S. (2021). “Near-Peer” Supervision Through Mutual Care, Reciprocal Learning, & Work/Life Blending. Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Essentials: New Professionals.

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Kevin Eagan

Email | LinkedIn | Website | CV

Student Bio
Marcelo Almora Rios is a PhD student in UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies. He holds a B.S. and M.A. in Mathematics. Marcelo has extensive experience supporting students’ mathematics learning in various roles, including as a graduate student instructor, math software developer, and policy analyst. His research centers on the intersection of mathematics education, education policy, and positive psychology. A first-generation, Peruvian-born college student, Marcelo has been recognized with a 2023 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a 2020 Latinos in Technology scholarship. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and taking walks in the park.

Specialization

Math Education
Higher Education
Educational Inequity

Teaching and Research Interests

Higher Mathematics Policy
Minority Students in STEM
Construct Psychology

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

2023 NSF Graduate Student Fellowship
2020 Latinos in Technology Scholarship

Education

M.A. Education, UCLA
M.A. Mathematics, University of Montana
B.S. Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College

Publications

Almora Rios, M. A. (2024). Examining student wellbeing and parental educational attainment in a U.S. college mathematics course. In T. Evans, O. Marmur, J. Hunter, G. Leach, & J. Jhagroo (Eds.), Proceedings of the 47th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 2, pp. 25–31). PME.
Arrillaga, E. S., Bland, S., Goto, K., & Almora Rios, M. (2023). Integral voices: Examining math experiences of underrepresented students. Just Equations.
Almora Rios, M. A., & Burdman, P. (2023). Staying the course: Examining college students’ paths to calculus. Just Equations.

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Student Bio

Shuhan Ai is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education & Organizational Change program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on understanding the career aspirations of undergraduate women in STEM fields. Specifically, she explores how community cultural wealth and information literacy skills influence their STEM career aspirations and motivations. Leveraging quantitative research methods, her goal is to identify strategies that support students’ career development and help institutions create more inclusive pathways for underrepresented women in STEM.

Specialization

STEM Education, Career Aspirations, Quantitative Methods

Teaching and Research Interests

Women in STEM
Community Cultural Wealth
Online Education
Information Literacy

Education

Master of Science in Education (M.S.Ed.) in Higher Education, University of Pennsylvania

Publications

Ai, S. (2024). Empowering Online Teaching: A System Review of Online Instructors’ Professional Development in Higher Education. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 19(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/D41.6661 Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/15h3w0ch

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Student Bio

Brian Le (he/him/his) is currently a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change (HEOC) program at UCLA. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology & health from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Marquette University. Prior to attending UCLA, Brian worked at Iowa State University for 4 years as a student’s program coordinator for the Science Bound program, a pre-college through college program focused on working with scholars from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue a degree in STEM. He has been a research affiliate on multiple NSF-funded projects surrounding equity in STEM. Brian’s research interests are college access, retention, marginalized students, community colleges, first-generation, STEM education, identity development, and engineering education.

Teaching and Research Interests

Identity Development
College Access & Retention
First-generation college students
STEM Education

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

2023, UCLA University Fellowship
2022, UCLA University Fellowship

Education

M. Ed. Educational Policy & Leadership Studies, Marquette University
B.S. Kinesiology & Health, Iowa State University

Publications

Le, B.D., Rodriguez, S.L., & Espino, M.L. (2021). Family Matters: An Asset-based Approach to How Families Shape Engineering Identity for Community College Students. Journal for Applied Research in Community Colleges.
Espino, M., Rodriguez, S., & Le, B. (2020). A Systematic Review of Literature: Engineering Identity and Students with Financial Need in Community Colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice.
Rodriguez, S.L., Espino, M.L., Le, B.D., & Cunningham, J.K. (2020). The influence of policy implementation in the Midwest: How an SSTEM program broadens participation and enhances engineering identity for community college students. Education Policy Analysis Archives.

Research Centers

Momentum: Accelerating Equity in Computing and Technology

Advisor

Linda J. Sax

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Eddie R. Cole

Email | LinkedIn | Instagram

Student Bio

David Vargas is a first-generation Ph.D. student in the Higher Education & Organizational Change program at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was born and raised in Jiquilpan, Michoacan, Mexico.

His research interests include Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice (EDIJ) in Higher Education, College Access, and First-Generation College Students. He is currently interested in looking at the strategies Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) implement to serve their diverse Latine communities, moving away from one-size-fits-all resources and monolithic understandings of Latinidad.

