Women’s History Month: Honoring Five Incredible Changemakers in Education
By Christine Byrd
March 10, 2025
March 10, 2025
Each day, faculty, staff and students in the UC Irvine School of Education work hard to shape the future of education. In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting five remarkable women – from an aspiring teacher to a nationally-recognized researcher – who are making profound impacts through their teaching, research, mentorship, outreach and support.
Ph.D. student Lourdes Acevedo-Farag
Supporting Math Skills for Future STEM Success
On Lourdes Acevedo-Farag’s first day as a pre-med student, she was stunned when the chemistry professor skipped over slides, telling the lecture hall full of students, “You should have learned this all in AP chemistry.” Quickly, she realized that was true for most of her peers, but her high school had not even offered AP chemistry.
“I was in quicksand,” Acevedo-Farag said. “As I continued, my experiences kept accentuating differences in educational access based on socioeconomic status, and I started getting more and more motivated to do something about it – even if only in a molecular way.”
Eventually, Acevedo-Farag decided to become an educator with the goal of ensuring public school students would not feel underprepared for college. She spent 13 years teaching K-8 students in low-income communities in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and eventually Orange County, where she settled into teaching middle school math – where she felt she could make the biggest impact on their future success in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
In 2018, she was teaching middle school math students at El Sol Academy in Santa Ana, Calif., when Andres Bustamante, associate professor of education at UC Irvine, embarked on a collaboration with teachers there to develop a play-based math game that eventually became known as Fraction Ball. The project sparked something for Acevedo-Farag. Throughout her teacher training, she had felt frustrated by the gap between educational theory and her classroom experiences.
“I kept thinking, this is not made for kids like me. It’s not relevant to the students that I was trying to teach,” she said. “I was so frustrated that a lot of the education research being done back then seemed to dismiss entire populations of people that we had in the U.S.”
Suddenly, she saw UCI researchers engaging in a different kind of research process – a collaborative partnership that could help teachers like her and empower students to see themselves as capable mathematicians. Acevedo-Farag ultimately enrolled in a graduate program in education at UCI. Now, as a third-year Ph.D. student, she contributes to both Bustamante’s STEM Learning Lab and the Daplab, directed by professor June Ahn.
Her research includes developing practical techniques to help educators implement Fraction Ball, and understanding the thought processes students and teachers employ – from the underlying theoretical methods teachers use as they try to engage their entire class, to how students are recruiting one another’s executive function skills as they work together on the basketball court.
“Being pushed out of the pre-med track in college has motivated me to support students in Brown and Black communities in their foundational STEM learning,” she said. “And through my teaching career, I realized the math pathway is a key to their STEM success.”
Acevedo-Farag recently heard from one of her former math students: he’s studying structural engineering at UC San Diego now, and never would have seen himself as a “math person” without her support. She hopes, through both research and teaching, to reach even more students like him on their educational journey.
Lifting Up Bilingual and First-Generation Students
Katherine Blanco is a fourth-year education science major making the most of every opportunity to prepare for a career in education – working with preschool, elementary and high school students while also conducting research, and mentoring incoming Anteaters.
On Lourdes Acevedo-Farag’s first day as a pre-med student, she was stunned when the chemistry professor skipped over slides, telling the lecture hall full of students, “You should have learned this all in AP chemistry.” Quickly, she realized that was true for most of her peers, but her high school had not even offered AP chemistry.
“I was in quicksand,” Acevedo-Farag said. “As I continued, my experiences kept accentuating differences in educational access based on socioeconomic status, and I started getting more and more motivated to do something about it – even if only in a molecular way.”
Eventually, Acevedo-Farag decided to become an educator with the goal of ensuring public school students would not feel underprepared for college. She spent 13 years teaching K-8 students in low-income communities in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and eventually Orange County, where she settled into teaching middle school math – where she felt she could make the biggest impact on their future success in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
In 2018, she was teaching middle school math students at El Sol Academy in Santa Ana, Calif., when Andres Bustamante, associate professor of education at UC Irvine, embarked on a collaboration with teachers there to develop a play-based math game that eventually became known as Fraction Ball. The project sparked something for Acevedo-Farag. Throughout her teacher training, she had felt frustrated by the gap between educational theory and her classroom experiences.
