Professional Development Academies in Education

Professional Development Programs in Information Studies

UCLA’s School of Education & Information Studies is home to two departments. Each is a leader in their field, helping to pioneer what's next in the Education and Information worlds.

UCLA Ed&IS faculty are at the forefront of their fields, addressing issues of equality, access and social justice in the fields of education and information. Their scholarship has an international reputation for excellence and commitment to addressing the most critical issues facing our society.

An ecosystem of K-12 teaching schools where UCLA partners to develop, study, share, and advance innovative best practices.

The work at UCLA Ed&IS is guided by the principles of individual responsibility and social justice, an ethic of caring, and commitment to the communities we serve. Learn more about our mission and values, our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in our faculty and students, our history and more.

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are defining features of UCLA Ed&IS and we embrace them as a source of strength.

Department of Education 2023 Information Sessions

Department of Information Studies Programs

Department of Information Studies 2023 Information Sessions

Learn more about the undergraduate and graduate academic programs we offer, when program information sessions are being offered and how to apply.

Student directory

Social Sciences and Comparative Education Division (SSCE)

Ph.D. Student Directory Submission Request

Master's Student Directory Submission Request

Teaching and Research Interests
International education; social movement learning; adult learning theory; participatory action research; higher education

Fulbright-Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellow, 2018-2019

Research Center
The Rights & Mobilities Network

Abigail Thornton (she/her/hers)

LinkedIn | Twitter | Website | aswindell@ucla.edu | (978) 987-7584 

Andrew Swindell is a doctoral candidate in Social Sciences and Comparative Education at the School of Education & Information Studies, UCLA. He currently works as an instructor for the Global and International Area Studies departments at UCLA, an editorial assistant for the Global Commons Review, and serves as the co-chair for the Education, Conflict, and Emergencies special interest group of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). His research interests include how to promote universal access to quality and inclusive education for people in emergency settings and Global Citizenship Education (GCE). Before UCLA, he worked as a foreign aid practitioner in Liberia and a K-12 teacher in Thailand and Myanmar. He holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bucknell University. He has published on education in emergencies and the intersection of human rights, globalization, and education. His most recent article is a Freirean analysis of online education and digital literacy.

Teaching and Research Interests
Education in Emergencies, Human Rights, Globalization and Migration, Curriculum and Instruction, Global Citizenship Education

M.Ed., Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum, University of Missouri

B.A., Economics and Religion, Bucknell University

California Community Foundation Hoyt Fellowship

International School Choice & Reform Travel Award

Dean’s Student Support Initiative, UCLA

Farag, A., Greeley, L., & Swindell, A.* (2021). Freire 2.0: Pedagogy of the digitally oppressed. Education Philosophy and Theory.

Swindell, A*, Elliot, K, & McCommons, B. (2021). Reimagining a Broader Framework for Education in Emergencies within Comparative and International Education. In A. W. Wiseman (ed.), International Perspectives on Education and Society (Vol. 41). Emerald Publishing Limited (forthcoming)

Swindell, A. * and Write, J (2022). Historical, Contemporary, and Future Issues on the Nexus of Globalisation, Human Rights, and Education. In Vissing, Y. and Zajda, J. (eds), Globalisation, Ideology, and Human Rights. Springer. (forthcoming)

Research Center
WORLD Policy Center
Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles

Andrew Swindell (he/him/his)

LinkedIn | Twitter | arjunkrishna@ucla.edu

Arjun Krishna is a Ph.D. student in Social Sciences & Comparative Education at UCLA. Trained in critical theory as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, Arjun works with indigenous communities in South Asia and researches international education development through a critical lens, adopting anthropological and ethnographic methods in social science research. A former teacher, Arjun worked in a rural school in India and went on to become certified faculty at a high school in Arizona. Drawing from their experiences in the field, their research interests are primarily centered around questions of movement, indigeneity, race, and relationships to land, water, and the environment. They are also interested in analyzing the effects of the implementation of education efforts by national and international development agencies on identity, ways of being, and forms of participation in local economies.

Titles and Positions
Teaching Associate in International Development, Global Studies, and Public Affairs

B.A., University of California, Berkeley (2018)

Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Award (GSRM)

Keck Research Award for Humanistic Inquiry

Arjun Krishna (they/them)

Audrey D. Paredes is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA, specializing in Social Science and Comparative Education. Drawing from her experiences as the daughter of immigrants from Guatemala, a first-generation college student, and a former student affairs practitioner, her dissertation focuses on the lived experiences of Central American students enrolled in a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution in California. Her dissertation seeks to highlight the diverse experiences of the Latinxs in higher education in hopes of information post-secondary practice and policy, so that we may better serve students.  