Teaching and Research Interests

Experiences of students of color in higher education
Latina/o students in STEM fields
Community college transfer students, and first-generation first-year students at R1 institutions

Education

Human Development & Family Studies B.S.
Spanish B.A.

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Student Bio

Diana Torres (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change program at UCLA. A native of Riverside, California, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Sociology from UC Riverside. Diana currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI), where she contributes to evaluation and strategic planning efforts. She previously worked as a Data Fellow at The Education Trust, focusing on labor market outcomes for marginalized student groups. In addition, she has held teaching assistant positions for introductory R programming, statistics, and undergraduate research courses. Diana’s research centers on college affordability and economic mobility, with a specific focus on sub-baccalaureate credential earners. As the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, she draws from her personal experience to understand the challenges faced by Latino immigrant families, fueling her dedication to breaking down barriers and advancing social mobility through education.

Teaching and Research Interests

College Affordability
Student Loan Debt
Labor Market Outcomes
sub-baccalaureate Credentials

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

Cota Robles Fellowship Recipient

Education

MA, Higher Education and Organizational Change, UCLA
BA, Education and Sociology, UC Riverside

Research Centers

Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI)

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Student Bio

Passion Lord is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change program at UCLA. She is a first-generation college graduate and L.A. native. She is passionate about recruitment, retention, and persistence of underrepresented communities. Her research currently focuses on how social media influences prospective students to enroll at an institution. Passion has used her business background in many of her professional and volunteer experiences in the education sector. She was a part-time instructor through LMU’s Campus Awareness Resource Education Services, where she taught freshmen and transfers sexual assault prevention, anti-racism, and cross-cultural dialogue. Passion developed and reassessed a program, which facilitates the transition, engagement, and retention of first-year Black students at Loyola Marymount University. She engaged and worked collaboratively with other departments and programs on campus to address diversity, equity, and inclusion for Black students by providing advocacy and support.

Teaching and Research Interests

Student Recruitment, Retention, and Persistence
Social Media
Black Studies
Intersectionality

Education

B.A Integrated Marketing Communication, Pepperdine University
M.A Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, Loyola Marymount University (LMU)
M.A Higher Education and Organizational Change, UCLA

Research Centers

UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center

Advisor

Email | LinkedIn | ORCiD

Student Bio

Amanda Carrasco is a first-generation Chicana Ph.D. student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change division at the University of California, Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah with family roots in Ciudad de México, México. Through her research, she weaves Critical Race Theories and Chicana feminist methodologies to explore the experiences of Chicana/Latina students who have successfully navigated educational pathways from community college to graduate school. She has experience working with diverse student populations including first-generation, working-class, parenting/caregiving, students of color through her teaching experiences as an instructor for UCLA’s English Composition courses through writing programs and Academic Advancement Program (AAP), and as a lecturer for the Child and Adolescent Development Department at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Her master’s capstone reviewed literature exploring the experiences of first-generation Latin* graduate students.

Teaching and Research Interests

Latinx/Chicanx educational pipeline
Chicana feminist epistemology and methodologies
Hispanic Serving Institutions
Ethnic studies
Community college to graduate education pathways

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

2024 Higher Education and Organizational Change Faculty Award, UCLA
2023 Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar
2021-24 University Fellowship, Graduate Division, UCLA
2020-21 Regents Stipend, UCLA

Education

M.A. Higher Education and Organizational Change, UCLA
Honors B.A., Ethnic Studies, The University of Utah
B.A., Sociology, The University of Utah

Publications

Carrasco, A. (2024). The Journey to Graduate School: An Exploration of First-Generation Latine Students’ Transmission of Knowledge to Capital. Education Sciences, 14(7), 768. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070768
Eiring, E., Byars-Winston, A., House, S. C., Lee, Y. G., McGee, R., Jones, R. F., … & Carrasco, A. (2024). Study Protocol for a Mixed Method, Three-Arm Cluster Randomized Comparative Trial Testing the Impact of Culturally Aware Mentoring Interventions on Research Mentors and Graduate Training Programs. https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.3byl493zogo5/v1

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Student Bio

Karla has developed and implemented various primary prevention strategies and survivor support efforts across several institutions, organizations and communities. She’s served as a prevention educator, community case manager, sexual assault/domestic violence victim advocate and various leadership positions in student affairs. Her advocacy is grounded in intersectionality and trauma-informed frameworks, ancestral knowledge and community wisdom. Identity and community are critical components of her activism, indigeneity, resilience and joy. She is an incoming first-generation Ph.D. student in the Higher Education & Organizational Change (HEOC) program at the UCLA School of Education & Information Studies.

