DR. YANIRA MADRIGAL-GARCIA

Yanira Madrigal-Garcia is an assistant professor at the College of Education at California State University, Sacramento. She earned her B.A. in Ethnic Studies and Chicana/o/x Studies at UC Berkeley, her M.A. in Mexican American Studies with a focus on Education at San José State University, and her Ph.D. in School Organization and Educational Policy and Language, Literacy and Culture at UC Davis. As an interdisciplinary feminist scholar in education, her research centralizes the experiences of minoritized students along the PK-20 educational pipeline by exploring agency, organizational structures, and policies. Dr. Madrigal-Garcia’s experiences as an immigrant, first-generation, and grassroots organizer inform her teaching, research, and community efforts. She is passionate about engaging in transformative work in educational and community contexts.

WHAT'S THE TOPIC OF YOUR PRESENTATION?

This in-progress project focuses on the educational experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students in higher education related to retention and degree completion. Specifically, this project explores the experiences of master students at Sacramento State’s College of Education. With the support of the COE + Award, I worked on the study design and obtained IRB approval. Ultimately, this in-progress project aims to understand student experiences as master students and examine how structures can be improved to support their persistence and success.

WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT?

This topic is important because, despite the pressing need to support graduate student retention and degree completion, there is little research that squarely centers on the experiences of master’s students (Barrera, 2020). The experiences of master’s students are often subsumed under the graduate students’ umbrella, which largely focuses on doctoral student experiences (Trent et al., 2021). Moreover, assessing what program components allow for positive graduate school socialization and the areas that can be further developed to ensure student retention and success is good practice.

HOW DOES THIS WORK FIT WITHIN YOUR BROADER RESEARCH PROGRAM AND/OR WORK AS FACULTY MEMBER?

My research agenda centralizes student experiences and educational contexts along the Pk-20 educational pipeline. My research focuses on understanding the educational experiences of minoritized populations, including working-class, Latinx/e, Black, and other students of color. I use critical, Ethnic Studies, and Women of Color Feminist methodologies to examine agency, organizational structures, and educational policies to unpack how these forces can create conditions that either support or limit opportunities.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE AUDIENCE WILL TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR PRESENTATION?

The COE faculty always inspires me. Our colleagues are brilliant, committed, and fearless in advocating for our students. I hope this presentation offers insight or validation about some of the challenges and moments of joy our students face within their programs and broadly institutionally. I hope this presentation can spark your inquiry into student experiences.

LINK TO A RECENT ARTICLE, PROJECT, OR OTHER SCHOLARLY-RELATED WORK:

Madrigal-Garcia, Y. I. (2022). Launching the early college and career academy program (ECCAP): Supporting the wellbeing, academic success, and college access for Stockton young people. Reinvent Stockton Foundation: Stockton Scholars.

Ask an Expert: Interview with Dr. Yanira Madrigal-Garcia, Addressing School Violence, Bilingual Education Research (SIG), Summer/Fall 2022 Newsletter.

Acevedo-Gil, N., & Madrigal-Garcia, Y. I. (2018). Mentoring among Latina/o scholars: Enacting spiritual activism to navigate academia. American Journal of Education, 124(3), 313-344. http://doi.org/10.1086/697212