Education
Doctor of Philosophy Race and Ethnic Studies, Social Science and Comparative Education, University of California, Los Angeles
Master of Arts Race and Ethnic Studies, Social Science and Comparative Education, University of California, Los Angeles
Bachelor of Arts English with a minor in Applied Psychology and Education, University of California, Santa Barbara
Biography
Dr. Cynthia Estrada is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI). As a first-generation college graduate and Latina scholar, Dr. Estrada brings a critical, interdisciplinary perspective to her research, teaching, and service. Her work focuses on racial equity in higher education, with particular attention to access and opportunity for Students of Color.
Her current research examines how race-conscious college access programs support the success of Students of Color, particularly in a post-affirmative action climate. She is especially interested in how these programs prepare students to navigate the university as a racialized space, where whiteness is often embedded in the norms, expectations, and structures of campus life. Drawing on frameworks such as Critical Race Theory, Dr. Estrada’s scholarship explores how educational policies and racial ideologies shape students’ experiences and trajectories within higher education.
Dr. Estrada is also engaged in work that promotes racial equity within the community college context. She is a faculty affiliate with the CCHALES Research Collective, which conducts policy-relevant and practice-focused scholarship to improve conditions, experiences, and outcomes for racially minoritized students in higher education. The collective critically examines the systems, structures, and practices that hinder racial equity, with a particular focus on the community college context. As part of her work with CCHALES, Dr. Estrada also contributes to a national study on CEOs of Color in community colleges, which explores how racially minoritized leaders experience and respond to institutionalized forms of exclusion and power. In this role, Dr. Estrada has also contributed to racial equity efforts within the California Community College system, including work related to the Student Equity Plan, an initiative aimed at closing equity gaps and improving student success for historically marginalized populations.
Her published work addresses topics including equity-oriented transfer pathways, the role of research-practice partnerships in advancing racial justice, and the experiences of Communities of Color in both community colleges and four-year universities. Across these areas, Dr. Estrada’s scholarship is grounded in a commitment to educational justice and seeks to uplift the voices of those historically excluded from full participation in postsecondary education.
Dr. Estrada earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Race and Ethnic Studies in the Social Science and Comparative Education program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She holds a B.A. in English with a minor in Applied Psychology and Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).
Representative Courses Taught
- EDPL 626 Introduction to American Higher Education
- EDPL 634 Management of Resources and Learning Environments
Scholarship
Keywords
Higher Education, Critical Race Theory, Community College