Honoring Excellence: Dr. Andres Bustamante and Santiago Ojeda-Ramirez Recognized at LEAD Dinner

By Sofia Fine
​April 7, 2025

At the eighth annual Latine Excellence and Achievement Dinner (LEAD) on April 3, the UC Irvine School of Education proudly celebrated two standout honorees: Associate Professor Andres Bustamante, recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Mentorship Award, and Ph.D. student Santiago Ojeda-Ramirez, honored with a Student Achievement Award.

Dr. Bustamante was recognized for his exceptional commitment to mentoring Latine students and junior faculty, and for his broader impact on the UC Irvine community. Since 2018, he has mentored 16 Ph.D. students and more than 60 undergraduates—many from Latine backgrounds—and has led community-engaged research with the Santa Ana Unified School District, designing playful STEM games with teachers and Spanish-speaking families. His mentees describe his mentorship as empowering and transformative. 

As Ph.D. student Vanessa Bermudez, who nominated him for the award, shared: “From the start of my graduate studies, he encouraged me to contribute to submissions, and by my second year, he empowered me to lead a symposium submission for a major conference. His belief in my abilities and the opportunities he provided increased my confidence and ultimately inspired me to pursue—and secure—a faculty position.”

Santiago Ojeda-Ramirez (left) and Andres Bustamante

Ojeda-Ramirez, originally from Bogotá, Colombia, was honored with the Student Achievement Award for his innovative research that integrates computing education into the humanities and supports second language acquisition. His work reflects a deep commitment to educational equity, inclusion, and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

We are proud to recognize Dr. Bustamante and Santiago as inspiring leaders whose mentorship and scholarship are shaping the future of education at UCI and beyond.