Rebeca Mireles-Rios and Jacob Kirksey were both nominated for 2018 Margaret T. Getman Service to Student Awards. In honor of the former UCSB Dean of Student Residents, Margaret T. Getman, these annual awards recognize university staff and faculty that have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the general growth and development of students and the quality of student life.
Rebeca Mireles-Rios is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education specializing in child and adolescent development. She received her K-8 Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and MA from UC Berkeley. Prior to receiving her Ph.D., Dr. Mireles-Rios was a middle school teacher in Berkeley Unified School District for numerous years. Dr. Mireles-Rios’ research examines the educational expectations of Latina/o students and the connection to parent and teacher support. She studies Latina/o adolescents perceptions of teacher support; the role of maternal expectations on education communication; and student trajectories into higher education. She looks at the inequalities in educational outcomes to understand the processes that can potentially increase Latina/o high school student college enrollment and retention rates.
Jacob Kirksey is a PhD candidate in the Department of Education and a graduate research fellow with the National Science Foundation. His research examines unintended consequences in educational policy as well as how policy affects special populations in K-12 schooling. Trained as an economist, Kirksey uses quasi-experimental methods with large, secondary datasets. Kirksey recently organized the lecture series “ExpandED: Broadening the Understanding of Today’s Educational Issues,” an interdisciplinary series that features graduate students from across the country discussing their ongoing research, much of which is dedicated to improving diversity and equity in education.
The nominees and award recipients will be honored with a reception Thursday, June 7th at 9 a.m., at the Student Affairs Divisional Meeting in Corwin Pavilion.