Cassandra is a proud Latina and first-generation student with Mexican cultural roots in the desert southwest border. She obtained her bachelor's degree in psychological sciences from the University of Arizona in 2021 and received her master's degree in education from the University of California, Berkeley in 2024. Cassandra is currently a fifth-year PhD candidate in the School Psychology program at the Berkeley School of Education, and advised by HSI expert Dra Gina A. Garcia. She currently serves as a student representative on the Latinx Thriving Initiative (LTI) Advisory Board, is a graduate peer support provider for the Disabled Students' Program, and is actively involved in ongoing advocacy efforts for BIPOC and dis/abled students across the campus. Cassandra also currently holds the position of graduate student researcher for the UC Essential Needs Consortium Grant, part of LTI efforts focused on exploring indicators of thriving in Latine students at the UCB campus. Moreover, her research interests revolve around understanding Latine students' racialized experiences, identity development, and mental health outcomes at Hispanic-serving institutions.
Specializations and Interests
Latine student experiences and mental health outcomes in higher education; Hispanic-serving institutions; servingness
