Graduate Student Profiles

Educational Leadership & PolicyMy research interests include Latin@ student success in post-secondary education after completing early college and dual credit programs.

Educational Leadership & PolicySocial Reproduction, Race, Equity, Diversity, Higher Education

Educational Leadership & PolicyPriscilla Aquino Garza is a doctoral student in the Policy and Planning in the Department of Education Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas College of Education. Her research interests include teacher preparation, selection, placement, teacher labor markets, diversification of teacher workforce, culturally responsive pedagogy, and various school-based programs that support success in low-income Latinx and African-American students in public schools. She is currently a member of a research team led by Dr. Jennifer...

Educational Leadership & PolicyIdentifying the challenges faced by students while navigating their college journey and the impact it has on their career development, specifically for first-generation college learners and students of color. Savneet wishes to formulate learning strategies to reduce attrition and increase graduation rates, thereby leading to a student-centric pedagogy.

Educational Leadership & PolicyCollege access and success for underrepresented students, focusing on low-income and first-generation college students.

Educational Leadership & PolicyDustin Binnicker has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He is finishing his doctoral work at The University of Texas at Austin in Educational Leadership and Policy studies in the Cooperative Superintendency Program. Before entering education, Dustin worked in the high-tech, corporate business environment that provided him extensive experience with process improvement, procedural control, and employee development, all of which have benefitted...

Educational Leadership & PolicyRachel Boggs is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and M.Ed. in Elementary Education from The University of Notre Dame. Experiences as an elementary school teacher informed her perspective on the challenges communities face when addressing educational inequity and increasing opportunities for all children. Rachel is interested in how social contexts influence education and how policy can...

Educational Leadership & PolicySamantha Boiser is a Master Student in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin and currently serves as a Graduate Assistant in the Center for Community Engagement. Born and raised in Arlington, TX, Samantha attended the University of Texas at Dallas. She studied Child Learning and Development with a minor in public policy. While an undergraduate student, Samantha began to involve herself in advocacy, and activism. She then worked...

Educational Leadership & Policy| Social politics of higher education | race and race-consciousness | higher education access equity | admissions and enrollment management

Educational Leadership & PolicyShawntal Brown is a doctoral student in the Higher Education in Leadership Program at UT Austin. She anticipates that her research will focus on analyzing student success initiatives to observe if programming supports all of its targeted student populations. Currently, she is a program coordinator in the Equal Opportunity in Engineering Program in the Cockrell School of Engineering. As a higher ed professional, she is passionate about supporting college students throughout their collegiate experience. She has...

Educational Leadership & PolicyThe critical role of higher-education institutions as intergovernmental conveners, collaborators, and leaders on regional public-policy initiatives, such as Central Texas’ Master Community Workforce Plan and other community-development projects that seek to reduce societal inequities and increase college access.

Educational Leadership & PolicyAvani Chhaya is a Master’s student in Educational Leadership and Policy. Her research interests center around issues of equity, particularly with low-income and second-generation student populations. In the fall of 2017, Avani was selected as a Policy Fellow with Leadership for Educational Equity. Avani brings a background teaching English Language Arts to fifth and sixth graders in New Orleans. She attended The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she obtained her English and secondary education...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2024Her research interests revolve around educational equity and policy, community-school partnerships, and the historical and sociocultural contexts of educational opportunities for Black and Brown students.

Educational Leadership & PolicyA Masters student in the Education Policy and Planning program, Amanda is originally from Pennsylvania, where she earned her B.A. in Environmental Writing and Visual Arts: Studio Art from Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA. Prior to relocating to Austin, Amanda spent four years in New York City working in retail, public gardening, and global grassroots LGBTQI advocacy. Building on her experience attending a women's college, Amanda is passionate about how identity, diversity, and inclusion factor into...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Program in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2022college athletics, college athletes, athletics personnel and staff, diversity

Educational Leadership & PolicyNatosha's research interests are rooted in collective grassroots organizing and Black parent movements that shift power structures in the education system. Additionally, she is interested in the intersection of capitalism and racial equity in public education.