Currently, she is the lead graduate student researcher for the University of California, Hispanic Serving Institutions (UC HSI) Initiative, and is a research associate for the Center for Critical Race Studies in Education at UCLA. Audrey is a 2020 graduate fellow for the Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) and a current fellow of the CSU Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program. She holds a Master of Arts in Education from UCLA and is a proud graduate of the CSU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Gender, Ethnicity, and Multicultural Studies from Cal Poly Pomona.

B.A., Gender, Ethnicity, and Multicultural Studies

University of California, Office of the President (UCOP) Dissertation Year Fellow

California State University (CSU) Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program Fellow 

American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) Graduate Student Fellow

Paredes, A.D., Estrada, C., Venturanza, R.J., and Teranishi, R.T. (2021). "La Lucha Sigue: The University of California's Role as a Hispanic-Serving Research Institution System." The Institute for Immigration, Globalization, and Education. Los Angeles, CA.

Research Center
University of California Hispanic-Serving Institutions (UC-HSI) Initiative 
Institute for Immigration, Globalization, and Education 
Center for Critical Race Studies in Education at UCLA

Audrey D. Paredes (she/they/ella)

Expected Graduation Year
2023 | Doctorate in Social Science and Comparative Education (Sub specialization in Race and Ethnic Studies)

cynthiaestrada@ucla.edu | LinkedIn | Curriculum Vitae

Bio
Cynthia is a doctoral student specializing in Race and Ethnic Studies within the Social Science and Comparative Education program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Identifying as a first-generation college graduate and Chicana, her research centers race and racism to examine issues related to higher education access and equity for minoritized student populations. She is particularly interested in better understanding how current higher education recruitment strategies construct and reproduce racialized narratives that center dominant ideologies. Cynthia currently serves as a Research Associate for the Institute of Immigration, Globalization and Education at UCLA and Lead Graduate Researcher at the Community College HigherEd Access Leadership Equity Scholarship (CCHALES) Research Collective at SDSU. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing to cumbias, traveling, and attending live music concerts. Prior to UCLA, Cynthia studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she received her BA in English with a minor in Applied Psychology & Education.

Research Associate, Institute for Immigration Globalization and Education (IGE), University of California, Los Angeles

Lead Graduate Student Researcher, Community College HigherEd Access Leadership Equity Scholarship (CCHALES) Research Collective, San Diego State University

Institute for Immigration Globalization and Education (IGE), University of California, Los Angeles

Community College HigherEd Access Leadership Equity Scholarship (CCHALES) Research Collective, San Diego State University

Fall 2021 Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Education and Social Sciences (Graduate Level), School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Spring  2021 Teaching Assistant, Qualitative Data Reduction and Analysis (Graduate Level), School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Winter  2021 Teaching Assistant, Participant-Observation Field Methods (Graduate), School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Fall 2020 Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Qualitative Methods and Design Issues in Educational Research (Graduate Level), School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Spring 2019 Seminar Lecturer, Introduction to Ethical Approaches to Research (Graduate and Undergraduate Level), Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary Education, San Diego State University

Master of Arts, 2018, Social Science and Comparative Education , Sub specialization in Race and Ethnic Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Professional Certificate in Grant Writing, 2017, San Diego State University 

College of Extended Studies, Bachelor of Arts, 2012, English with a minor in Applied Psychology and Education

Diversity Scholarship Recipient, 2021, Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Summer Program, University of Michigan

Erik M. Colon Outstanding Graduate Student Award, 2021, American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Latinx Network

Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program Fellow, 2020, California State University

Gordon & Olga Smith Scholarship Recipient, 2018, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

Paredes, A., Estrada, C., Venturanza, R., & Teranishi, R. (2021). La Lucha Sigue: The University of California’s Role as a Hispanic-Serving Research Institution System. Retrieved from https://www.ucop.edu/hsi-initiative/_files/report-la-lucha-sigue.pdf

Felix, E., Trinidad, A., Estrada, C. (2020). California Community Colleges, Proposition 209, and the Restrictions to Improving Racial Equity. Retrieved from https://west.edtrust.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/11/Ed-Trust-West-Reserch-in-Brief-Prop-16-9_29_2020.pdf

Ryoo, J. J., Tanksley, T., Estrada, C., & Margolis, J. (2020). Take space, make space: how students use computer science to disrupt and resist marginalization in schools. Computer Science Education, 30(3), 337-361.

