Biography

Alejandra is a doctoral candidate in Public Affairs with a concentration in Public Policy. Her current research focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and policies in higher education. Specifically, Alejandra is interested in the relationship between institutional discourse and policy design, implementation, and practice surrounding issues of equity and representation, particularly in graduate education. 

At the Humphrey School, Alejandra has worked as a graduate research assistant for the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice as well as for Dr. Joe Soss. Currently, Alejandra is a graduate research assistant with the University of Minnesota’s Extension Center for Community Vitality.  

Alejandra has had the opportunity to teach Introduction to Policy Analysis two years in a row for the Junior Summer Institute, a program offered through Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) as well as serve as a teaching assistant under her advisor, Dr. Joe Soss, for the Politics of Public Affairs course.

Prior to joining the Humphrey School PhD program, Alejandra worked as a research associate at HACER, Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research, a Latinx focused non-profit research organization serving broader Minnesota. Alejandra also worked as an English practice and linguistics instructor at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität in Würzburg, Germany, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in English language and sociolinguistics. 

Alejandra holds a master’s degree in Foreign Language Teaching, Spanish and English, from Universitat Rovira i Virgili (2012) as well as a bachelor's degree in Spanish and Sociology from Bowdoin College (2010). 

Beyond research and teaching, Alejandra enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and studying languages. 

Education

MA in Foreign Language Teaching, Spanish and English (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain, 2012) 

BA in Sociology and Spanish (Bowdoin College, 2010)