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Anthony Collatos, Director Dr. Anthony Collatos' research areas of expertise and interests include college access pathways, urban education, critical sociology, learning communities, and urban family and teacher education partnerships. He is a research associate with the University of California of Los Angeles' Institute for Democracy Education, and Access and the University of California All Campus Consortium on Racial Diversity (UC/ACCORD). His research involves the Futures Project, an eight-year longitudinal study that looked at creating alternative pathways for first-generation urban youth to more effectively navigate the K-16 educational pipeline. Collatos has published several articles and book chapters and is an international speaker at education conferences, community groups, and academic institutions. He is an Assistant Professor of Education at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology, and teaches graduate courses in social and cultural foundations, multi-cultural education, and action research. Before becoming a university professor, Collatos taught as a secondary social studies instructor, coached, and worked as a college access advisor for low-income youth. Ebony Cain, Co-Coordinator Ebony Cain is currently a second year doctoral student within UCLA's Urban Studies program. She is a research associate with UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access and works on multiple research projects associated with urban youth and academic trajectories. Her personal research focuses on youth civic engagement. Gloria Gasca, Co-Coordinator Gloria Gasca earned a Master in Education with concentration in psychology from Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology. She completed her undergraduate degrees from Georgetown University in May 2003, with a double major in Government and Psychology. Gasca was born and raised in Los Angeles and takes pride living in a community that strives for excellence. She was inspired to pursue a career in education during her time as a Research Assistant for Georgetown University-National Institutes of Health's sponsored grant entitled DESARROLLO (Developing Educational Supports And Reading Resources of Limited English and Literacy of Parents). Gasca's passion for education was also reinforced during her time as a Coro Fellow where she realized the strengths, and discrepancies of our educational system. She continues her research in education and is currently a third grade teacher in the Northeast section of Los Angeles. Eduaro Lara, Co-Coordinator Eduardo Lara is currently a third year doctoral student at UCLA where his research interests include critical race theory; the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality for Latinos; and the militirization of urban high schools. Aside from writing, he also teaches courses in socio-cultural foundations of education, theories and methods of second language acquisition, and Chicana/o Studies. In the past, he has also worked in the fields of higher education administration, Latino outreach, community/political organizing, and was a former ESL and Social Studies teacher. He earned his bachelor's and masters degree from George Washington University. Miguel Aguilera, Research Mentor, Bell High School Miguel Aguilera is an educator within the Social Studies Department at Bell Senior High School and teaches World History and A.P. Government. His research interests involve Globalization, Entrepreneurship, Minority Empowerment, and Comparative Politics. Aguilera has conducted research in the field of comparative politics emphasizing the social impact of Capitalism and Communism on society. While attending California State University Long Beach, he was an active member of the Chicano Latino Student Association and RAZA. Amy Benn, Research Mentor, South Gate High School Amy Benn is a teacher and a co-chair of the Social Studies Department at South Gate High School. She teaches U.S. and World History. Mary Johnson, Community Representative, Los Angeles Unified School District Mary Johnson is the President of Parent U-Turn, a grass roots non-profit committed to improving schools and the rights of urban families in Los Angeles. She is also a co-teacher in the Urban Parent Teacher Education Collaborative within Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology. For the past five years, Johnson has worked as a research associate within UCLA’s Institute for Democracy and Access (IDEA) and was most recently elected as the chairperson of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Parent Collaborative representing more than 33,000 families in the nation’s second largest school district.
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