Cynthia Estrada (She/Her/Hers/Ella)

I'm a Ph.D. student in the SSCE division. I have research interests in comparative education, the learning sciences, and technology design. Prior to UCLA I worked as a product management professional in K-12 educational software development (R&D) and have volunteered with schools in Kenya, Thailand, South Africa, and the Philippines. I completed my bachelor's in history from the University of Chicago and my master's in public policy from NYU.

Teaching and Research Interests
Comparative Education, Learning Sciences, Technology (UX Research & Design), Data Science 

Research Center
The UCLA Paulo Freire Institute

Darek M. Ciszek

I am an enrolled tribal member of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians and I also grew up on the reservation, near Valley Center, CA (North San Diego County). I am a Doctoral student in the School of Education – Social Sciences and Comparative Education. My research is on language preservation and language immersion for Native students K-12th in California. I will focus on the importance of culture and language in western academic schools to further advance Native students in education. My research will be conducted on my reservation and I will use autoethnography to collect data.

Elizabeth FastHorse

Hi! I am an international student from China. My research interests include lifelong learning policies and strategies in different countries, identity development through informal learning, and transformative learning. As one of the Chinese international students, I am also interested in examining various issues concerning the social and mental wellbeing of this group during their overseas studies.

My dissertation explores how early-career workers in high-tech sectors in China develop their identity and agency through informal workplace learning.

I did an internship at UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning in Hamburg, Germany, for 3 months. Lifelong Learning for All !!!

Titles and Positions
Teaching Assistant, Dept. of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences

Teaching and Research Interests
Workplace Learning, Learning and Wellbeing, Identity, Education Policy

Summer Mentoring Research Fellowship, UCLA Graduate Division, 2021

Hui Huang (she/her/hers)

Joseph Wright is a doctoral candidate in Social Sciences and Comparative and International Education and Masters in Public Health student in Community Health Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research and expertise are on the impact of domestic and international policy related to whole child equity and children’s rights including education, health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, and safety. Joseph received a B.S. from Brigham Young University, M.Sc. from Oxford University and has worked with USAID, UNESCO, and UNICEF, as well as several school districts and health departments across the United States.

Titles and Positions
Graduate Student Researcher
Teaching Assistant

Whole Child Systems Strengthening and Innovation

International Development, Culture, and Power

Omwami, E., Wright, J., and Swindell, A. (2020) “Comparative Perspectives on International Early Childhood Education in the Context of SDGs.” Annual Review of Comparative and International Education. Edited by Alexander Wiseman. Emerald

Research Center
Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities

Joseph Wright

Linli is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Science and Comparative Education at UCLA. Linli conducts institutional effectiveness research in higher education aiming to support comprehensive learning experiences and competence development for students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Some of Linli’s recent work involves using quantitative and qualitative research methodology for higher education data analysis, policy impact analysis, and program evaluation. In addition to her role as a mixed-method researcher at UCLA, Linli also teaches undergraduate students about introductory statistics and qualitative research design. Before coming to UCLA, Linli worked in international academic affairs at Duke Kunshan University and the University of Southern California.

Researcher, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

Teaching Fellow, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Graduate Student Ambassador, UCLA Diversity, Inclusion & Admission Office

Teaching and Research Interests
Institutional Research, Data Analysis (Qualitative and Quantitative), Evaluation of Teaching and Learning, Higher Education Administration

Ph.D. in Education, University of California Los Angeles, 2022

M.A. in Education, University of California Los Angeles, 2018

B.A. in Education, Beijing Normal University, 2017

Dissertation Year Fellowship, UCLA Graduate Division

University Innovative Research Project, Beijing Normal University

National Encouragement Scholarship, China Ministry of Education

Zhou, L. (2021). Cross-Cultural Mentoring: Cultural Awareness and Identity Empowerment. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies.

Zhou, L., & Li, N. (2021). Problems in China's Educational Technology Response to COVID-19: How to support teachers to design engaging learning online. In Hokanson, B. [Eds.], Learning: Design, Engagement and Definition. Springer.

Zhou, L. & Green, C (2021). A Unified Global Competencies Framework for Studying Abroad. In K. Bista & C. Glass (Eds.), Reimagining Mobility in Higher Education for New Generations.

Linli Zhou (she/her/hers)

2024 | PhD in Social Sciences and Comparative Education, sub-specialization in race and ethnic studies

Marisol is a doctoral student in the division of SSCE and has approximately 15 years of professional experience in the P-16 education pipeline working in education equity for Students of Color. Marisol is interested in how research can inform higher education policy with regard to campus racial climate, equity & inclusion, and student success for first-generation Latina/o college students and undocumented students. Her passion stems from being a first-generation college graduate and believing profoundly in racial justice and equitable education. Marisol's dissertation study centers on the racial climate experiences of undocumented students in Texas.

