AAHHE Graduate Student Fellowship Program
Leadership Team Biographies

Danielle Aguilar
Doctoral Candidate
University of Colorado, Boulder

Danielle Nicole Aguilar (she/her) is the granddaughter of Mirna Prieto, Maria del Refugia Aguilar, Jose Prieto, and Rafael Aguilar. She is the proud daughter of Lorraine Y. Velasquez and Antonio Aguilar, and the bonus-daughter of James C. Velasquez Jr. Hailing from Ontario, California, Danielle comes from a working-class family with roots in Mexico. Danielle studied Feminist and Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a Pell Grant recipient and first-generation college student. She enrolled at the University of Vermont after graduation and earned a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration. Danielle led residential life, orientation, multicultural affairs, and LGBTQ student services before pursuing a PhD in Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice at the University of Colorado Boulder. Danielle employs critical theory and community-based research approaches to disrupt the relationship between carcerality, youth, and schools. Danielle aspires to be a tenured professor at a minority-serving institution, uplifting and mentoring young scholars. When she’s not doing transformative research, Danielle enjoys being a foodie, vibing at concerts, and embarking on adventures.

Kelly Andrade
Doctoral Candidate
Rutgers University 

Kelly Andrade is a first-generation Brazilian American scholar-practitioner, Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) alumna, and Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education at Rutgers University. She holds a B.A. in History and Latin American Civilization and an Ed.M. in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education. Her research explores how Latine students at Rutgers navigate the FAFSA process and make meaning of financial aid, drawing on communication and sensemaking theories to examine access to higher education in a changing policy landscape. As Director of Global at Douglass Residential College, she leads for-credit, equity-focused academic programs and teaches interdisciplinary courses on global education, power, identity, and justice.

Cydney Y. Caradonna, PhD
Consulting Scholar
University of Utah

Cydney Y. Caradonna is a Bay-Area-Grown Decolonial and Abolitionist poet, organizer, and scholar who has recently completed their PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy. She currently serves as Consulting Scholar for the Black Feminist Eco Lab in the Department of Ethnic, Gender, and Disabilities Studies at the University of Utah. Dra. Caradonna’s poetry, organizing, and scholarship are concerned with conjuring and practicing methods that imbue Decolonial and Abolitionist world-making. For Caradonna, the projects of Decolonization and Abolition are tethered to one another and of particular importance for educational institutions. Dra. Caradonna actively publishes, teaches, and presents these works across disciplines. Outside of her scholarship, Caradonna enjoys dancing, running, and experiencing local art in all its forms. 

Francheska Jimenez
Doctoral Candidate
Columbia University (Teachers College)

Francheska Jimenez is a first-generation Afro-Dominican scholar-practitioner born, raised, and still living in the Bronx, NY.

She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher & Postsecondary Education at Teachers College (TC), Columbia University. Her primary research interest focuses on the intersectional identity development and sense of belonging of Queer students of color within Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Additionally, she is a Doctoral Research Fellow for TC’s Center for Technology & School Change, working on the evaluation of a first-year student learning community at an urban Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).

Francheska also has a M.A. in Higher Education Administration and B.A. in English from Stony Brook University. She has a culmination of professional experience within higher education, K-12 education, and non-profit work.

Xiomara Medina
Doctoral Candidate
Bowie State University

Xiomara V. Medina (she/her/ella) is a Boricua scholar-practitioner, educator, and mother whose life’s work is rooted in justice, healing, and liberation for communities of color. Born and raised in the Bay Area with deep personal and professional transformation in New York City, Xiomara is proudly shaped by her Puerto Rican heritage and her commitment to community.

She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at Bowie State University, where she also serves as Associate Director of Clinical Training and Field Placement. A former school counselor and licensed clinician, she has provided services across K–12 and private practice settings, always centering on culturally affirming care.

Xiomara’s leadership has been recognized at local, state and national levels. Most recently, she was appointed to the Maryland State Board of Education, and has also presented on mental health, cultural competence, and educational leadership at both state and national conferences, and continues to contribute to the field through scholarship and service.

As a proud Latina working at an HBCU, Xiomara is passionate about building bridges between communities, amplifying Black and Latine solidarity, and expanding access to inclusive spaces in higher education. Above all, Xiomara is a proud mother to her son Xavier and strives to bring authenticity and corazón to every space she enters.

Armando Rijo
Doctoral Candidate
Jackson State University

Armando A. Rijo is a first-generation Latiné scholar, practitioner, and strategist originally from southern New Jersey (right outside of Philadelphia). He is a current Doctoral Candidate at #THEE Jackson State University in the Urban Higher Education Executive Ph.D. program. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Non-Profit Management from the University of Central Florida and a Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of South Florida. His scholarly praxis explores systems and practices that support and serve minority students through involvement and development. With a passion for exploring how Cultural-Greek Letter organizations uniquely serve their communities through personal and professional development.  Armando currently serves as the Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Student Government at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Omar Sánchez
Doctoral Candidate
The Ohio State University

Omar Sánchez, a proud bilingual Mexican American from Pharr, Texas, is a first-generation Ph.D. student in Kinesiology at The Ohio State University, specializing in Adapted Physical Education. With a strong commitment to equity and inclusion, his research focuses on physical activity promotion for individuals with disabilities, childhood obesity interventions, and social justice within Hispanic communities. Omar serves as a GRA and Program Coordinator for the Adapted Physical Activity Program for children with disabilities. He holds a B.S. in Physical Education and a M.S. in Sports Pedagogy from the University of Texas at San Antonio and is an engaged member of AAHHE, NAKHE, SHAPE America, and AEFR.

Updated September 30, 2026