The CCHALES Research Collective
The CCHALES Research Collective is focused on examining the systems, structures, and practices within higher education that hinder racial equity. We conduct policy-relevant and practice-focused scholarship to improve the conditions, experiences, and outcomes for racially-minoritized students, especially in the community college context. We are scholars of color making a difference in our communities, education, and society at large. We give back to the public education systems that shaped our trajectory and helped us become who we are.
CCHALES is more than research, it is family, it is community; a space for us to grow and thrive without having to reduce or silence ourselves to fit the norms of academia. The research we do, the skills we possess, and the conviction in our writing come from our parents, families, culture, and experiences. We gain strength from them and protect them from academic spaces seeking to erase our identities, experiences, and ways of knowing. As first-gen, community-grown, scholars of color, we say ¡CCHALES! to the whackness of white supremacy in higher education and do our best to dismantle and build something different, a new world is possible.
The CCHALES Research Collective was started at SDSU on October 2, 2019. We grow, we learn, we succeed, we give back. Explore our research projects to see what we are up to.
Cynthia Estrada - Lead Graduate Researcher
Doctoral student specializing in Race and Ethnic Studies within the Social Science and Comparative Education program at the University of California, Los Angeles. Identifying as a first-generation college graduate and Chicana, her research centers race and racism to examine issues related to higher education access and equity for minoritized student populations. She is particularly interested in better understanding how current higher education recruitment strategies construct and reproduce racialized narratives that center dominant ideologies. Cynthia currently serves as a Research Associate for the Institute of Immigration, Globalization and Education at UCLA and Graduate Student Researcher at the UCLA Center for Community Schooling. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing to cumbias, traveling, and attending live music concerts. Prior to UCLA, Cynthia studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara where she received her BA in English with a minor in Applied Psychology & Education
Diego Ceballos - Graduate Researcher
First-year, first-generation graduate student studying Public Health and Latin American Studies at San Diego State University. Growing up in Lynwood, CA to parents from Jalisco, Mexico, he was granted the opportunity to attend higher education with their hard work and support. He received his B.A. in Chicana/o Studies and Spanish from Cal State Fullerton, where he was a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. He has worked on research ranging from infertility in Latinx populations, exploring gender expressions of Latino male fans of the artist Morrissey and currently looking at the role of higher education institutions and their impact on students of color. His research interests include addressing the health disparities that affect marginalized communities of color, looking at the development of chronic diseases by way of oppression, and exploring the way in which interpersonal violence contributes to deteriorating health outcomes in the Latinx population. By analyzing health in marginalized and indigenous communities, he hopes to understand the ways in which decoloniality can restore people’s traditional practices and views for a healthy life. When not in school, Diego enjoys finding peace while practicing calligraphy, connecting with nature through camping, exploring new areas by bike, and growing vegetables through gardening. An essential part of his life is also centered on sharing space and food with friends and familia.
Rogelio Salazar -
Graduate Researcher
First-generation P-16 scholar and Faculty Fellow at MiraCosta College. I am a product of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at California State University, San Marcos ,and son of immigrants from Oaxaca and Guanajuato, MX. Personally and professionally, education has been a catalyst to achieving transformational change through sociopolitical consciousness development, and critical scholarship. Having experienced the school-to-prison pipeline, I am motivated to promote race-conscious policy that propels the educational progression of minority students in secondary and post-secondary education. His research interests entail: campus climate, mentorship, college access, community college, HSI’s. My thesis research examined, the impact of university mentors of color among Latinx students in CSU recognized HSI’s, through a mixed-method approach.
Laura Juarez San Juan -
Graduate Researcher
I am a first-year, first-gen grad student in the Master of Arts in Postsecondary Educational Leadership with a specialization in Student Affairs at SDSU. I am a proud daughter of immigrants from Sonora, Mexico who taught me to love and value education from a very young age. I was born and raised in the small border town of San Luis, Arizona, located on the Arizona-Sonora border. Growing up in a border town with limited educational resources fueled my desire to increase accessibility and retention in higher education for first-generation, low-income students. My interests further consist of student development, holistic student success, mentorship, equity, and transition programs. As a future student affairs professional, I aspire to support students to enroll and persist in higher education through equitable policies and programming. Furthermore, I want to support and empower students to honor their resiliency, valor, y poder in academia. Outside of school and work, I value and enjoy spending time with my friends and family, dancing cumbias, listening to music, reading, painting, and exploring new places.
