Summer Scholar Alumni

Alexandria M. Johnson (she/her) is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Educational Policy Studies program at Georgia State University. With an M.A. in Higher Education Administration and B.A in Spanish from the University of Cincinnati, her professional experiences include teaching, and working with students with disabilities, minority affinity groups, and advocacy organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Her research interests include access and retention; leadership; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB); study abroad; and pop culture in higher education.

Aalyhia Shillow (she/her) is a first-generation college student from Duncanville, Texas. She was an education major in her senior year at the University of North Texas (UNT) and is pursuing a master’s degree in political science at Howard University. Aalyhia’s passion can be found in servant leadership and building community.  Most recently, Aalyhia has visited the Texas and U.S. Capitol as a student ambassador to fight for CCAMPIS, SNAP benefits, an increased Pell Grant, and an expansion of mental health resources for students in postsecondary education and has received the Alton Thibodeaux Award for her dedication to promoting diversity across campus. Aalyhia is currently working at PNPI as their operations associate.

Alexia Carrillo Villalobos (she/her) currently works at Excelencia in Education as a Policy and Research Analyst. She informs Excelencia’s policy and practice efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education by conducting research related to Latinos in higher education. Alexia also supports work on institutional transformation through the Seal of Excelencia, and the policy agenda’s current four core priorities: affordability, institutional capacity, retention and transfer, and workforce preparation. Alexia’s passion for higher education policy was motivated by her personal background as a first-generation college student. She previously worked as a Research Assistant with the Johns Hopkins Poverty & Inequality Research Lab (PIRL) and the Education Policy Initiative (EPI) at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy – University of Michigan where she supported a qualitative research study aimed at reducing inequality in access to higher education. She received her AA in Sociology and Social Behavioral Sciences from Santa Rosa Junior College, her BA in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside, and her Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Michael Morgan (he/him) is a first-year doctoral student at The Pennsylvania State University who is pursuing a degree in Higher Education. His research interests are focused on the Black male identity in postsecondary education, specifically at predominantly white institutions, as well as topics related to Black love and Black male healing. Michael holds a Master’s degree in Educational Equity, Justice, and Social Transformation from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Oglethorpe University. He previously worked in the CREATE Center at the University of Michigan as a Research Assistant on the Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline Project (DSTOPP).

Javier Ramirez (he/him) is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin in the Program in Higher Education Leadership, and a graduate research assistant with Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success). His research broadly examines how state and federal policy impacts the educational experiences for low-wealth and first-generation college students. He also examines LGBTQ+, masculinity, and socioeconomic issues within Fraternity and Sorority Life. His research incorporates critical paradigms such as queer theory, critical race theory, and Latina feminist theories. Javier has two bachelor’s degrees in Human Relations and Women’s & Gender Studies from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s degree in Higher Education & Student Affairs from The Ohio State University. He is keeping his research career trajectory options open in pursuing the professoriate or in policy advocacy/research organizations.

Arlenne Serna (she/her) graduated in 2021 from Brandeis University triple majoring in sociology, international studies, and education studies. Arlenne is a San Antonio, Texas, native, however, she spent many years living in Mexico. Due to her connection to the southern border, she is interested in the intersection of immigration status and access to education. She is currently working with the International Institute of New England in the unaccompanied children unit where she maintains communication with newly arrived migrant children to ensure their safety and rights in the United States. Arlenne previously studied abroad in South Korea where she researched and compared education systems across the world. In upcoming years, she hopes to combine her passion for education policy and immigration reform to represent students as they enter postsecondary education.

Aric D. Fulton, Jr. is a first-generation graduate from Chicago, IL. He earned his master’s in Urban Education Policy from Brown University and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism Education & African-American Studies from Ball State University. Aric’s mission is to improve the educational and socioeconomic mobility of Black students through policy and practice. He currently serves as the Manager of Post-Secondary Support with KIPP DC’s KIPP Forward team where he is primarily responsible for managing a strategic initiative that provides targeted re-engagement and college and career support to various Alumni of KIPP DC impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before joining KIPP DC, he lead and implemented various initiatives to improve school culture and community engagement in Providence Public Schools. During Aric’s graduate studies, he supported the Central Falls School District in developing their five-year strategic plan to ensure that all students can access highly rated and well-resourced schools. These experiences have enabled Aric to see the issues that affect historically marginalized populations from the perspective of students and educational professionals. In 2020, Aric founded a scholarship fund to assist Black students at his former high school access higher education and has awarded four scholarships. He is a Summer 2020 PNPI Summer Scholar and 2021-22 Newman Civic Fellow.

Meghan Clancy is a first-generation college student from Biddeford, Maine currently living in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned two Associate’s degrees from Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia as well as both a bachelor’s and a Master’s of Public Policy from the University of Virginia. While at Reynolds, Meghan worked both as a lead Pre-K teacher and at the Virginia General Assembly in their Clerk’s Office for two sessions. During her three years at UVa, Meghan worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at EdPolicyWorks on their Virginia Policy Partnerships team, as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Batten School for Public Policy, and interned at the Miller Center. Having experienced how equitable access to education can alter the trajectory of one’s future, Meghan seeks to promote such opportunities for everyone at the intersection of education and social policy. Currently, she is a Presidential Management Fellow at the Administration for Children & Families where she is focusing on applying ACF’s equity in action plan through their programs and services to include input from those served, communicating administrative actions related to Public Service Loan Forgiveness and debt cancellation as a form of benefit to the early childhood workforce, and advancing policies related to increased compensation for the early childhood education workforce on a national scale. These efforts are related to Meghan’s interest in increasing access to quality, affordable education for those developing the nation’s youngest learners every day.

