Marie Nubia-Feliciano, Ph.D. student,


Marie Nubia-Feliciano, Ph.D. student



My name is Marie Nubia-Feliciano, and I am a student in the
College of Educational Studies PhD program at Chapman.
I am a product of the educational systems in California. Attending public K-12 in Carson, then moving on Los Angeles Harbor College in Wilmington, I then transferred to UC Irvine to complete my bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Psychology. After working for a few years in education administration at UCI, I attended CSU Long Beach and earned a master’s degree in counseling, with an emphasis in Student Development in Higher Education. I am now in the final stages of my Ph.D. in Education, with an emphasis in Curricular and Cultural Studies at Chapman University. My dissertation focuses on the educational experiences of Afro-Borinqueñas (Puerto Rican women), and compares their experiences in the U.S. mainland and on the island of Puerto Rico. As an Afro-Borinqueña myself, having been born to Puerto Rican parents on the island of Vieques, the research is very personal and as such, I feel an obligation to provide a place and space where we can share our experiences in college. This intentional recentering of the Afro-Borinqueña provides a perspective on the college-going experience rarely acknowledged by those in higher education. Through their stories, or
testimonios
, I hope to contribute to the literature on how students experience college, and expand the notions of inclusion and equity to incorporate students who may not neatly fit into predetermined categories.

My entire professional career has been in post-secondary education. After nearly 15 years at UCI, I left in 2012 to take on the opportunity of adjunct teaching at Chapman. I can honestly say I have found my calling. My research interests include exploring the factors that influence student experiences in college with a focus on access and equity, Afro-Latinas, race and ethnicity, transition and adjustment, sociology and the social context of education, the concept of social capital, and the minority student experience.

After my degree, I plan to continue working on thought-provoking issues relating to the lives of students who live in the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, and gender. My hope is to expand the definition of what it means to be Latina and bring to the forefront the important contributions of the African Diaspora in the Latina community. My goal is to become a faculty member at a reputable institution where I can continue my research and make a difference in the lives of students.