Education Commitment to Access and Success

Susana Muñoz, Funding Source, American College Personnel Association. The purpose of this research is to conduct a case study examination of a community college, (Community College of Denver) in the state of Colorado to illuminate the localized impact of the Trump Effect, contextualized by state and institutional policies. The research questions guiding this study are:

1. In what ways has the anti-immigration rhetoric from the 2016 election cycle and current political environments influenced undocumented students’ perception of their campus climate campus
2. How are institutional actors at community colleges cultivating “undocufriendly” campus climates

Findings will inform how community college institutional actors can better support DACA-eligible students in their educational trajectories give the current sociopolitical environment.

Daniel Birmingham and his co-authors — Angela Calabrese Barton, from the University of Michigan, and Edna Tan, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro — are being recognized for their article sharing ways that teachers can more equitably engage students from lower income communities of color. Their article titled “Rethinking High-Leverage Practices in Justice-Orientated Ways” has been awarded the 2021 Journal of Teacher Education Outstanding Article Award by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

With over half of victims of human trafficking in the United States believed to be minors, a high percentage of those victims being of marginalized identities, and many survivors reporting having been trafficked while in school, there is a clear importance for promoting human trafficking education in schools. Congruently, a number of U.S. states have introduced laws that address human trafficking education in schools. Additionally, more and more schools are providing HTE to students and related training and resources to educators. Unfortunately, the field continues to be plagued by a lack of accurate statistics of perpetrators and victims. This, in conjunction with the frequent inaccurate media portrayals of stereotypes of ideal victims and typical perpetrators, has made its way into the development of HTE curricular material. Vincent Basile, Brooke Jones, and Lumina Albert, with support from the Center for Ethics and Human Rights, are using critical race theory to examine these patterns and effects.

Beatriz Arenas Guevara is a first-generation student in the School of Education at Colorado State University. Arenas Guevara encourages other first-generation students to seek and take advantage of opportunities available to them.  

Fernanda Carrillo is a first-generation student in the School of Education at Colorado State University. Carrillo has excelled in her studies thanks to scholarship opportunities for first-generation students and CSU’s Key Communities program. Carrillo strives to help first-generation students affirm that they are worthy and deserving of the opportunities that come their way. 

Angela Hoffman-Cooper, an outstanding graduate from the School of Education, has spent her time in the Higher Education Leadership doctoral program centering and humanizing the experiences of people with experience in foster care in higher education. Hoffman-Cooper’s time in the HEL program has come with both challenges and generational restoration she didn’t foresee. 

Payton Parker, a senior in the School of Education at Colorado State University, redefined her path after taking a step back. Initially coming to CSU as a STEM major, Parker realized her sophomore year that it wasn’t the field for her. After taking time away from CSU, she found her calling to major in English education and prepare to become a teacher.  

Emma Simonich, an outstanding graduate from the School of Education, has benefited from the full support of her peers and mentors, both from the Family and Consumer Sciences Program and the Colorado State University Women’s Softball team. 

Jesse Venegas is an outstanding graduate from the Educator Preparation Program in the School of Education at Colorado State University. A student-veteran and transfer to CSU, Venegas departs having achieved great things, all while overcoming hardships, and the tough balance between life and academics. He is a candidate to earn Latin Distinction as a cum laude graduate in English education.