Alexis Meza is a Ph.D. Student in Education with an emphasis in the Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender at the Berkeley School of Education. He received his Bachelor's Degree from UC Riverside in Psychology and Education and a Master's from New York University (NYU) in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Under the tutelage of Dra. Gina Ann Garcia, he serves as the Graduate Student Researcher for the Higher Education Action Research for Transformation (HEART) Lab & Latinx Thriving Initiatives (LTI). In practice, Alexis works in partnership with the Latinx Student Resource Center (LSRC) and the Chicanx/Latinx Student Development Office (CLSD). He serves as a Graduate Student Fellow for the Casa Magdalena Mora Program, guiding Latinx-identifying freshmen at Cal through campus resources and university life. In addition, he serves as a Diversity and Community Fellow for the Office of Graduate Diversity, where he works in partnership with the Latinx Thriving Initiatives and Advisory Board on creating, sustaining, and embodying a culture of servingness at UC Berkeley.
As a proud alumna of the first Hispanic Serving Institution and Cultural Center in the UC system, he has cemented his commitment to Chicanx/Latinx student success, access, and institutional transformation. His research centers on the experiences/ journeys of Chicanx/Latinx students at Hispanic Serving Research Institutions (HSRI) and how cultural centers facilitate student empowerment, build capacity, and cultivate/sustain a tradition of servingness at HSRIs. Specifically, analyzing how these 'third spaces' manifest, expand, and impact the broader university’s HSRI organizational identity. His most recent co-authored empirical book chapter in Somos Hija/o/xs del Maíz/We are Children of the Corn: Pillars of Hope Resistance, and Latina/o/x Educational Success centers on the voices of graduating undergraduate Chicana/o/x/Latina/o/x students as they reflect on their experiences at an HSRI, sharing physical, academic, and social “entradas” that opened the ""camino"" to their academic success. He has presented at various national conferences such as the Hispanic Association for Colleges and Universities (HACU), the National Association for Student Affairs Professionals (NASPA), the College of Arts Association (CAA), and the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institution Educators (AHSIE).
As UC Berkeley emerges as a Hispanic Serving Research Institution, Alexis continues to co-conspire, co-produce, and build capacity alongside the LSRC and CLSD to fortify the Chicanx/Latinx educational pipeline at UC Berkeley. As a future faculty and administrator, Alexis is committed to researching, challenging, and transforming Hispanic Serving Institutions for equity, justice, and community liberation.
Specializations and Interests
Hispanic Serving Institutions; Cultural Identity Centers; Latinx Student Success; Organizational Change; Third Spaces
