Julio Mena Bernal
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy, The University of Texas at Austin, expected 2027
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2023
B.A. in Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2021
A.A. in Anthropology, Cerritos College, 2018
Email: jjmb19@utexas.edu
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2023
B.A. in Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2021
A.A. in Anthropology, Cerritos College, 2018
Email: jjmb19@utexas.edu
Julio J. Mena Bernal was born in Acapulco, Mexico, and raised in South East LA in the city of Bell, California. He is a current doctoral student in the program of higher education leadership and policy at The University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include the usage of critical frameworks and methodologies, race and ethnic relations, and critical education policy to examine the social, cultural, and economic conditions that affect the educational opportunity and attainment of historically underserved populations. Julio is an alumnus of Cerritos College and proud Puentista; he transferred to UCLA and became a Ronald E. McNair Research Scholar, where he majored in Anthropology and minored in Chicana/o/x and Central American Studies.
Previously, he was a mentoring site coordinator and research assistant for Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success), a research-based mentorship initiative for boys and young men of color. During the 88th legislative session, Julio was a Mexican American Legislative Fellow (MALF) working as a policy analyst focusing on K-12 and Higher education policy for the State Representative of House District 124. He was a peer counselor for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) within the Academic Advancement Program (AAP). In this role, he provided academic support to underrepresented students with course planning and mentorship. Julios passion and commitment towards enacting systematic change through education policy are grounded in experiential knowledge from being excluded from the educational process, opportunity, and lack of representation of people of color in higher education, especially those with first-generation, low-income, immigrant, and community college backgrounds.
Previously, he was a mentoring site coordinator and research assistant for Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success), a research-based mentorship initiative for boys and young men of color. During the 88th legislative session, Julio was a Mexican American Legislative Fellow (MALF) working as a policy analyst focusing on K-12 and Higher education policy for the State Representative of House District 124. He was a peer counselor for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) within the Academic Advancement Program (AAP). In this role, he provided academic support to underrepresented students with course planning and mentorship. Julios passion and commitment towards enacting systematic change through education policy are grounded in experiential knowledge from being excluded from the educational process, opportunity, and lack of representation of people of color in higher education, especially those with first-generation, low-income, immigrant, and community college backgrounds.
