Kristina Rios is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at California State University, Fresno. Her research interests include parent advocacy for Latinx families of children with significant disabilities. Dr. Rios' research examines how Latinx parents advocate for services for their children with disabilities. Additionally, Dr. Rios conducts research examining the impact of special education on parental stress and well-being. To address this gap in the literature, Dr. Rios developed a dedicated research program on Latinx families of children with significant disabilities, the systemic barriers they face in the education system, and interventions geared at mitigating disparities and improving outcomes in this demographic. Specifically, Dr. Rios conceptualized and implemented a 12 hour advocacy training intervention: Familias Incluidas en Recibiendo Mejor Educación Especial (FIRME), also known as Families Included in Receiving Better Special Education, a training program for Latinx families of children with disabilities. The purpose of this advocacy program is to help Latinx parents increase their special education knowledge, advocacy, empowerment, receipt of services, and decrease stress. Dr. Rios' line of research, teaching and practice reflects her teaching experience in the Central Valley. Previously, Dr. Rios was a special education teacher in Delano, CA.

Ka Nhia Xiong

Kremen Student Equity Scholar Undergraduate Award 

Born and raised in Fresno, California, Ka Nhia grew up in a tiny town with her Hmong ethnic group. Ka Nhia completed her early education at Fresno Unified School District, where she had committed parents who wanted her to have a better future. As a first-generation college student now battling her way through the educational system, Ka Nhia is enrolled at Fresno State majoring in Liberal Studies and minoring in Asian American Studies. Her interest is advocating for social justice concerns and for her community to be given due consideration. She also volunteered with nonprofit ethnic organizations, where she observed the successes and difficulties faced by her community. She is presently active in the California Teaching Fellows Scholarship Program and the Aspiring Teacher Program of the Fresno Unified School District. From there, she is encouraged to work/teach with different people, students, and lessons within the Central Valley. Her triumph in the Fresno State Kremen Equity Scholarship Award is a testament to her unwavering dedication to addressing the social justice issues that impact her community. 

Adriana Felsinger

Kremen Student Equity Scholar Credential Award

Adriana is a future special education teacher who is deeply dedicated to fostering equity and advocating for social justice on behalf of students with disabilities. Her academic journey has been profoundly influenced by her enthusiasm for inclusive education during her time as a student at Fresno State University's Kremen School of Education and Human Development. She has a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and is currently advancing towards obtaining both her Education Specialist Credential and Masters in Special Education. Her time spent working in both the Dean's Office and the Center for Advising and Student Services at Kremen has granted her valuable insights and perspectives into the educational sector. These experiences have garnered a passion for commitment to developing inclusive educational settings where every student is made to feel valued and supported.

Itzel Montoya Sanchez

Kremen Student Equity Scholar Masters Award

Itzel's parents emigrated to the United States when she was young in search of a better life. They settled down in Caruthers, a small town on the outskirts of Fresno, California. Itzel completed her K-12 education in Caruthers Unified School District and later pursued her higher education at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she earned a degree in Language, Culture, and Society, B.A., with a minor in Education. Itzel was initially employed in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of California Santa Barbara before she received an opportunity to work at California State University Fresno. Her colleagues at Fresno State encouraged her to continue her educational journey, and in 2023, Itzel was accepted into the Masters of Arts Higher Education Administration and Leadership (HEAL) in the Department of Educational Leadership at Fresno State.

Dana Grisby

Kremen Student Equity Scholar Doctoral Award

A Central Valley native, Dana Grisby was born and raised in Merced, CA. She is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership Program at Fresno State. Dana received her M.A. in African American Studies from UCLA, and B.A. in Journalism from Howard University. She is a full-time tenured professor of African American Studies at Laney College in Oakland, CA. She has served in the U.S. Peace Corps twice, in both Botswana and Guyana. She has an intersectional approach to teaching that centers social justice and community involvement. Dana has worked with many community organizations to bring social justice awareness into the classroom. She worked with the Bay Area chapter of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration and hosted a dialogue series that included faculty, staff, and students to have open discussions about how to best support the college’s growing African student population, partnered with Brotherhood 510 and hosted film screenings and discussions to support the visibility and advocacy for Black trans-masculine people, as well has partnered with Outdoor Afro to have a book talk and community discussion with the organization’s founder about the reconnection of Black people with nature and the great outdoors.