Educational Leadership & PolicyWill Davies earned a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Boston University and a M. Ed. in Education Policy and Planning (EPP) from the University of Texas at Austin. Following four years teaching English as a foreign language in South America, Will spent five years working as a (Spanish/English) bilingual elementary classroom teacher and three more as a campus literacy specialist in Central Texas public schools. Since 2018 he has worked with Breakthrough Central...

Educational Leadership & PolicyEnglish learners, Bilingual and ESL teacher preparation, principal preparation, organizational theory, teacher preparation policy

Educational Leadership & PolicyJazmyne received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance from New York University. Her experience with school counseling led to her interest in minoritized students and the relationship they have with faculty. While in her counseling internship, Jazmyne noticed a gap between the diversity trainings and the practice put in place regarding minoritized students. Jazmyne will research white supremacist ideologies that create demoralizing...

Educational Leadership & PolicyReyna (she/her/ella) is a doctoral student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin. She is also working full-time at UT. Reyna is a first-generation Mexican American student and daughter of migrant and seasonal farmworkers who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley in deep south Texas. As a College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) scholar, Reyna gained interest in educational inequities...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2025Anthony Fowlkes is a Ph.D. student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership at UT Austin. He also works in a full-time capacity as the Moody College of Communication's first Senior Data Analyst. Anthony's primary research interests are related to students who work while learning. Particularly, Anthony is interested in understanding how working affects students' learning and relates to their post-collegiate outcomes. Prior to his time at UT Austin, Anthony worked as an Assessment Analyst for...

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2020Danielle Geraci Thoma is the assistant director of recruitment, outreach and communication in the Graduate School at the University of Texas at Austin. In her role, she oversees university-wide graduate student recruitment, orientation and convocation. Danielle earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and will receive her master’s in education in educational leadership and policy in May from UT Austin. Danielle has worked in higher education for over 15 years with expertise in...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2022Jennifer Gonzalez is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning (EPP) program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include critical approaches to bilingual education, the implementation of special education programs for English learner students, and culturally responsive pedagogy.

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2019Tiffany’s research interest focuses on the experiences of Afro-Latinxs students in higher education.

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy - Program in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2023Mike earned both a B.A. in Psychology in 2013 and an M.Ed. in College and University Student Personnel Administration (CUSPA) in 2015 from the University of Texas at Austin. His professional career started in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin as an associate academic advisor with the Texas Interdisciplinary Scholars office where he advised students from across Texas many who were first-generation, students of color and part of the...

Educational Leadership & PolicyEric Hale is a masters student in the Educational Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. He received a B.A in Elementary Education from Elon University and a certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Via Lingua in Florence, Italy. He has spent 10 years teaching in schools all over the world.

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2025Community Cultural Wealth, Equity & Access for Latino/a/x College Students, Latino/a/x Student Success, Asset Based Approaches to Latino/a/x Experiences in Higher Education

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2025My research interests include but are not limited to factors impacting the African American experience in higher education - specifically related to career outcomes, workforce readiness, alumni engagement, and giving/philanthropy.

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy, expected 2022His research examines the role of principals, K-12 educational leadership preparation, and school improvement.

Educational Leadership & PolicyJustin's research interest is on student staff selection processes and applicant experiences across aspects of identities.

Educational Leadership & PolicyCecelia Jordan is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at the University of Texas at Austin. With over a decade of experience integrating culturally sustaining pedagogy and restorative justice practices with students of all ages, Jordan merges circle, song, writing, and oral storytelling to create transformative experiences amongst Black and Indigenous organizers and leaders of color who are on the frontlines of today’s fights for justice. Jordan's work as a researcher,...

Educational Leadership & PolicyFederal education policy, educational policy networks, intersectionality of education/economic/housing policy and its impact on equity

Educational Leadership & PolicyA Multi-Case Study of the Perceptions of Successful Elementary Principals Previously Involved in a School District-Designed Leadership Succession Planning Program

Educational Leadership & PolicyMax is a second year student in the Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin. His research is focused on discovering ways to enhance career readiness for students in higher education with a focus on public and private partnerships in order provide students lifelong career fulfillment, while providing employers more career ready talent. He currently works for Amazon Web Services as a Partner Development Manager, where he works...

