Research Spotlight: Dr. Melissa Abeyta
Q & A with Dr. Melissa Abeyta, Assistant Professor in the Department of Organization and School Leadership
What are your research interests and research achievements?
I am committed to serving traditionally underrepresented students in higher education through research and policy. More specifically, my research focuses on factors affecting the success of formerly incarcerated minoritized students in postsecondary education with attention to the community college context. My commitment to research on community colleges stems from the fact that these intuitions serve as the primary pathway into postsecondary education for formerly incarcerated students (as well as other traditionally underserved student populations).
My research has centered on significant data of formerly incarcerated Latino students and how they have shed their carceral identities and transform them to educational identities, yet still experience deleterious institutional stigmatization as they navigate new social norms. My research revolves around using an anti-deficit lens that explores the experiences of formerly incarcerated students in higher education. The findings from my research aim to identify how administrators, faculty, and practitioners can academically and socially prepare these students in postsecondary education.
How does your work align with UTRGV’s and CEP’s strategic plans?
My work aligns both with the UTRGV and CEP strategic plans as my work is evidence-based data that promotes transformative research, social justice, and lifelong learning for our most vulnerable student communities. Furthermore, my research centers student success and their academic experiences.
What are your current projects?
Currently, I am working on a presentation for the Council for Opportunity in Education (COP) annual conference with colleagues from California. We will be presenting on how higher education institutions can support formerly incarcerated students by developing recruitment strategies and providing support services for this student population.
I was also recently selected as an ASHE/Ascendium Fellows for the 2021 Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Annual Conference. Specifically, I was selected as part of the Student Success and Post-Traditional Students team to address various streams of student success and its intersections with Puerto Rican higher education leaders, for adult learners, students in rural areas, and incarcerated students in Puerto Rico.
Additionally, I am working on an ASHE presentation entitled, Fostering Scholar Identities among Latina/o/x Community College Students through Undergraduate Research. This project sought to understand how undergraduate community college students experience participation in a social science research fellowship program.