Education: Long Beach City College

Research Project: Does placing autistic students within mainstream classes lower peer rejection?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Blanca Ramirez

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Steve Villalpando

Education: Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Research Project: How do community college students who take weekly mathematic assessments perceive their mathematical ability?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: David Velasquez

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Angelica Lopez

Education: Psychology Major at Cerritos College

Research Project: How do adverse childhood experiences influence educational outcomes, aspirations and persistence from Community College to 4-year Universities? 

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Melissa Barragan

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Jaclyn Ronquillo-Adachi

Education: Psychology Major at Glendale Community College

Research Project: How do second generation Latina women negotiate gender roles as they navigate doctoral programs? What strategies do they use to persist in their programs in spite of institutional barriers or cultural expectations?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Cindy Escobedo

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Patrick Rock

Education: Chicana/o Studies Major at Santa Monica College

Research Project: How can portrayals of “gentefication” – the process of upwardly mobile Latinos investing in and returning to the old neighborhood – in Boyle Heights be interpreted in the historical context of anti-gentrification efforts?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Alfredo Huante

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Marisol Moreno

Education: Political Science and Sociology Major at Cerritos College

Research Project: How does family cohesion impact educational aspirations among emerging adults in immigrant-origin Latino households?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Monique Corral

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Amy Holzgang

Education: Sociology Major at Pasadena City College

Research Project: How do community college latinx adjunct faculty perceive the power structure of their campus, and how do the adjunct faculty resist these power structures if at all?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Román Liera

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Tony Juge

Education: Psychology Major at Long Beach City College

Research Project: Do students who meditate five minutes before an exam do better than the ones that don’t ?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Jessica Fremland

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Matthew Lawrence

Education: Psychology and Social Behavior / Criminology, Law and Society Major at UC Irvine

Research Project: What counseling services are available for transfer aspiring students? How do counseling experiences and needs differ of STEM and social science students at the community college?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Adrian Trinidad

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Nancy Rodriguez 

Education: African American Studies Major at Santa Monica College

Research Project: How does the experience of being bussed out of a low socioeconomic area affect Black and Latino students social interactions with peers and faculty? Does this experience alter the way they view school? 

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Marissiko Wheaton

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Rebecca Romo 

Education: Psychology Major at Los Angeles Mission College

Research Project: How does the socioeconomic status of undocumented Latino/a college students cause anxiety in achieving a higher education?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Asbeidy Solano

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Monique Kelly

Education: Geography Major at Santa Monica College

Research Project: What measures are government structures from the city of Inglewood taking to educate and inform the community of local residents about Environmental issues?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Courtney Cecale

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor George Leddy

Education: Media Studies Major at Orange Coast College

Research Project: What is the Effect of the Projection of Gender and Sexuality onto Villains in Children’s Media on LGBTQ+ College Students of Color?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Adrien Sebro

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Marilyn Kennedy

Education: Political Science Major at Santa Monica College

Research Project: What are the impacts of the recent wildfires and the role of non-profit organizations in response for the local environmental refugees?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Steven Mejia

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Jing Liu

Education: Psychology Major at Long Beach City College

Research Project: How can we link Traumatic Experience with Mental Illness from crossing the border? How are 1.25-generation undocumented immigrants making sense of their emotional and mental health?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Guadalupe Lopez Hernandez

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Nancy Melucci

Education: Psychology Major at Glendale Community College

Research Project: How does the impact of being a former/current foster teen mother  affect the teens chances of successfully completing college? 

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Christine Vega

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Patrick Rock

Education: Psychology Major at UC Los Angeles

Research Project: Do transfer students at a university with low-transfer admission and traditional third year students have differing levels of sense of belonging? Does sense of belonging impact their mental health outcomes?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Alfredo Novoa

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Carola Suárez-Orozco 

Education: Psychology Major at Cypress College

Research Project: Do the immigrant students’ English language proficiency and culture influence student-teacher relationships? Do the student-teacher relationships and parent-teacher relationships influence the immigrant-origin students’ academic outcomes?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Karla Rivera-Torres

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Randy Martinez

Education: Math and Economics Major at Orange Coast College

Research Project: What is the impact of (1) faculty interactions and (2) classroom environments on the academic experience of women of color transferring in STEM majors within Los Angeles and Orange County. 

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Melo-Jean Yap

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Rachel Ridnor

Education: English and Sociology Major at Orange Coast College

Research Project: How does being a Vietnamese refugee (or having refugee ancestry) impact your educational experience (in community college)?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Lawrence Lan

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Rachel Ridnor

Education: Women's Studies Major at Santa Monica College

Research Project: How can participation in a drama program alter male’s behavior and/or characteristics?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Amy Garey

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Yamisette Westerband

Education: Psychology Major at Long Beach City College

Research Project: How do students of color experience campus racial climate in their community college or four year institutes? 

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Antar Tichavakunda

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Robert Vitt

Education: Communication Major at Fullerton College

Research Project: How do everyday micro-aggressions imposed upon LGBTQ+ students of color at community college campuses impact student resiliency and transfer aspirations?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Tanya Gaxiola Serrano

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Joe Carrithers

Education: Sociology Major at Chaffey College

Research Project: Does the emotional distress from the risk of deportation for immigrant parents have a negative impact on a student’s college success? 

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Peter Hanink

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Naomi McCool 

Education: Psychology, Sociology, and Communication Major at Coastline Community College

Research Project: What are distance learning students perception of what a guided “educational” pathway should look like? 

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Maxine Roberts

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Paolo Varquez

Education: Chicanx Studies Major at Los Angeles Mission College

Research Project: What effect do progressive urban high schools have upon the critical consciousness development of Latinx adolescents in their ability to analyze, navigate, and challenge race and class inequality in their community?

CC2PhD Graduate Student Mentor: Karina Santellano

CC2PhD Faculty Advisor: Professor Theresa Montaño