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Finding yourself in the right environment can open your eyes to your full potential. Ph.D. Research Assistant and Graduate Fellow Sonia Hernandez Frausto learned that firsthand here at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ. While she initially thought she wanted to be a teacher, Sonia’s passion for research and scholarship grew as she continued her education. Through her undergraduate education and master’s program at the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez she had multiple opportunities to conduct research with a variety of professors.

Sonia decided to pursue her doctorate in teaching, learning, and culture at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ after hearing about the wide range of research and educational possibilities here from colleagues in Ciudad Juárez. When she first came to ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ, Sonia worked as a research assistant, primarily conducting literature reviews. Wanting to do more hands-on research, Sonia found the opportunity at the Natalicio Institute, where she could do qualitative interviews in support of the Institute’s ongoing investigations. “The work at the Institute has really helped me hone my investigative skills, from formulating questions and how I ask things to uncovering ways to optimize the paths to find information,” Sonia notes. “Coming to ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ and the Institute helped deepen and expand my interest in educational research.”

Being a first-generation Latina in higher education, an international student, and a border-crossing student from Ciudad Juárez shaped the way Sonia thinks about broadening opportunity, mentoring, and student success in higher education. Her work in data collection at Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Puerto Rico and across the U.S., and the opportunity to share the research at conferences such as AAHHE, have expanded her perspective on how institutions can support students in meaningful ways. Getting to work with the Institute’s collaborative team of scholars has also strengthened the skills she needed for her own dissertation, which focuses on mentoring Latina students in research within a Hispanic-Serving Institution. She is passionate about uncovering the kinds of support that help Latina students persist, complete their degrees, and continue contributing to higher education and the communities they serve.

The Graduate Research Fellowship has funded Sonia’s position at the Institute. More than just a way to support her studies, this work has helped Sonia grow as a scholar. She explains it best, “Working at the Institute has shown me how meaningful mentorship, research opportunities, and professional development can shape not only an individual student’s path, but also everyone that benefits from that work. This is an investment in the future of our communities.”

So please,  to help us fund our graduate research fellowship and enable scholars like Sonia to learn and grow while furthering the important work being done at the Institute. As Diana Natalicio said, “No gift is too small to make a difference.”