Jaqueline Dighero

Jaqueline Dighero is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Higher Education Administration and Policy Program at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). They have taught for various Departments (i.e. School of Education, Ethnic Studies, Hispanic Studies, etc.) at UCR. They are currently teaching a Spanish class at UCR and observing/assisting a History/Ethnic Studies class as a faculty intern at Santa Monica College. Prior to UCR, Jaque did their undergraduate studies at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) with a B.A. in Psychology Honors and a minor in Family Studies. During their time at CSUN, they were part of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and they were a student research assistant for the BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity; Promoting Opportunities for Diversity in Education and Research (BUILD PODER) program.

Jaque is a queer nonbinary woman, someone with various hidden dis/abilities, a first-generation college student, and a child of Guatemalan working-class immigrant parents. With a background in Critical Race Studies, they investigate issues of access and equity in higher education. They examine how racial/ethnic identity, self-esteem, grades, and degree attainment are related among Latinx college students. Moreover, they study the creation of the first Central American Studies (CAS) program in the U.S.A. at CSUN, and the historical experiences of Central American students during the development of the CAS program.