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UC San Diego | Department of Education Studies

May Issue 2025

Congratulations to Education Studies department chair and professor Dr. Megan Hopkins, along with her co-authors Jennifer Cowhy and Lok-Sze Wong, on receiving the Outstanding Publication Award, 2025. Their paper, Toward Dissolving the Institutionalization of “Othering”: Organizational Conditions that Support Shared Responsibility, examines how institutional conditions within a central office perpetuate the "othering" of multilingual learners and students with disabilities despite efforts to integrate instructional decision-making across departments. 

This month's faculty spotlight is Dr. María José Aragón, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from UC Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on language and literacy in K-12 settings, exploring how emergent bilinguals and students from minoritized backgrounds use their linguistic and cultural resources to learn and connect. 

At UC San Diego, Dr. Aragón currently teaches courses including History, Politics, and Theory of Bilingual Education, Language, Culture, and Education, and Bilingual Instructional Practices.

“Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.” ― Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies

These words by Jhumpa Lahiri remind me to never lose my sense of wonder and gratitude for all the opportunities and experiences that have come my way. Living in different places, both in the United States and abroad, has allowed me to make connections with many wonderful people and has taken me places I never could have anticipated. It is also the reason why I became interested in education and how I ended up on this professional path as a researcher and educator curious about the role of language in learning.

I would love to be able to take my students to Buenos Aires, the city where my family is from. One day, I hope to help create a study abroad experience focused on education. Argentina is a beautiful country with a complex history and social context for students to explore and learn from. My own semester abroad in Sweden was transformative, and I believe that living and learning in another country can shift and broaden students' perspectives beyond what is possible in the classroom.

I am very much inspired by my students, especially those who plan to return to their communities to make a difference in the field of education. Here in San Diego, we are lucky to have amazing students who have grown up in a rich, multilingual, and multicultural border region. Their personal experiences and challenges within our education system have often fueled their desire to contribute meaningfully to the lives of students like themselves. Our Bilingual Authorization (BILA) teacher candidates embody that commitment and give me hope during these uncertain times.

This month's student spotlight is Vanessa Molina, a dedicated student in the Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in Educational Leadership.

Transforming campuses requires dismantling ableism at every level — from the institutional level to students.

These spaces were never built for BIPOC queer disabled students, so claim, reshape, and make them ours. 

The support from the faculty is incredible. They show that even in difficult times, we still have the power to transform the system.

My favorite EDS course has been EDS 292: Qualifying Paper Preparation. Thank you Dr. Hoffsetter, Dr. Meyerott, Dr. Taylor, and Dr. Miller for believing in me as a researcher before I believed in myself.

Tons of inside jokes from Dr. Daly, take his class if you can! Also, having all of my cohort 20 passing the Qual paper for the first time! 

Education Studies graduate Miguel Marin ’08 has been named the 2025 District Teacher of the Year for Sweetwater Union High School District. Marin also received the award in 2017. 

Congratulations to Dr. Mary Taylor, a graduate of the UCSD/CSUSM Joint Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership (JDP Cohort 14), on being honored as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of San Diego. She currently serves as the Associate Chief Diversity Officer for Outreach and Success at San Diego State University. 

Six professors from the University of California San Diego have been elected in 2025 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious honor societies. They are: education expert Dr. Amanda Datnow, economist James D. Hamilton, cell biologist Randy Hampton, quantum physicist M. Brian Maple, linguist Carol Padden and molecular biologist Suresh Subramani.

Congratulations to Education Studies PhD student Urooj Chandani on her selection for the AERA Division H Onsite Mentoring Opportunity. The Onsite Mentoring is a unique opportunity for a graduate student to spend a few days shadowing a Division H member in their workplace to learn more. Chandani has been paired with Dr. Pamela Stazesky, an experienced Data Analyst with Walden Public Schools in the Boston area. 

Congratulations to Education Studies PhD student Tarang Tripathi and his co-author Palaash on receiving a $10,000 proposal development grant from the Schmidt Sciences AI at Work program. Their project investigates the impact of AI tools on teacher effectiveness in Indian classrooms.

This initial funding will support partnership building, research design refinement, and data access. Over the next year, they will work toward securing the program’s $200,000 full grant to implement the full study. The AI at Work program supports rigorous, data-driven research on AI’s effects in the workplace, with the goal of publication in top economics or field journals.

Congratulations to the following Education Studies PhD students for advancing to candidacy during Winter/Spring 2025! Pictured left to right: Rogelio Becerra Songolo, Marco Chacón, Abdul-Rehman Issa, Jeneé Love, and Nora Turriago. 

Under the guidance of Dr. Makeba Jones, Education Studies PhD student Reed Kendall successfully defended his dissertation: Balancing Humility and Power: A Case Study of Student Voices and School Climate at a High-Performing, Suburban, Wealthy, Predominantly White High School. Reed's dissertation was distinguished by his nuanced, gracious, and thoughtful approach in describing and interpreting study findings. Congratulations, Dr. Kendall!

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