Inaugural Director: Elizabeth Gonzalez, Ph.D. (She/Her/Ella)
Dr. Elizabeth Gonzalez is a prominent academic leader and scholar, currently serving as the Director of Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Initiatives at UCLA’s Office of the Chancellor. Since her appointment in 2022, Dr. Gonzalez has been instrumental in advancing UCLA’s efforts to achieve federal HSI designation by 2025, driving strategic planning efforts that engage senior leadership, faculty, students, and alumni in enhancing the university’s capacity to support its diverse student body.
Dr. Gonzalez is a seasoned administrator with a proven track record in securing significant funding for her initiatives, including a $3 million gift to expand infrastructure and affordability programs at UCLA. She has spearheaded the establishment of the Latinx Success Center and the Excelencia Scholars Program, a scholarship initiative for low-income students.
Before joining UCLA, Dr. Gonzalez held leadership roles at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and San José City College, where she managed multi-million dollar Title V HSI grants and implemented programs that substantially improved student success outcomes. Her national work includes serving as the Vice President for the Alliance of HSI Educators (AHSIE), a role that allowed her to support the work of the nation’s nearly 600 designated HSIs and 400+ emerging HSIs.
Dr. Gonzalez earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her B.A. in Psychology, cum laude, from UCLA. A Ford Fellow, she is recognized for her research on Indigenous Mexican youth and her commitment to advancing educational equity, making significant contributions to the field through both her scholarship and leadership.
Email: egonzalez@conet.ucla.edu
HSI Project Analyst: Marialexia Zaragoza, M.Ed. (She/Her/Ella)
Born and raised in the Inland Empire, Marialexia is the daughter of immigrant parents from Jalisco and Michoacán, Mexico; she is a sister, a TiaNina, and an advocate for her Latine comunidades. As a first-generation and low-income student, her identities and experiences impact her practitioner and scholarly works. Marialexia earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Chicana/o studies from California State University, Fullerton, where she was also a McNair Scholar. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education program at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on understanding how Hispanic Serving Institutions can better serve their students through their implementation of High Impact Learning Practices, as well as analyzing the ways in which Latine students change, create, and influence institutional policy. She is excited to be a part of the UCLA HSI team, and looks forward to seeing UCLA become an HSI!
Email: mzaragoza@conet.ucla.edu
HSI Student Liaison: Daniela Cortez Bravo (She/Her/Ella)
I am Daniela Anais Cortez Bravo (she/her), a 4th-year undergraduate. I identify as a first-generation Latina student – originally from the Bay Area. Now, I have the privilege to pursue my studies at UCLA with the opportunity to double major in Public Affairs and Education & Social Transformation while being involved in research and student advocacy.
Email: dcortez@conet.ucla.edu
HSI Student Liaison: Kimberly Barrueta (She/Her/Ella)
Kimberly Barrueta (She/Her/Ella) is a first-generation Latina college transfer student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is in her senior year majoring in Labor Studies with a minor in Community Engagement and Social Change. She involved with extracurricular focused on the outreach and retention of Transfer Students such as CCCP, Latinx Transfer Day and being a volunteer and mentor with the student transfer center. She was born and raised in a mixed-status household in San Diego County. She hopes to pursue a career in higher education to work in the community college setting to continue advocating for future generations of Latinx Transfer Students in higher education.
Email: kbarrueta@conet.ucla.edu