“I kept thinking, this is not made for kids like me. It’s not relevant to the students that I was trying to teach,” she said. “I was so frustrated that a lot of the education research being done back then seemed to dismiss entire populations of people that we had in the U.S.”
Suddenly, she saw UCI researchers engaging in a different kind of research process – a collaborative partnership that could help teachers like her and empower students to see themselves as capable mathematicians. Acevedo-Farag ultimately enrolled in a graduate program in education at UCI. Now, as a third-year Ph.D. student, she contributes to both Bustamante’s STEM Learning Lab and the Daplab, directed by professor June Ahn.
Her research includes developing practical techniques to help educators implement Fraction Ball, and understanding the thought processes students and teachers employ – from the underlying theoretical methods teachers use as they try to engage their entire class, to how students are recruiting one another’s executive function skills as they work together on the basketball court.
“Being pushed out of the pre-med track in college has motivated me to support students in Brown and Black communities in their foundational STEM learning,” she said. “And through my teaching career, I realized the math pathway is a key to their STEM success.”
Acevedo-Farag recently heard from one of her former math students: he’s studying structural engineering at UC San Diego now, and never would have seen himself as a “math person” without her support. She hopes, through both research and teaching, to reach even more students like him on their educational journey.
Lifting Up Bilingual and First-Generation Students
Katherine Blanco is a fourth-year education science major making the most of every opportunity to prepare for a career in education – working with preschool, elementary and high school students while also conducting research, and mentoring incoming Anteaters.
Education Science undergraduate student Katherine Blanco
“I know that I want to work with kids, so it's about maximizing every opportunity I have to do so while I’m at UC Irvine,” Blanco said.
As a teacher’s assistant at the UCI Childcare Center, Blanco works with preschool-age children to develop their language and social skills. There, she sees learners blossom and change at a remarkable pace – like the child who spoke no English at first, but within a matter of days was demonstrating new language skills and building friendships with classmates.
“I started working there because I wanted the practical experience, and I’ve fallen in love with it completely,” she said. “That’s verified that I really do want to work with little kids.”
After graduating in June, she hopes to enroll in a master’s program or go directly into teaching through a non-profit placement program.
Having grown up speaking both Spanish and English, Blanco is especially interested in bilingual education. Currently, she tutors kindergarten and first grade students at a dual immersion elementary school in Tustin, through a School of Education field work course. Additionally, through the Human Abilities in Bilingual Language Acquisition (HABLA) Lab, Blanco is helping graduate student Joseph Lam develop a series of first grade math picture books that are culturally relevant for Latinx students. She’s helping develop vocabulary lists and original stories that tell math problems with examples that feel familiar and accessible to Spanish-speaking children.
Blanco also conducts field work with Santa Ana high school students through Math CEO, helping teach data science and coding skills through afterschool programs. As a first generation college student, Blanco sees a lot of herself in these high schoolers, and she encourages them to envision themselves as belonging at a university.
“It feels like such a full circle moment when they change from thinking they don’t belong here to actually seeing themselves at UCI or another university,” she said. “That’s really heartwarming to me.”
When she’s not working with preK-12th grade students, Blanco is supporting her fellow Anteaters. She serves as academic chair of the UCI student organization Hermanas Unidas, organizing study groups and guest lectures while fostering a sense of community. She also serves as a peer mentor in the School of Education, helping other first-gen education majors as they navigate their first year at the university – answering questions about everything from research opportunities and field work to on-campus housing and course selection. To her, this is just one more way to reach back and support others on a journey similar to her own.
“I understand where they’re coming from,” she said. “And I want to try to give back.”