Cynthia Cordova -
Graduate Researcher
A Chicana, first-generation college student, and proud to be from a migrant family. Cynthia is a doctoral student in the Community College Educational Leadership program at SDSU. Her research interests are in exploring the role of equitable practices in community college policymaking and implementation. Cynthia is an advocate for student learning and building bridges to success, especially for marginalized students. She is proud to be a Puente Project alum and is currently the Puente Counselor and Co-Coordinator at Palomar college. Cynthia's educational career includes an AA in University Studies: Psychology from MiraCosta College, BA in Psychology from CSUSM, and MS in Counseling: Specialization College Counseling and Student Services from CSUN. Her journey in reframing education towards racial equity is driven by a social justice lens. Cynthia values spending time with her familia, traveling, eating good food with salsa, dancing to cumbias, and always educating with cariño.
Alex Ayala Reyes -
Graduate Researcher
I am a first-year, first-generation graduate student in the Master of Arts in Postsecondary Educational Leadership with a specialization in Student Affairs at SDSU. I am a product of immigrant parents and a proud Latino scholar embracing both Mexican and Salvadorian culture. I was raised in Los Angeles, California, as the oldest brother of three, and knew from an early age that education was a pathway towards social mobility. As a product of a Title 1 high school, I lacked the critical thinking skills that my rigorous first-year college courses demanded and struggled to self-regulate my behavior. By the end of my first quarter, I landed on academic probation and started doubting my place in higher education. I was fortunate enough to acquire a peer mentor through campus services who validated my imposter syndrome and taught me time management skills that were essential to my academic development. I successfully got out of academic probation, but in reflecting on my educational experiences, it became clear that urban schools are failing to prepare at-promise students to succeed in higher education. My research interests include access and equity for at-promise students, holistic student development, and basic needs. My current roles include coaching first-year students through a social justice lens at the Center for Intercultural Relations (CIR) and supporting high school seniors on college applications through my non-profit involvements. Outside of academia, I value spending time with my family, producing hip-hop music, running, and exploring San Diego with my dog.
Wesley Cox -
Graduate Researcher
Wesley recently graduated from UCLA with a Master's Degree in African American Studies and a certificate in Digital Humanities. He is now a Ph.D. student in the Joint Doctoral Program in Education at San Diego State University and Claremont Graduate University. He has been a panelist on various topics such as Blackness and Queerness to Black Student Success. Wesley has two publications, Book Review: We Are Worth Fighting for: A History of the Howard University Student Protest of 1989 (2020) and he co-authored Black Student Engagement: Resilience & Success Under Duress (2018). He currently has 4 digital projects as a part of his Digital Humanities portfolio and a wide array of skills in painting, drawing and design. At San Francisco State University, he graduated cum laude with a BS in Industrial Design and a BA in Africana Studies. He helped to found the Afrocentric Living and Learning Community at SF State and served as the Resources chair for the 15th annual Afrikan Black Coalition Conference (2018). Most importantly he was one of the inaugural employees of the Black Unity Center at SFSU, while also holding leadership roles on the executive boards of Black Residents United in Housing and Black Student Union.
CCHALES ALUMNI
Elizabeth Jimenez Perez
First-generation, Xicana scholar, researcher, and first-year graduate student in the Masters of Arts in Postsecondary Educational Leadership with a specialization in Student Affairs program at San Diego State University. Growing up in Huntington Beach, CA and Ciudad Hidalgo, Michoacán developed my commitment to social justice, access, and opportunity. My research interest involves incorporating a social justice lens to examine how policy initiatives are designed, implemented, and evaluated. I am especially eager to understand what informs policymakers’ decisions and evaluate how they are culturally competent. Researching how policy is evaluated specifically when benefiting or creating barriers for students of color is of particular interest to me. As I continue to uncover the methods institutions use to track policy implementation and assess the purpose of their policies I seek to understand the way policy serves as an avenue for opportunity and equity.
Erin Nicole R. Vedar
Proud daughter of Filipino immigrants, from Olongapo and Cavite. Born and raised in San Diego, I am a first-generation Filipina-American graduate student pursuing a Master's of Arts in Postsecondary Educational Leadership with a Specialization in Student Affairs at San Diego State University. I am constantly learning more about myself and my context while on my student affairs journey, but I am passionate about learning how to best support students within their higher education experiences, and create a beneficial environment that they can feel worthy of existing and growing in. Outside of academia, I enjoy connecting with friends and family through music and video games, traveling, hiking, and prioritizing rest and self-care.