Teaching and Research Interests

Campus sexual and relationship violence
Student resilience & healing
Intersectionality
Indigenous methodologies and practices in higher education

Education

Master of Social Work, Community Organization, Planning and Administration (COPA), University of Southern California
B.A. Ethnic Studies, University of California, Riverside
B.A. Anthropology, University of California, Riverside

Publications

Palacios, N., & Aguilar, K. (2017). An Empowerment-Based Model of Sexual Violence Intervention and Prevention on Campus. In J. C. Harris & C. Linder (Eds.), Intersections of identity and sexual violence on campus: Centering minoritized students’ experience. essay, Stylus Publishing.

Advisor

Jessica C. Harris

Student Bio

London Williams is passionate about supporting minoritized undergraduate students in higher education spaces, particularly those majoring in STEM. London currently serves as a Program Coordinator for the UCLA-HHMI Pathways to Success Program and is also an instructor for a year-long course that supports diverse groups of students throughout their first year of college (UNIV ST 15). Coalescing her interests in education and psychology, London’s current research interests have been significantly shaped by instances of grief and loss experienced by both herself and the many students she works with. London is passionate about doing mixed methods research and utilizing Black Feminist Thought, as well as, critical, counter-hegemonic approaches that not only highlight diverse student voices, but also contribute to the transformation of STEM environments and aid in creating safe and brave spaces to build communities of care, subsequently, fostering STEM persistence, flourishing, and healing.

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

2023, University Fellowship
2022, Luskin Center for History and Policy Research Grantee
2022, Rising to the Challenge Research Grantee
2022, SPSSI Essay Contest Graduate Student Winner
2022, University Fellowship
2021, Dean’s Student Advisory Council (DSAC) Stipend

Education

M.A. Higher Education and Organizational Change, UCLA
M.A. Developmental Psychology and Evaluation, CGU
B.A. Psychology, UNC-Chapel Hill

Publications

Williams, L. (2022). Finding Alternatives for Western Imperialism in Higher Education: Unlocking “the door to a far larger view of the world than white America has ever known. Forward: The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Summer 2022. https://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=2803&nodeID=1
Tran, N., Williams, L., & Yang, J. (2022). Administration of the 2021 Your First College Year (YFCY) Survey, Research Brief. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA. https://heri.ucla.edu/briefs/YFCY/YFCY-2021-Brief.pdf

Advisor

Kevin Eagan

Student Bio

Ngoc Tran is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change division at the University of California, Los Angeles. Through her research, she aims to identify practices in teaching, research training, and mentorship that can advance the academic achievement and career outcomes of first-generation students of color pursuing terminal degrees. Moreover, she is interested in examining what first-generation students of color and their communities of origin can earn, gain, and lose as students pursue higher education through a socioeconomic, ethical, and cultural lens. Previously, Ngoc served as the Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusion Initiatives at Stanford University. In this role, she directed two summer research programs while leading school-wide academic support initiatives and graduate admissions outreach efforts to increase the access to educational opportunities, sense of belonging, and retention of minoritized students in the School of Engineering.

Education

M.Ed., Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, University of Vermont
B.S., Social Work, The Ohio State University

Advisor

Kevin Eagan

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Cecilia Rios-Aguilar

Email | CV | LinkedIn | Website

Student Bio

Tim Herd is currently a fourth year PhD Candidate and Wasserman Fellow in the Higher Education & Organizational Change (HEOC) program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research examines university governing boards, student success, race, and affirmative action.

Outside of his studies, Tim is also serves in the capacity of a creative consultant that partners with different non-profits and other organizations around the areas of governance, culture, and student success. Tim also is the founder of two organizations, Rising Black Men and the Grosse Pointe Black Alumni Association, the latter in which he currently serves as President/CEO.