Enhancing Higher Education Access and Success
As a teacher’s assistant at the UCI Childcare Center, Blanco works with preschool-age children to develop their language and social skills. There, she sees learners blossom and change at a remarkable pace – like the child who spoke no English at first, but within a matter of days was demonstrating new language skills and building friendships with classmates.
“I started working there because I wanted the practical experience, and I’ve fallen in love with it completely,” she said. “That’s verified that I really do want to work with little kids.”
After graduating in June, she hopes to enroll in a master’s program or go directly into teaching through a non-profit placement program.
Having grown up speaking both Spanish and English, Blanco is especially interested in bilingual education. Currently, she tutors kindergarten and first grade students at a dual immersion elementary school in Tustin, through a School of Education field work course. Additionally, through the Human Abilities in Bilingual Language Acquisition (HABLA) Lab, Blanco is helping graduate student Joseph Lam develop a series of first grade math picture books that are culturally relevant for Latinx students. She’s helping develop vocabulary lists and original stories that tell math problems with examples that feel familiar and accessible to Spanish-speaking children.
Blanco also conducts field work with Santa Ana high school students through Math CEO, helping teach data science and coding skills through afterschool programs. As a first generation college student, Blanco sees a lot of herself in these high schoolers, and she encourages them to envision themselves as belonging at a university.
“It feels like such a full circle moment when they change from thinking they don’t belong here to actually seeing themselves at UCI or another university,” she said. “That’s really heartwarming to me.”
When she’s not working with preK-12th grade students, Blanco is supporting her fellow Anteaters. She serves as academic chair of the UCI student organization Hermanas Unidas, organizing study groups and guest lectures while fostering a sense of community. She also serves as a peer mentor in the School of Education, helping other first-gen education majors as they navigate their first year at the university – answering questions about everything from research opportunities and field work to on-campus housing and course selection. To her, this is just one more way to reach back and support others on a journey similar to her own.
“I understand where they’re coming from,” she said. “And I want to try to give back.”
Enhancing Higher Education Access and Success
Assistant Professor Lena Shi
From the time of her first education research project in college, Lena Shi has been curious about how to reduce barriers to higher education. After speaking with hundreds of college employees – from custodial to library staff – about their concerns for their children’s college prospects, she learned that college could feel out of reach, even for those who worked on a campus every day.
Now, as an assistant professor of education policy & program evaluation, Shi aims to make college more accessible and transformative for all students through her research and teaching. Much of her work has been influenced by her early policymaking experiences. As a researcher and Presidential Management Fellow in the U.S. Department of Education, she helped develop the college rating system that eventually became the College Scorecard, which published data including earnings and student debt for every college with the goal of improving college choices and outcomes. Then, as a policy advisor to President Barack Obama at the White House, Shi helped design and implement initiatives such as America’s College Promise, which aimed to make college more affordable and improve graduation rates.
“These experiences highlighted how important it is for data and research to inform policy decisions,” said Shi. “There are many challenges in higher education – but it’s not always clear how to solve them.”
Recognizing the need for data-driven solutions, Shi pursued her Ph.D. from Harvard University, combining training in economics and education, and then joined the UCI School of Education in fall 2024. Her ongoing research projects follow two main threads: college access and college quality.
One question she’s exploring is how the pandemic-era shift to test-optional college admissions impacted college application and enrollment choices. In this study, Shi and her colleagues analyzed Common Application data and found that removing the standardized test requirement may not have produced all the intended results.
“Although some might claim that these policies aim to expand college access, we did not see more applications to elite colleges – especially among lower income, first generation or minoritized students,” Shi said. Instead, application rates to less selective colleges increased, particularly among high-performing students. “It’s possible that students recognized the increased competition and uncertainty in college admissions when tests became optional.”
Shi is also interested in identifying factors that help students succeed in college. One of her recent studies found that students’ likelihood of completing their degree – and even their earnings – were impacted by the quality of the instructor in their developmental math and English courses. This suggests that policymakers should focus more on supporting and recruiting effective faculty. She is also evaluating the impact of the federal food stamp program, SNAP, on college students’ academic performance and employment outcomes. An estimated 3 million college students are eligible for SNAP benefits, but just one-third participate in the program. This vastly under-used resource could help alleviate hunger, stress and some of the financial instability that leads some students to drop out of college or put higher education on hold, but little is known about its impact on college students.