Austin Birchell graduated from Georgia State University where he majored in Political Science and received a minor in Psychology. He was a student assistant for the office of Public Relations and Marketing Communications at Georgia State, where he served on the editorial staff. Austin has worked under Senator Johnny Isakson as an intern in his state office and served as an Ambassador of Student Success at Georgia State, promoting student success initiatives on the university’s behalf. He has worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, appeared on Hidden Brain NPR, and been featured in the Chronicles of Higher Education. Currently, he is PNPI’s Communications Associate.

Selena Cardona is a lifelong New Yorker from the Bronx, New York City. She attended New York City public schools where she graduated as a 2013 recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship. She holds an A.B. in Sociology from Cornell University. She also holds an M.A. in Education Policy Analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University where she specialized in Data Analysis and Research Methods and Higher Education Policy. In the Fall of 2021, she began a Ph.D. in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University where she is in the Sociology and Education program. For the latter, she was one of five students awarded the Postsecondary Education Applied Research (PEAR) predoctoral training fellowship. Selena is passionate about higher education research and how research can be used as a tool to inform policy makers and assist with sound decision-making. Selena hopes that her future career in education research can assist with making higher education at all levels (two-year, four-year, vocational) both accessible and transparent.

Crystal Green is a policy manager on Jobs for the Future (JFF) Policy team. She provides administrative and communications support to help the team advance JFF’s policy initiatives. Before joining JFF, Crystal worked as an admissions and academic programs manager in the School of Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In that role, she oversaw course scheduling and enrollment processes, as well as admission and graduation initiatives. Additionally, she served as an adviser and as a liaison between students, faculty, and various departments. She holds a dual-degree master’s in higher education and public policy administration from UMass Amherst and a B.A in psychology from the University of Connecticut. She is a proud 2018 PNPI alumna.

Karina Lopez graduated from the University of California, Irvine double majoring in Criminology and Political Science. She is currently teaching English in Bangkok, Thailand and hopes to gain insight on other education systems abroad. She previously worked as a Student Support Specialist in Ventura Community College where she helped lead outreach efforts and assisted students with financial aid, admissions applications, and enrollment. In this role, she saw firsthand the challenges working students face trying to complete school while balancing jobs, families and other responsibilities. She believes that community colleges are the backbone of our education system and hopes to earn a master’s in public policy so she can help advocate for these critical institutions. At home, she is also a dance teacher where she teaches hip hop dance to underprivileged kids in her hometown of Oxnard, CA. Her passion for education equity and the arts is what drives her to help create more opportunities for underprivileged students to have access to education.

Jacob Martin is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Stony Brook University. Prior to pursuing his PhD, Jacob received a master’s degree in Political Science from Iowa State University with a concentration in Public Policy. His master’s thesis, “Setting the Bar: Bright-Line Indicators in American Higher Education Accreditation,” analyzes the potential impacts of bright-line rulemaking on institutions based on predominant degree granted, public/private ownership, and for-profit status. Additional research interests in political identity and socialization have led to a firm academic background in statistical analysis and research methods. Prior to his return to academia, Jacob worked for NextGen America as a field staffer during the Iowa Caucus and general election. Jacob holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and business administration from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. When not in class, Jacob enjoys reading, cheering on the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, and exploring his new home on Long Island.

Casey Nguyen is a Senior Research Associate at The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) where she assists in designing and executing its equity-forward, student-centered, and data-driven research agenda. Specifically, she leads the racial economic mobility portfolio, where she examines, interrogates, and amplifies the value of a college education. Casey also manages TICAS’s internal processes for ensuring high-quality data analyses and research. Before TICAS, Casey supported state-level advocacy at The Education Trust–New York. She worked with the Raising Education and Attainment in College Higher (REACH) NY coalition to execute an equity-driven postsecondary agenda focused on improving the educational experiences and outcomes for all students—particularly students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. She holds a master’s degree in Education Policy from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also earned bachelor’s degrees in Community & Regional Development and Asian American Studies from the University of California, Davis.

Glen Casey is the college access and equity coordinator at Steppingstone Scholars, Inc., based in Philadelphia. Glen earned his master’s degree in higher education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. He also attended Penn as an undergrad, earning a B.A in urban studies with a concentration in economics. During his time in college, Glen acquired a deep interest in higher education after working with Penn AHEAD (Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy) at the university’s Graduate School of Education researching and organizing data on college promise programs. He is also a 2016 PNPI Summer Scholar alumnus. In the future, he hopes to increase his involvement in higher education policy, particularly working on research that helps create college access and success for students from low-income families and racial/ethnic minorities.

You can watch some of Glen’s reflections on his summer with PNPI below.

“The highlight of the summer for me was meeting with top leaders in Washington…meeting with people in DC opened my eyes to the broad spectrum of career fields that I can pursue.”

Irene Cruz is PNPI’s Program & Research Associate. Prior to coming (back!) to PNPI, she was a senior program associate at Summer Search Bay Area. She was an academic advisor to high school students across four Bay Area high schools and provided college access support. Her commitment to social justice and improving the educational opportunities of students of color stems from her experience as a first-generation college student. Irene’s professional and academic interests are enhancing the four-year college pathways for students of color, especially for first-generation Latino high school students. Irene was the first graduate Summer Scholar at the Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI). Irene received a master’s degree in education policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, with a concentration in higher education policy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

You can watch some of Irene’s reflections on her summer with PNPI below.

“Because of PNPI, I have a better understanding of the key stakeholders in higher education policy- which is broader and far more complex than what my graduate studies depicted.”