Educational Leadership & PolicyRobert Leary currently serves as the Assistant Director for Student Conduct and Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of Students, where he manages residence life and Title IX case referrals. In this role, Robert provides educational and reflective opportunities to students going through the student conduct process. Robert’s prior professional experience includes working in residence life at The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York University Abu Dhabi, an international branch...

Educational Leadership & PolicyMallory Lineberger is currently a doctoral student in Educational Policy and Planning at The University of Texas at Austin, where she hopes to learn to leverage research in creation of policies that center educational equity and justice for systematically marginalized groups. Her research interests focus on the race and gender power dynamics surrounding the legislative attempts to censor conversations about race in schools and efforts to decolonize curriculum in classrooms across the country. Mallory’s interest in...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2025Armando Lizarraga is a native of Inglewood, California, and a current doctoral student in the program of higher education leadership at The University of Texas at Austin. He is currently a graduate research assistant for Project MALES. As a community college alumnus himself, he will continue to challenge institutional barriers and find solutions to better serve community college students, specifically Latino males. Armando’s research interest includes community colleges, Latino males in higher education, student support...

Educational Leadership & PolicyLatinx education, education reform, gentrification of schools, dual language education, policy evaluation, immigrant rights.

Educational Leadership & PolicyErin Long is a doctoral student in the Higher Education Leadership program. Her research interests include effective learning strategies in the residential halls, how different types of structures effect the student experience, and residential curricular approach. She has earned multiple degrees including a B.A. from Winthrop University in history and political science, a M.P.A. from the University of Delaware with a concentration in non-profit administration, and a M.A. from the University of North Carolina at...

Educational Leadership & PolicyTrae Madrigal is a native of the Rio Grande Valley. He is a first-year master's student in the Education Policy and Planning program at The University of Texas at Austin, where he also earned a B.A. in Philosophy and B.A. in Psychology. Trae's experiences teaching courses with high-stakes or End-of-Course exams informed his perspective on the top-down accountability pressures impacting students and schools. Trae's current research interests include high-stakes testing and its alternatives, as well...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning, expected 2022Fiza grew up in Pakistan and earned a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering. She had a chance of teaching mathematics to Afghani refugee students in her hometown of Karachi. This experience led her to pursue a career in educational policy field. She earned her masters in Educational Policy and Planning program from UT's Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. She continued as a PhD student in the same department, her dissertation study explores the role...

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy, expected 2023Born in Acapulco, Mexico and raised in South East LA in the city of Bell, California. Julio is an alumnus of Cerritos College. He transferred to UCLA where he majored in Anthropology and minored in Chicana/o/x and Central American Studies. Julio is a first-year Master’s student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at The University of Texas at Austin. His past experiences as a McNair Research Scholar and AAP Peer Counselor inform his role...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2022Hadiza Mohammed is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning Program at the University of Texas at Austin. She has a B.A. in History from Brown University and a Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences degree, focusing in History from The University of Chicago. During her time at The University of Chicago, she worked as a Teacher’s Assistant in the Chicago Public Schools. Her time as a Teacher's Assistant inspired her...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2022The various factors in the p-16 system that impact the access to higher education for Latinx students. The educational experiences and policies regarding undocumented students.

Educational Leadership & PolicyAlicia is a San Antonio native and is a doctoral student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership. She is a graduate research assistant for Project MALES and the Longhorn Link Program (TRiO) through the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. She earned an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.F.A. in Visual Art Studies from the University of North Texas. Prior to entering the doctoral program,...

Educational Leadership & PolicyAmy Musgrave Brown has over 20 years of experience in strategy, product management, business development and sales with many companies including 3M, Dell Technologies, Polycom, and several others in Texas, New York, Singapore, and Shanghai. She has been on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Central Texas and Austin International School and is on the advisory council of Edge Learning. Amy has her BBA in Finance and MBA from UT Austin. She is currently...