Lead Graduate Student Researcher, 21CSLA (Century California School Leadership Academy), Center X, University of California, Los Angeles

Teaching Assistant, Fall 2021: Mexican Americans and Schools (undergraduate)

Teaching Assistant, Winter 2022: Equal Rights and Unequal Schools (undergraduate) (Professors: Dr. Gary Orfield and Patricia Gándara)

Campus racial climate, higher education, undocumented students, critical race theory, racial justice in education

Master of Education, The University of Texas at Austin

Bachelor of Arts: Mexican American Studies, The University of Texas at Austin

Bachelor of Arts: Spanish, The University of Texas at Austin

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Cafe Bustelo Scholarship, 2021

SSCE Division Fellowship, UCLA, 2021-2022

Graduate Summer Research Mentoring Program, UCLA, 2021

Zilgitt and Finney Scholarship, UCLA, 2020-2021

SSCE Division Fellowship, UCLA, 2020-2021

Graduate Summer Research Mentoring Program, UCLA, 2020

Will Rogers Memorial Scholarship, UCLA, Spring 2020

Dean Scholar: David Vickter Foundation Scholarship, UCLA, 2019-2020

"The history of racism and the quest for racial justice at UCLA," UCLA Lufkin Center for History and Policy. March 2022. 

Luo H., Sánchez Castillo, M., Esboldt, J., & Kim, M. (2021/2022). Innovations in teaching during the pandemic. Research Findings and Reflection Questions for Practitioners. Volume 1, Issue 1.

Sánchez Castillo, M., Luo, H., Esboldt, J., & Kim, M. (in press). Diversifying the education workforce. Volume 1, Issue 2.

Marisol Sánchez Castillo

2027 | Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Comparative Education

Michaela is from a farming community in Iowa and graduated from Loras College with a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. She worked at IBM for four years as a project manager before flying to teach abroad. She taught in Taipei and Chengdu for over 2 years before returning to America to pursue her master's degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University. She received an M.S.Ed and taught in Dallas public schools for 2 years before joining UCLA. 

Her research includes challenging dominant forms of education and food production while supporting sustainable food sovereignty and holistic educational systems.

B.A in English Literature and Creative Writing from Loras College, Dubuque, IA

M.S.Ed in Education from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

AmeriCorps Siegal Award | Urban Teachers DFW | 2018, 2020

IBM Service Delivery Excellence Award | IBM | 2014

Michaela Ensweiler (she/her)

Expected Graduation Year
2026 | Ph.D. Social Science & Comparative Education, Sub-specialization in Race, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies in Education

Bio
Omar is a doctoral student specializing in Race, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies in Education. His research focuses on understanding the ways Central American students resist, persist, and transform higher education institutions, society, and immigration policies. Largely, he hopes that his research will serve to highlight the ways that hegemony among the larger Latinx pan-ethnic identity erases the lived experiences of non-majoritarian communities. His research brings together Education History, LatCrit, CRT, Central American Studies, and Critical Legal Studies. His research comes from making sense of his experience in education as the son of immigrants from Guatemala. He is a double Bruin, earning his Master’s of Education in Student Affairs and his Bachelor’s in Chicana/o and Central American Studies, minor in History, with an emphasis on Mesoamerica. He is a proud non-traditional transfer student (Los Angeles Pierce College) living in Long Beach, CA. He worked in Student Affairs (Residential Life, Learning Centers, and the Career Center) at UCLA for six years. Before working at UCLA, he was a life coach at Fuente de Lideres, working with predominantly Latinx community members across the U.S. and Mexico. He loves riding his motorcycle and training for his 10th marathon in his spare time.

Graduate Instructor, College Academic Counseling, First-Year Scholars Program

Critical Race and LatCrit Theory In Education

Self-Authorship through Transformational Resistance

M.Ed. in Student Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, 2021

B.A. Chicana/o and Central American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 2020

A.A. Social and Behavioral Sciences, Los Angeles Pierce College, 2018

UCLA Education & Information Studies Year One Doctoral Fellow, 2021

Vice Provost Academic Achievement Recognition Award, UCLA, 2018

Deans Honor List, Los Angeles Pierce College, 2016, 2017

Omar Ismael Alvarado (él, him)

Rachel E. Freeman is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she is also a Research Associate for the Institute for Immigration, Globalization, and Education. Rachel’s research interests include access and equity in higher education for immigrant students, undocumented students, students of color, and LGBTQ students. Her dissertation, which has been recognized by The Ford Foundation and UCLA's Dissertation Year Fellowship, analyzes undocumented student organizing from 2005 to 2021 at a community college in California. She works with immigrant advocacy organizations including My Undocumented Life and The UndocuScholars Project, and has worked in the field of higher education for Bunker Hill Community College, MassBay Community College, Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Achieving the Dream, and Jobs for the Future. She received her Master's in Higher Education Administration from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and her Bachelor's in philosophy from The University of Chicago.

