Vanessa Peña
Postdoctoral Researcher
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About
Dr. Vanessa Peña’s research broadly focuses on the intersection of race and gender within college access and student success. More specifically, her work examines the college-going of first-generation Latina/o/x college students and explores how familial funds of knowledge influence their decisions and experiences in higher education. Her scholarship employs diverse qualitative methodologies and leverages asset-based critical theories to amplify the narratives of underrepresented students.
Prior to joining UIC, Dr. Peña served as the project manager for “¡Presente!: Documenting Latinx History in Wisconsin” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society, this project involved collecting, documenting, and analyzing over 100 oral histories statewide, highlighting the historical significance of the Latinx population in Wisconsin. Dr. Peña is excited to join the Assessment and Planning team at UIC, where she looks forward to contributing to research that fosters student success within one of the nation’s most diverse public research universities.
EDUCATION
2024
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ph.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
2018
University of Wisconsin-Madison
M.S. Education Leadership and Policy Analysis; focus: Student Affairs
2016
Beloit College
B.A. Double Major: Education and Sociology