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Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership

Current Students

Learn about some of our current students.

 

Vincent Alcantar\

Vincent Alcantar

He/Him/His

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: School improvement and instructional leadership, Latinx school leaders
  • Professional Role: High School Math Teacher
  • Hometown and Current Location: Porterville, CA

Amy Allen

Amy Allen

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Engagement and support on campus for students who identify as multi-ethnic or multi-racial
  • Professional Role: Interim Associate Dean - Student Involvement at Fresno State
  • Hometown: St. John, Virgin Islands
  • Current Location: Fresno, CA

Ariana Amaro 

Ariana Amaro

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 16: Class of 2025

  • Research Interests: Social Emotional Learning and Teacher Sustainability
  • Professional Role: 2nd Grade Teacher
  • Hometown: Kerman, CA
  • Current Location: Fresno, CA

 

 

Sara Baramy Constantinescu

Sara Baramy Constantinescu

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Graduate student achievements (access and success) and higher education institutional effectiveness
  • Professional Role: Professional Services Consultant, Graduate Education Manager
  • Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
  • Current Location: Oceanside, CA

Stephanie Briones

Stephanie Briones

She/Her/Ella

Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Hispanic Serving Institutions, Grant-based cultural initiatives, Intersectional cultural identity representation within higher education leadership and belonging initiatives 
  • Professional Role: Title V Project Director 
  • Hometown and Current Location: Sanger, CA

Edie Brown

Edie Brown

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Advising students of color in a predominantly white 4 year higher education institution, Diversity, equity and inclusion in Student Affairs with a focus on student services, How unions and universities can co-exist while serving students
  • Professional Role: Union President
  • Hometown: San Francisco, CA
  • Current Location: Santa Rosa, CA

 

Cynthia Cervantes

Cynthia Cervantes

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Facilities staff impact on residential students, affordable housing for students, first-gen students 
  • Professional Role: Executive Director, Office of Housing Administration at San Diego State University
  • Hometown: San Lorenzo, CA
  • Current Location: San Diego, CA

Flo Cheung

Floridia (Flo) Cheung

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 7: Class of 2025

  • Research Interests: Student Success 
  • Professional Role: Middle College High School Principal 
  • Hometown: Hacienda Heights, CA
  • Current Location: Fresno, CA

Kathleen Cifuentes

Kathleen Cifuentes

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 14 : Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: English Language Development, Latinx Students, Equity & Access for Long Term English Language Learners
  • Professional Role: Elementary School Principal
  • Current Location: Madera, CA

 

Corry Colonna

Corry Colonna

He/Him/His

Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Mid-level Lead Staff Development Studies in student well being to increase joy and mental thriving
  • Professional Role: Executive Director, Housing & Residential Life
  • Hometown: Punxsutawney, PA
  • Current Location: Long Beach, CA

Eleanor Esquada

Eleanor M Esqueda

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Early Childhood Education, Equity and Access to programs and SEAL support
  • Professional Role: General Ed Teacher, Kindergarten
  • Hometown and Current Location: Fresno, CA

Venissia Garcia

Venissia Garcia

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 15 : Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: School Administration Preparation Programs; Special Education; At-Promise Youth; School Law
  • Professional Role: Lead Teacher
  • Hometown: Visalia, CA
  • Current Location: Fresno, CA

   

Dai Guerra

Dai Guerra

He/Him/His

Online Cohort 6 : Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: LGBTQ+ students of color in STEM 
  • Professional Role: Student Academic Advisor 
  • Hometown and Current Location: Los Angeles, CA

 Omar Gutierrez

Omar Gutierrez

He/Him/His

Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: The role of management in equity design: A case study for possibilities to embed equity-led goals within resource allocation models.
  • Professional Role: VP Administrative Services
  • Hometown: El Paso, TX
  • Current Location: Visalia, CA 

Andrea Hall-Cuccia

Andrea Hall-Cuccia

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Academic factors impacting time to graduation at California Community Colleges (major switching, academic load, summer sessions, DFW, math/writing placement, total credits), particularly pre- and post- AB705 and Guided Pathways
  • Professional Role: Institutional Researcher, UC Merced
  • Hometown and Current Location: Merced, CA

 

TJ Hurley

T'Nesia TJ Hurley

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 7: Class of 2025

  • Research Interests: Equity focused financing and student achievement.
  • Professional Role: Assistant Superintendent of Business
  • Hometown: Oakland, CA
  • Current Location: Redding, CA

Erika Ireland

Erika Ireland

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Educational pipeline of dietetic students in higher education
  • Professional Role: Faculty & Dietetic Internship Director
  • Hometown: Fresno, CA
  • Current Location: Clovis, CA

Gus Leonard

Gus Leonard

He/Him/His

Online Cohort 3

  • Research Interests: Language and Culture learning; technology-enhanced learning. Dissertation Topic: Understanding Intercultural Competence in Civic Engagement/Citizenship through Photovisual Elicitation of Study Abroad Student Photoblogs
  • Professional Role: CSU Monterey Bay, Language Lab Coordinator
  • Hometown: Burlington, VT
  • Current Location: Del Rey Oaks, CA

 

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Sierra Lewis

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Professional Role: Associate Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships
  • Hometown: Boise, ID 

Cruz Madrigal Trejo

Cruz Madrigal Trejo

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Success of migrant students in higher education, Early Childhood Education and the importance of SEL
  • Professional Role: School Psychologist
  • Hometown and Current Location: Madera, CA

