Congratulations to all our students on your hard work and accomplishments this year! Read about some student highlights below.

Arturo Nevárez, Ph.D. candidate in Education, Society, and Culture, was awarded the 2019 Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship. Arturo’s dissertation focuses on the schooling experiences and critical literacies of Latinx/Chicanx youth in secondary Ethnic Studies classrooms and is tentatively entitled, "Reading 'Racial Grammar': Pedagogies of Latinx Racial Literacies in Secondary Ethnic Studies Classrooms." Read more here.  

He was also selected as a 2018-2020 NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) CNV (Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color) Fellow. The award provides two years of support, mentoring and networking opportunities for Ph.D. candidates and early career scholars of color. 

The following undergraduates were honored at the Academic Merit Convocation on June 3, 2019:

Outstanding Achievement Award: Selected by their respective college deans, this award recognizes students for their exemplary achievement in academics and research or creative activity, their breadth of involvement in the college, and for their commitment to service and citizenship.

Andrea Carreno-Cortes completed a double major in Education, Society, and Human Development and Liberal Arts. Andrea has been a leader on campus and in the field of education. On campus she has served as a mentor and Peer Advisor to new UCR student through the Career Center and the Chicano Link Peer Mentor Program. She has also served in a leadership role in the American Sign Language Club, and as a tutor in local schools in Riverside. Most recently, Andrea volunteered for the Institute for Teachers for Color, a program designed to work for racial justice in K-12 schools.

Academic Excellence Awards: These awards recognize students, one from each undergraduate program, who are selected by their faculty for achieving excellence in their academics, and research or creative activity:

Rosa Garcia-Lizarraga completed her double major in Education, Society, and Human Development and Anthropology. She has served as a student intern for Chicano Student Programs, the administrative lead for the Chicano Link Peer Mentor, and actively involved in the Center for Educational Transformation at UCR. Over the years, Rosa has earned multiple scholarships for her academic achievement. Rosa was also an inaugural GSOE Student Ambassador where she contributed to building a culture of success within the major.

Rocio Garcia is committed to creating inclusive educational experiences for students, particularly students of color. As a student actively involved in the Center for Educational Transformation at UCR, Rocio has led a curriculum and pedagogy initiative based on community-based partnership with a local high school. Rocio's work aims to create solutions for students seeking more meaningful mentorship experiences by creating strategies that help educators build more personable relationships with their students. Rocio's pursuit in education is inspired by her own children and her leadership as a mother.

Tulsi Kardani completed a double major in Education, Society, and Human Development and Psychology. Tulsi has worked with Dr. Carolyn Murray exploring the influences of a parent's mindset on student's self-efficacy and identification with STEM topics, and presented her work at the Western Psychological Association annual conference. Tulsi is also studying cognitive ability over an individual's lifespan with Dr. Rachel Wu and CALLA. Additionally, Tulsi has volunteered with Operations Safehouse and the campus organization Omega Zeta Chi to provide opportunities for underprivileged youth

Congratulations to the undergraduate students who presented at the Symposium on May 14th and 15th in HUB 302, and all 2nd - 4th year school psychology program students who presented at the National Association of School Psychologists conference in Atlanta. 

Megan Ledoux, Ph.D. student in Special Education presented the following:

Ledoux, M., Alba, L.A., Stavropoulos, K.K.M., & Blacher, J. (2019, May) The Influence of Restricted Repetitive Behaviors on the Relationship Between Autism Symptom Severity and Sleep Problems in Children. Poster presented at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada.

Ledoux, M., Alba, L.A., Stavropoulos, K.K.M., & Blacher, J. (2019, January) The Influence of Restricted Repetitive Behaviors on the Relationship Between Autism Symptom Severity and Sleep Problems in Children. Poster presented at the University of California Center for Research on Special Education, Disabilities, and Developmental Risk, Davis, CA.

Ainsley Losh, Ph.D. student in School Psychology, presented at the 2019 International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual (above).

Elina Veytsman, Ph.D. student in School Psychology, was a UCR Grad Slam finalist. She presented on "The Science of Making Friends for Teens with Autism: A Cultural Adaptation Study." (above)

Margarita Vizcarra, Ph.D. student in Education, Society and Culture, and colleagues received the USC Rossier Research Office Internal Research Grant for the project titled “Deconstructing the Diversity Dupe: Testimonios of First Generation Future Doctoras.” Read more about the research paper that the grant will support.

Kenyon Lee Whitman, Ph.D. student in Higher Education Administration and Policy (below, center), presented an interactive symposium at the Association for the Study of Higher Education national conference, symposium entitled "Understanding Family Privilege: Fostering Inclusive Postsecondary Environments for Alumni of Foster Care. He also presented with his colleagues at the NASPA national conference entitled "Its Takes a Village: Family Privilege and Its Impact on College-Going Foster Youth”. He and his colleagues will also be presenting at the Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice, in a session entitled "The Racialized Educational Experiences of Foster Youth: Unpacking Racism, Trauma, and Family Privilege." He also received UCR's Dissertation Year Program Fellowship.

Several GSOE students presented at the AERA conference in Toronto this year:
 

Yajaira Calderon, Ph.D. student in Education, Society, and Culture and Lorena Gutierrez, Assistant Professor
"...Fight and Work for What You Want in Life": Understanding the Foundations of Latina/o/x Excellence Cultivated at Home

Eddie Comeaux, Associate Professor and Sara Grummert, Ph.D. student in Higher Education Administration and Policy
Exploring Support Networks and Strategies of Resistance for Black College Students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Carlos A. Galan, Ph.D. student in Higher Education Administration and Policy
Peers as Brokers of College Resources and Support (co-authored with Zoe Corwin, University of Southern California)

Mahmut Gundogdu, Ph.D. candidate, Educational Psychology
Comparing Multiple Disability Groups in Alternate Assessments Using Differential Item Functioning (co-authored with Fusun Sahin, American Institues for Research)

John S. Levin, Professor, Siqi Wang, Ph.D. candidate, Higher Education Administration and Policy, Junying Liu, Visiting Scholar 2017/18, and Yi Zhou, Ph.D. candidate, Higher Education Administration and Policy
University Faculty, Professional Identity, and Teaching

Patriccia Ordoñez, Ph.D. student, Education, Society and Culture
A Critical Race Theory Analysis: Counterstories of California English Learner Students

Patriccia Ordoñez, Ph.D. student, Education, Society and Culture
The Noise Between Movements: "Tsismis" as Critical Talk and Navigation in a Graduate Program

Francisco J. Ramirez Rueda, B.A. Sociology and Education '19
Examining the Experiences of Latino Male Student-Athletes (co-authored with Guillermo Ortega, University of Houston)

Evelyn M. Vazquez, Ph.D. candidate Higher Education Administration and Policy
Graduate School, the Socialization Process, and the Genesis of Emotional Distress in Academia

Evelyn M. Vazquez, Ph.D. candidate Higher Education Administration and Policy, and Linda Ventriglia-Navarrette, Director of Project Moving Forward
Second Language Acquisition and Literacy Development in Kindergarten Students