With research projects funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, Spencer Foundation, J-PAL North America, and AERA/National Science Foundation) Shi hopes to continue partnering with state higher education systems and colleges to advance research-based policy solutions. Plus, as a faculty member, she is looking forward to teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students to expand the work with their own original research.
“Colleges can lead the way on developing innovative, impactful strategies to address college access and student outcomes,” Shi said. “Working inside a college – especially one like UC Irvine that prioritizes working on these issues – is very exciting.”
Supporting Academic, Career and Personal Growth
Though they didn’t cross paths as undergraduates, Neda Moayedi ’11 and Cecilia Chavez ’12, share a common bond as first-generation college students now dedicated to supporting and uplifting others. Today, they lead the SAGE Scholars Program as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Now, as an assistant professor of education policy & program evaluation, Shi aims to make college more accessible and transformative for all students through her research and teaching. Much of her work has been influenced by her early policymaking experiences. As a researcher and Presidential Management Fellow in the U.S. Department of Education, she helped develop the college rating system that eventually became the College Scorecard, which published data including earnings and student debt for every college with the goal of improving college choices and outcomes. Then, as a policy advisor to President Barack Obama at the White House, Shi helped design and implement initiatives such as America’s College Promise, which aimed to make college more affordable and improve graduation rates.
“These experiences highlighted how important it is for data and research to inform policy decisions,” said Shi. “There are many challenges in higher education – but it’s not always clear how to solve them.”
Recognizing the need for data-driven solutions, Shi pursued her Ph.D. from Harvard University, combining training in economics and education, and then joined the UCI School of Education in fall 2024. Her ongoing research projects follow two main threads: college access and college quality.
One question she’s exploring is how the pandemic-era shift to test-optional college admissions impacted college application and enrollment choices. In this study, Shi and her colleagues analyzed Common Application data and found that removing the standardized test requirement may not have produced all the intended results.
“Although some might claim that these policies aim to expand college access, we did not see more applications to elite colleges – especially among lower income, first generation or minoritized students,” Shi said. Instead, application rates to less selective colleges increased, particularly among high-performing students. “It’s possible that students recognized the increased competition and uncertainty in college admissions when tests became optional.”
Shi is also interested in identifying factors that help students succeed in college. One of her recent studies found that students’ likelihood of completing their degree – and even their earnings – were impacted by the quality of the instructor in their developmental math and English courses. This suggests that policymakers should focus more on supporting and recruiting effective faculty. She is also evaluating the impact of the federal food stamp program, SNAP, on college students’ academic performance and employment outcomes. An estimated 3 million college students are eligible for SNAP benefits, but just one-third participate in the program. This vastly under-used resource could help alleviate hunger, stress and some of the financial instability that leads some students to drop out of college or put higher education on hold, but little is known about its impact on college students.
With research projects funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, Spencer Foundation, J-PAL North America, and AERA/National Science Foundation) Shi hopes to continue partnering with state higher education systems and colleges to advance research-based policy solutions. Plus, as a faculty member, she is looking forward to teaching and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students to expand the work with their own original research.
“Colleges can lead the way on developing innovative, impactful strategies to address college access and student outcomes,” Shi said. “Working inside a college – especially one like UC Irvine that prioritizes working on these issues – is very exciting.”
Supporting Academic, Career and Personal Growth
Though they didn’t cross paths as undergraduates, Neda Moayedi ’11 and Cecilia Chavez ’12, share a common bond as first-generation college students now dedicated to supporting and uplifting others. Today, they lead the SAGE Scholars Program as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Cecilia Chavez (third from left) and Neda Moayedi (fourth from left), assistant director and director of the SAGE Scholars Program
“I see myself in these students,” said Moayedi, director of SAGE Scholars. “When they struggle, I can see myself in a similar struggle and consider what it would look like if I had someone to turn to.”