Educational Leadership & PolicyMonica Obregon is a Master's student in the Education Policy and Planning program. She currently works as a graduate assistant for the Transfer Year Experience program that creates transfer-specific academic spaces, connects students to experienced mentors, and builds avenues to establish peer networks. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas- San Antonio in May 2021. Her interests include school finance, Texas legislation budgets as it pertains to the...

Educational Leadership & PolicyWith over 15 years of education experience as a teacher, administrator, and policy /program developer, Raymundo's PhD research examines how educational infrastructures (i.e., institutions, policies, curriculum, interpersonal exchanges) impact American identity development of Latinx communities in border spaces..

Educational Leadership & PolicyImpacts of postsecondary educational policies on student access and outcomes; community college pathways; socioeconomic and class inequities; quantitative methodologies

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy, expected 2024Equity & Access at Predominantly White Universities (PWIs), Student Activism, University Counterspaces, Campus Culture/Identity Centers, Oral History, Participatory Action Research

Educational Leadership & PolicyEquity in K-12 literacy practices and policy, authentic assessment, curriculum development, teacher training and professional development for equity and an antibias lens

Educational Leadership & PolicyCatherine Ramirez is a doctoral student and research assistant in the Program in Higher Education Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include educational access and equity for former foster care youth in higher education, campus support programs for former foster care youth, and issues of graduate student labor. Catherine earned her MA in English from Kansas State University where she specialized in cultural studies. Before coming to UT, Catherine was a...

Educational Leadership & Policy1) English Learner and Immigrant Student Populations 2) First Generation College Students 3) Students with Disabilities 4) College Readiness and Transition to Postsecondary Education 5) Equity in K-12 Education Policy and Practices

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning, expected 2025Examines federal and state education policy implementation and politics with an emphasis on systems change and equity and K-12 public education as a public good in a post-COVID-19 world.

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy, expected 2026I am interested in research that critically examines how student success is conceptualized and measured, applies the history of education reform to our current policy landscape, and informs inclusive practices for students with an IEP.

Educational Leadership & PolicyEd.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy expected December 2022.

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2024Higher Education | LatinX Masculinities | XicanX & LatinX Studies | Queer Studies | (dis)Ability Studies | Qualitative Research Methods | Anti-Colonial, Postcolonial, and Critical Theories

Educational Leadership & PolicyHilary is a part-time master's student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership. She also works full-time as the custom program manager at University Extension at TEXAS Extended Campus, where she collaborates with over 25 different on-campus units to provide unique programming to diverse populations of students. She has been at the university since August 2014 and TEXAS Extended Campus since December 2015. Before joining UT, Hilary worked at a trilingual language school in Austin,...

Educational Leadership & PolicyEmma is a MA student in Education Policy and Planning at UT Austin. She earned her BA in International Politics at Queens’ University, Belfast before relocating to Austin from the UK with her daughter. Her research interests stem from her personal experiences within the Northern Ireland education system. Her interests centre on how the education system further segregates low-income pupils and she advocates for community-centred approaches to education policy. Motivated by her personal experiences within...

Educational Leadership & PolicyLauren Shook is a Ph.D. student in Education Policy and Planning at the University of Texas Austin. Her research interests center on how educational systems provide access and preserve advantage for students differently based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status. She is particularly interested in examining college access and success through a critical lens and exploring how institutional affirmation of identity affects student outcomes. She hopes to contribute to scholarship, teaching, and service which makes...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning (EPP), expected 2024Black Girls, Discipline, Technology, Pushout, Policy Implementation, School Funding Formulas, Technology Infrastructures, K-12, Public Schools, Race, Gender

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2026Gerard E. Smithwrick is a New Jersey native and currently, a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy pursuing his Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin. He earned his Bachelor's degree in History from Kean University, followed by earning his Master's degree (M.S.) in Higher Education Administration from Barry University. Scholastically, Gerard is interested in researching the development of leadership and involvement in Black students at...

