Casanova, S., Alonso Blanco, V., Takimoto, A., Vazquez, A., Covarrubias, R., London, R., Azmitia, M., Lewis C. (2021). Learning in the counterspaces of not school. Educational Studies, 57:5, 459-475, doi: 10.1080/00131946.2021.1969936
DOIBiography
Valeria Alonso Blanco is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Her research focuses on the intersections of cultural values, identity, academic outcomes, and fostering a sense of belonging for minoritized community college transfer students. Valeria is currently under the mentorship of Dr. Saskias Casanova in the Migration, Identity, and Education Lab (MIEL). Valeria also works as a Transfer Coherence Analyst for Cultivamos Excelencia, an HSI initiative dedicated to enhancing community college outreach and cultivating a transfer-receptive culture at UCSC.
Valeria was awarded the prestigious Cota-Robles Fellowship, a highly competitive, merit-based award recognizing outstanding graduate students who contribute to intellectual diversity in their fields. This fellowship acknowledges her academic excellence, commitment to equity, and dedication to fostering inclusive environments within higher education. Valeria is also a fellow in the California Community College Internship Program (CCCIP), a competitive program that prepares Ph.D. students for teaching careers in community colleges. Valeria is also a recipient of the President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship for 2024-2025, awarded to outstanding doctoral students committed to advancing diversity and equity in academia.
As the first in her family to attend college, Valeria is passionate about paving the way for her younger brothers, hoping to inspire them to pursue higher education. She enjoys hiking, sailing, CrossFit, watching movies, and hanging out with her five cats.
Current Publications
Vaccarino-Ruiz, S.S., Quinteros, K., Alonso Blanco, V., Rodriguez Ramirez, D., Langhout, R.D., Copulsky, D., & Lopezzi, M. (2021). “Yes, they were suffering, but we brought the music:” Social toxicity and possibility during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic for people who are undocumented or unhoused in Santa Cruz County. Journal of Community Psychology in Global Perspective, 7(1), 106-126.
DOILanghout, R.D., Rodriguez Ramirez, D., Vaccarino-Ruiz, S. S, Alonso Blanco, V., Quinteros, K., Copulsky, D., & Lopezzi, M. (2021). Teaching and learning during a pandemic: How one graduate community psychology class quickly incorporated healing justice into our practices. American Journal of Community Psychology. doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12524
DOICasanova, S. & Alonso Blanco, V. (2021). [Review of the book Power to the Transfer Critical Race Theory and a Transfer Receptive Culture Perspectives on Access, Equity, and Diversifying Pathways in P-20 Education, by D. Jain, S.N. Bernal Melendez & A.R. Herrera]. Teachers College Record
Casanova, S., Alonso Blanco, V., Radoff, S., Cruz Silva, F. (2024). Cultivating the Transfer Landscape: Using a CRT framework to examine transfer receptivity at a Hispanic Serving Research Institution. Journal of Social Issues. doi: 10.1111/josi.12615
DOICasanova, S. & Alonso Blanco, V. (2023). "Transfers tend to be an afterthought”: The role of institutional support for staff in creating a receptive culture for transfer students of color. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education
DOI