Student - College of Education

Diana Cervantes, Ph.D. is a graduate of the Program in Higher Education Leadership and Policy (PHELP) at The University of Texas at Austin where she was also a graduate research assistant for the Free College Equity Lab. Her dissertation research focused on the racialized experiences of Latina/Latino/Hispanic community college students with free college policy implementation.

She is a proud Oregonian and a Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient. Diana earned Bachelor's degrees from the University of Oregon, graduating magna cum laude, and a Master of Arts in higher and postsecondary education with an emphasis in social/cultural and civic analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Denisa Gandara (Supervisor)
Higher education finance and policy, with a focus on equity in policymaking processes and the effects of policies Current research topics include: the differential effects of free college (or Promise) programs on students and higher education institutions, the development and effects of performance-based funding and other accountability policies for higher education, varying notions of equity and adequacy in state funding of public higher education, methods for incorporating fairness in predictive analytics used in...

Lauren Schudde (Committee Member)
Studies how to ameliorate social inequities in the United States through higher education policy; focuses on college pathways at broad-access institutions, including community colleges.

Christopher P Brown (Committee Member)
Researches how early childhood stakeholders respond to and conceptualize policies affecting the the complex educational, cultural, and individual goals and aspirations of teachers, children, and their families.

Salinas, C. & Cervantes, D. (2024). Learning to unpack the term Latinx in higher education. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 1–9. doi:10.1177/15554589231224222.

Gándara, D., Acevedo, R., Cervantes, D. & Quiroz, M. (2023). Advancing a framework of racialized administrative burdens in higher education policy. Annenberg Institute at Brown University, 23(697). doi:https://doi.org/10.26300/amrx-yb79.

Gándara, D., Acevedo, R., Cervantes, D. & Quiroz, M. (2023). Advancing a framework of racialized administrative burdens in higher education policy. The Journal of Higher Education, 1–49. doi:10.1080/00221546.2023.2251866.

Floyd, D., Cervantes, D. & Salinas, C. (2023). Get skilled, get a job, give back: Virginias tuition-free program for high-demand jobs. New Directions for Community Colleges(203), 87–97. doi:10.1002/cc.20589.

Billings, M.S., Li, A.Y., Gándara, D., Acevedo, R., Cervantes, D. & Turcios-Villalta, J. (2023). Financing promise programs: Where the money comes from and where the money goes. New Directions for Community Colleges(203), 9–23. doi:10.1002/cc.20583.

Gándara, D., Acevedo, R. & Cervantes, D. (2022). Reducing barriers to free college programs. https://scholars.org/contribution/reducing-barriers-free-college-programs.

Cervantes, D., Burmicky, J. & Martinez, G. (2022). Latino men and men of color programs: Research-based recommendations for community college practitioners. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1–5. doi:https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/dhe0000423.

Salcedo, B., Serrano, B., Salinas, C. & Cervantes, D. (2022). I am a miracle, yo soy un milagro, I am not supposed to be here": A conversation with Bamby Salcedo. Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity, 8(1), 87–105. doi:https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2642-2387.2022.8.1.86-105.

Cervantes, D. (2022). Finding community at NASPA. https://www.naspa.org/blog/finding-community-at-naspa/flushcache/1/showdraft/1.

Camacho, L., Burmicky, J., Cervantes, D. & Salinas, C. (2021). Community college competencies for student educational leadership development and degree pathways. New Directions for Student Leadership, 171, 45–55. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.20455.

University Graduate Continuing Fellowship, The University of Texas at Austin (2024)

AAHHE Doctoral Student Award, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (2024)

AAHHE Graduate Student Fellow, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) (2023)

University Graduate Continuing Fellowship, The University of Texas at Austin (2023)

TACHE Graduate Fellowship Award, Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) (2022)

NCORE Student Scholar, National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) (2021)

Gates Millennium Scholar, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2012)