Educational Leadership & PolicyGerard E. Smithwrick (he/him/his) is a New Jersey native and a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy’s Ph.D. Program in Higher Education Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin. He earned his Bachelor's degree in History from Kean University, and his Master's degree (M.S.) in Higher Education Administration from Barry University. Scholastically, Gerard is interested in researching the development of leadership and involvement in Black students at predominantly white institutions...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy, expected 2023Jinane's research interests include Arab/SWANA(Southwest Asia and North Africa) American student experiences, equitable policy making, and academic advising.

Educational Leadership & PolicyNatalie Spitzer is a doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests center around the intersection of climate change and education, examining the effects of natural disasters on under-resourced school and systems, increasing the knowledge exchange between researchers and school administrators in order to advance and support practice, and school-community resiliency in the face of disaster. Natalie's career in education started as an early childhood...

Educational Leadership & Policystaff agency in WWIs related to equity and inclusion narrative's role in organizational and social change experience of marginalized staff, students and faculty in HE transformational leadership in HE White supremacy in organizations

Educational Leadership & PolicyEdgar Torres is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests lie within the inequities that exist among special populations, more specifically, English learners within the public school finance context. During the 2015 legislative session, Torres worked for Texas State Representative Mary E. Gonzalez as a lead education policy fellow. He focused on school finance policy and assisted the representative in drafting multiple bills relating to ELs, standardized assessments, and...

Educational Leadership & PolicyDana Tottenham is a doctoral student in the Executive Ed.D. Program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She is an international educator whose professional areas of interest include the intersections of applied anthropology, education, and global mobility. Her research involves reframing international education as social justice work and developing critical consciousness for study abroad alumni. She has over 20 years of professional experience in capacities ranging from program development and administration, project management,...

Educational Leadership & PolicyMaría Del Carmen Unda (she/her/ella) is a first-generation Mexican/Xicanx doctoral student in the Education Policy and Planning program at the University of Texas at Austin. Currently, she works as a Fellow with the National Latino Education Research and Policy Project (NLERAPP) under the tutelage of Dr. Angela Valenzuela. Her research examines teachers of color, issues of equity and opportunity pertaining specifically to Latinx students in the K-12 education system, and qualitative methodology. Before beginning her...

Educational Leadership & PolicyMario's research interests include student financial literacy, policy around Title IV funding, higher education finance, enrollment management, Title IX, masculinity and the developmental journey of college men and the current political volatility/public perception of higher education. His aspiration is to be a scholar-practitioner where he hopes his research informs policy development to allocate federal, state, and university funding to establish mandated financial wellness centers and financial planners to serve higher education students amidst the student...

Educational Leadership & PolicyVictoria is a Masters student in the Educational Policy and Planning program. She earned a B.A. in Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago and an M.Ed in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin. Victoria's research interests stem from her own experience teaching kindergarten in Austin. Frustrated with what she perceived to be a need for stronger educator preparation programs and closer relationship between research, policy, and practice, she...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership, expected 2024James Wiser is the Dean of Library Services & Educational Technology at Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Abilene, Texas. A member of the Executive EdD in Higher Education Leadership 2021 cohort, his research interests are academic libraries, scholarly communication, bibliometrics, open education and open science, and higher education management. Prior to his current position at ACU, he held librarian or library-related positions at the Community College League of California, SAGE Publishing, SCELC, Pepperdine University, and...

Educational Leadership & Policy
Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning, expected 2021Generally, Greg's research interests include the nexus of education policy, urban policy, and community development, and Xicana/o/x studies. Specifically, his research focuses specifically on the effects of market-based educational reforms on public schools and a developing a narrative of the poverty, struggle, and accomplishment of Xicana/o/x and Latina/o/x peoples in San Antonio, Texas. His research experience also involves the effect of economic revitalization programs on education in impoverished contexts, the sociological and educational effects of...

Educational Leadership & Policy
M.Ed. in Education Policy & Planning, expected 2022Upon graduating with a B.S. in Math from Texas A&M University in 2015, Nicole Wren started her career teaching Algebra II in a Title I school and was soon asked start a Computer Science program. Soon, she was asked to transfer to grow a second program in another Title I school. Nicole’s experience building two Computer Science programs in Title I schools in her first five years teaching brought home for her the inequities that...