 Jose Maldonado

José A Maldonado

He/Him/His

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Undocu Students, Transfer Success, Student Resources, Collaboration Between Community and Campus, Connecting Students to Opportunity
  • Professional Role: Full-time faculty
  • Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
  • Current Location: Ventura, CA

 

Ricardo Marmolejo

Ricardo Marmolejo

Cohort 11

  • Research Interests: Social justice and equity in higher education
  • Professional Role: Student Equity & Success Director, Porterville College
  • Hometown: Visalia, CA
     

Kymbee Mckay

Kymbee McKay

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Early literacy; literacy practices; teacher efficacy
  • Professional Role: Teacher
  • Hometown: Amherst, TX
  • Current Location: Valley Center, CA

Lupe Mendoza

Lupe Mendoza

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Impact of dual enrollment in Latinx community; Latinas in leadership roles in higher eduction
  • Professional Role: High School Vice Principal
  • Hometown: Dos Palos, CA
  • Current Location: Clovis, CA

 

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Tasneem Mohamed

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Professional Role: Academic Advisor
  • Hometown: Oakland, CA
  • Current Location: Marina, CA

Gretchen Monke

Gretchen Monke

She/Her/Hers

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Using YA literature to discuss contemporary social justice issues and build academic discussion skills, Positive psychology in education, Building positive teacher-student and peer relationships to support students academically and emotionally
  • Professional Role: English Teacher
  • Current Location: Clovis, CA

Karla Montenegro Gonzalez

Karla Montenegro Gonzalez

She/Her/Hers/Ella

Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Black and Latino Men Transfer Journeys
  • Professional Role: Academic Advisor and Freshman Seminar Instructor
  • Hometown: La Libertad, El Salvador
  • Current Location: Los Angeles, California

 

Oronne Nwaneri'

Oronne Nwaneri

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Black Student Success, Experiences of Black International Students, Affects of COVID on low income college and university students
  • Professional Role: Director, Upward Bound Programs, Pasadena City College
  • Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
  • Current Location: Pasadena, CA

Roy Orosco

Roy Orosco

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Special Education Teacher Burnout MTSS Systems and Development
  • Professional Role: Assistant Principal
  • Hometown: Dinuba, CA
  • Current Location: Visalia, CA

Edgar Parilla

Edgar Parrilla

He/Him/His

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: The impact inmate education has on the Latino male population in our community. Finding correlations between this inmate education population and recidivism.
  • Professional Role: Grants and Research Analyst 
  • Hometown: Woodlake, CA
  • Current Location: Visalia, CA

 

Raquel Piña-Holmstrom

Raquel Piña-Holmstrom

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: HSI servingness - Latinx faculty and staff retention 
  • Professional Role: Assistant to IDEA, Research, and Grants
  • Hometown and Current Location: Oroville, CA

George Rodriguez

George Rodriguez

He/Him/His

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Superintendent longevity and school district success 
  • Professional Role: Director of Educational Services
  • Hometown: Selma, CA
  • Current Location: Kingsburg, CA

Cynthia Rodriguez

Cynthia Rodriguez

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Providing access to culturally relevant social-emotional learning opportunities as well as making the educational space more equitable for all students. 
  • Professional Role: School Counselor
  • Hometown: Reedley, CA
  • Current Location: King City, CA

 

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Jolene Sagan

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 6: Class of 2024

  • Professional Role: Case Manager
  • Hometown: Westwood, CA
  • Current Location: Long Beach, CA

Yadi Sanchez

Yadi Sanchez

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Professional Role: Manager of Outreach and Academic Services
  • Hometown: Fort Bragg, CA

Kaitlyn Sedzmak 

Kaitlyn Sedzmak

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 5: Class of 2023

  • Dissertation Topic: Reducing biases in managerial decisions around salaries
  • Professional Role: Chief of Staff, Student Affairs
  • Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
  • Current Location: Oceanside, Ca

 

Mike Snell

Mike Snell

Face-to-Face Cohort 14: Class of 2023

  • Research Interests: Exploring youth workers in expanded learning programs and the role they play in teacher quantity, quality and diversity
  • Professional Role: CEO
  • Hometown: Fresno, CA
  • Current Location: Sanger, CA

Thatcher Weldon

Thatcher Weldon

Online Cohort 7: Class of 2025

  • Research Interests: K-12 success connection to adult education program success
  • Professional Role: Director of Adult Education at Kern Community College District
  • Hometown: Fresno, CA
  • Current Location: Burbank, CA

Michael Williamson

Michael Williamson

He/Him/His

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and secondary trauma in teachers and administrators 
  • Professional Role: Teacher
  • Hometown: Fresno, CA
  • Current Location: Clovis, CA

 

Ia Xiong

Ia Xiong 

Face-to-Face Cohort 15: Class of 2024

  • Research Interests: AsianCrit and males in community college 
  • Professional Role: Adjunct Counselor
  • Hometown and Current Location: Fresno, CA

Khou Yang-Vigil

Khou Yang-Vigil

She/Her/Hers

Online Cohort 7: Class of 2025

  • Research Interests: Mental health, Advocacy and support for underserved at-promise students in Higher Education, AsianCrit - particularly Southeast Asians in Higher Education, Culture and Leadership
  • Professional Role: Director of Equity and Access Programs
  • Hometown and Current Location: Santa Rosa, California