Specialization

University Governance, Student Success, Race

Teaching and Research Interests

University Governance
Race & Ethnicity
Student Success

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

Wasserman Dean’s Fellowship, UCLA 2021
Graduate Dean Award, UCLA 2021
Penn GSE Merit Award

Education

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Michigan State University (MSU)

Publications

Warren, C.A., & Herd, T. (2022). Perspectives on Teacher Empathy with Diverse Learners. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781138609877-REE139-1
Herd, T. Choosing your role models wisely. (2nd Ed), Men to men. Discovery House.
Herd, T. Understanding Black UCLA Student Response to Proposition 209
Warren, C.A., Wellborn, C.P. Herd, T. Teacher Beliefs about Race, Empathy, and Black Boys: REDACTED 2.0

Advisor

Eddie R. Cole

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Cecilia Rios-Aguilar

Email | CV | LinkedIn

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Mitchell Chang

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N. Angie Jaimez Noel is a Ph.D. student at UCLA examining the impact of philanthropic dollars on institutional transformation and organizational change, with a focus on disrupting systemic racism inherent within educational institutions, nonprofits, and for-profit sectors.

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Student Bio

Camille Smith is an institutional researcher and PhD student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change program at UCLA. She received her masters from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in Higher Education with a concentration in Institutional Research. Her work in higher education focuses on collecting, analyzing and sharing data about higher education students, institutions and the efficacy of the institution’s programs, to support decision-making, planning and policy formation within the institution. Much of her work in these roles has focused on quantitative research that identifies outcomes associated with various diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives at both the undergraduate and graduate education level, in both student and academic affairs departments, with the goal of creating more equitable higher education institutions. She particularly enjoys conducting research that aids in the construction of higher education environments that facilitate learning, development and success, particularly of historically underserved students.

Specialization

institutional research; quantitative research on learning, development and success of historically underserved students

Education

BA, Communication – concentration in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication, University of Southern California, 2015
MA, Higher Education – concentration in Institutional Research, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 2020

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Student Bio

Hello cyber surfers, my name is John Yang (you can also call me Johnnie Yaj, pronounced as ‘Yah!’ in my native Hmong language) and I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. I enjoy rollerblading, spoken word poetry, Super Smash Bros, plant-based foods, and yoga. I also love to travel and explore new cities, communities, and cultures. If you would like to strike up a conversation about any of these topics, I am all yours!

Teaching and Research Interests

Diversity/Homogeneity
Rural Students
Hmong Americans
Asian Americans
Assessment

Awards, Honors, and Fellowships

2022 APIA Scholars Applied Research Fellowship Program ($5,000) | Washington, DC
2020 The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship | New York, NY
2017 J.W. and Nellie N. MacDowell Scholarship ($5,000) | Los Angeles, CA
2017 S.P.A.R.K.S. Foundation Scholarship ($2,000) | Los Angeles, CA
2014* Gates Millennium Scholarship (Full-tuition scholarship, BA, MA, PhD) | Fitchburg, WI
2014 UCLA Lambda Alumni Scholarship ($4,000) | Los Angeles, CA
2014 Herb Kohl Scholarship ($1,000) | Janesville, WI
2014 UW-Madison PEOPLE Scholar (Full-tuition scholarship, BA) | Madison, WI

Education

BA World Arts and Cultures, UCLA Class of 2018
MA Higher and Postsecondary Education, Teachers College, Columbia University Class of 2020

Publications

Yaj, Johnnie. (2019). The Invisible Labor of UCLA Southeast Asian Student Organizations: Investigating the Work that Goes Behind Enacting Diversity. Aleph, UCLA Undergraduate Research Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol. 16.

Research Centers

Higher Education Research Institute (HERI)

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Student Bio

Gadise Regassa is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Higher Education and Organizational Change program and is working on her dissertation research around academic burnout, anti-black racism, and the pandemic. During her first four years at UCLA, Gadise worked as a Graduate Ambassador for the Graduate Division Diversity, Inclusion, and Admissions Office, co-founded an academic support group for Black women graduate students, and was a graduate researcher for an EDI and Spencer-funded youth participatory action research project called UCLA BEST. In addition to being a student, Gadise works on the side as an Educational Consultant and just finished a project with Youtube. Before starting her doctoral program, Gadise worked as a Program Administrator for the NYU Center for Multicultural Education and Programs, received her Master’s from The Ohio State University in Higher Education and Student Affairs, and graduated with honors from UCSB with a degree in Black Studies and Sociology.

Teaching and Research Interests

Critical Qualitative Methods
Race/Racism
College Burnout

Education

M.A., Higher Education and Student Affairs, The Ohio State University
B.A., Black Studies and Sociology, UCSB

Research Centers

UCLA Center for Education Innovation and Learning in the Sciences
UCLA CHOICES

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Year Entered Program
2017

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