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