Valeria Sandoval-Lopez (she/her) is a current second year masters student in the Educational Policy and Planning program in the Department of Education Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, where she previously earned a B.S. in Applied Learning and Development. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley, Valeria currently serves as a learning curriculum designer and researcher for the Education and Engagement department with Texas Performing Arts, where her passion for teaching and her passion for theatre and engaging youth and communities come together, allowing her to pursue both in one place.
Valeria's interests focus on how disciplinary practices, alternative schooling, and educational labeling influence a students academic self-perception and long-term educational trajectories. She is particularly interested in centering student experiences and advocating for more equitable, student-centered approaches to discipline that prioritize the students academic identity, well-being, and future opportunities.
Sofia Malik (Supervisor)Examines program evaluation, knowledge mobilization, and research use in public school districts. Her work investigates how school leaders navigate socio-political contexts to make evidence-informed decisions, with particular attention to the organizational conditions that support or constrain research-to-practice partnerships. She explores education policy implementation at the district level, examining how evaluation findings and academic research can be effectively mobilized to inform school leadership practice and improve educational outcomes for all students.