Titles and Positions
Research Associate, Institute for Immigration, Globalization, and Education
Director of Strategy and Outreach, My Undocumented Life Blog

Teaching and Research Interests
Access and equity in higher education for immigrant students, undocumented students, students of color, and LGBTQ students

M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Harvard Graduate School of Education

B.A. in Philosophy from The University of Chicago

2021, UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship ($20,000)						

2020 & 2021, The Ford Foundation Dissertation Year Fellowship Honorable Mention 		

2020, Mary Elizabeth Jensen Fellowship, University of California, Los Angeles ($10,500)	

2016 – 2020, Wasserman Dean’s Fellowship, University of California, Los Angeles ($25,000 annually) 

2019, UCLA Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Program ($6000)				

2019, UCLA Office of the Chair for Education Travel Grant ($400)			

2017 – 2019, The Ford Foundation, “UndocuScholars,” Project Manager (worked with $1.75 million)	

2017, UCLA Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Program ($6000)				

2015, Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award, Harvard University 

2015 – 2016, Harvard Graduate School of Education Dean’s Diversity Innovation Fund,
Presentation by Freedom University, a college for undocumented students in Georgia ($500)

Freeman, R. E., & Valdivia, C. (2021). Education equity for undocumented graduate students and the key role of My Undocumented Life. Journal of College Access: Vol. 6: Iss. 2, Article 7. Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jca/vol6/iss2/7

Freeman, R. E., Mazumder, T., & Cisneros, J. (In Press). Keep fighting for existence: Undocumented student resource centers as counter-spaces within community colleges. Community College Review.

Sanchez, S., Freeman, R. E., & Martin, P. (2021). Educators are stressed, overworked, and not sure whom to trust: Legacy of the Trump era. In Gándara, P. & Ee, J. (Eds.), Schools under siege: The Impact of immigration enforcement on educational equity. Harvard Education Press.

Research Center
Institute for Immigration, Globalization, and Education

Rachel E. Freeman (she/her)

Victoria Kim is a doctoral candidate in Social Sciences and Comparative Education and a research associate for the Institute of Immigration, Globalization, and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include examining educational practices and programs that support bilingual, immigrant, minority, and English language learning students  from early childhood to postsecondary education with a focus on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Victoria received her M.Ed. in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University; M.A. in Education, and B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis.

Ph.D. Candidate, Social Sciences and Comparative Education Studies, Specialization in Race and Ethnic Studies, Graduate Concentration in Asian American Studies, UCLA                                       

M.Ed. International Educational Development, Specialization in Bilingual/Bicultural Education, Teachers College, Columbia University                                                                               

M.A. Education & K-6th Teaching Credential, University of California, Davis  

B.A. Psychology, Minor in Education, University of California, Davis

Alcantar, C. M., Kim, V., Hafoka, ‘I., Teranishi, R. T. (2020). Space and place at minority serving community colleges: The geography of campus student support for Asian American and Pacific Islander students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1-17.

Nguyen, M. H., Chang, C., Kim, V., Gutierrez, R., Le, A., & Kwon, M. (2020). Asian Americans, Selective College Admissions, and College Choice: An Empirical Test of Claims of Discrimination in Federal Litigation and Investigations. Educational Researcher.

Teranishi, R. T. & Kim, V. (2017).  The changing demographic landscape of the nation: Perspectives on college opportunities for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, The Educational Forum, 81, 1-13.

Victoria Kim

Teaching and Research Interests
Citizenship Education; Chinese Education; Frankfurt School

Bachelor of Navigation Engineering (minor in Business Management)

Yihao Li

Ph.D.

Aine Yang (she/her)

Twitter | chuyaochen@g.ucla.edu | (424) 522-9197

Specialization
International comparative education

Chinese language and Chinese literature (teacher education

Chuyao Chen

Specialization
Education in marginalized and vulnerable communities.

BA in Education at the Lebanese American University

Hadil Deeb

Jiaao Liu (she/her)

Social Sciences and Comparative Education

Minyi Huang

A.A. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2018

Ph.D. Social Science & Comparative Education, Sub-specialization in Race, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies in Education, 2026