Moayedi felt like she had no one to guide her when she returned to school following a career in finance, and transferred from a community college to UCI and then pursued graduate school. Chavez, on the other hand, experienced the power of mentorship and support throughout her college journey.
“My parents could not provide advice about the path I was pursuing, so having mentors to guide me allowed me to maximize not only my education but also my career,” Chavez said. “Because of my experience, I wanted to provide the same opportunities and support for other students.”
The SAGE Scholars Program, which stands for Student Achievement Guided by Experience, was created at UCI in 1999 to connect low-income, first-generation college students with a wide range of internships with corporations, nonprofits and research organizations, while preparing them with the skills needed for workplace success. Over the past quarter-century, more than 660 students have become “SAGErs.”
The program provides undergraduates with significant financial need the tools to invest in their future through leadership training, career exploration, graduate school planning, and access to internships and scholarship opportunities, empowering students to unlock their full potential.
Moayedi and Chavez have built a strong bond leading SAGE together over the past six years, describing themselves as “co-creators of success.” They stay connected with the hundreds of students they’ve supported – well after they earn their diplomas. The pair celebrate law school graduations, promotions, weddings and growing families.
“We get the privilege of walking alongside each student on their journey,” said Moayedi.
The pair's complementary skill sets enable them to seamlessly run SAGE, which initially had just 9 students and now serves over 75 annually. Their roles include everything from recruiting and networking with local corporations to secure internship placements for students, to developing the curriculum that prepares the students for success beyond college.
“We create a safe space where students feel comfortable asking us anything—whether academic, professional or personal,” said Moayedi. “This is how we ensure no student falls through the cracks. Whether they’re facing housing or food insecurity, we’re their mentors, and they know they can come to us for support.”
To meet students’ evolving needs, Moayedi and Chavez continuously adapt and refresh the program. For example, they recently added financial literacy to the curriculum in response to student requests. This year, students had speakers tell them not just that they would be able to buy a house, but exactly how to save to make that dream a reality. With their practice of staying connected to their alumni over the years, they will no doubt see this dream come to fruition for their current students.
“Everything is possible when you have the right people. The true privilege is doing this work alongside Cecy,” said Moayedi. “Having a partner I trust completely, whose values align with the mission and vision of the program, is why we've been able to accomplish everything we have. Our shared dedication to supporting students and empowering them to overcome barriers is at the heart of our success.”
Moayedi felt like she had no one to guide her when she returned to school following a career in finance, and transferred from a community college to UCI and then pursued graduate school. Chavez, on the other hand, experienced the power of mentorship and support throughout her college journey.
“My parents could not provide advice about the path I was pursuing, so having mentors to guide me allowed me to maximize not only my education but also my career,” Chavez said. “Because of my experience, I wanted to provide the same opportunities and support for other students.”
The SAGE Scholars Program, which stands for Student Achievement Guided by Experience, was created at UCI in 1999 to connect low-income, first-generation college students with a wide range of internships with corporations, nonprofits and research organizations, while preparing them with the skills needed for workplace success. Over the past quarter-century, more than 660 students have become “SAGErs.”
The program provides undergraduates with significant financial need the tools to invest in their future through leadership training, career exploration, graduate school planning, and access to internships and scholarship opportunities, empowering students to unlock their full potential.
Moayedi and Chavez have built a strong bond leading SAGE together over the past six years, describing themselves as “co-creators of success.” They stay connected with the hundreds of students they’ve supported – well after they earn their diplomas. The pair celebrate law school graduations, promotions, weddings and growing families.
“We get the privilege of walking alongside each student on their journey,” said Moayedi.
The pair's complementary skill sets enable them to seamlessly run SAGE, which initially had just 9 students and now serves over 75 annually. Their roles include everything from recruiting and networking with local corporations to secure internship placements for students, to developing the curriculum that prepares the students for success beyond college.
“We create a safe space where students feel comfortable asking us anything—whether academic, professional or personal,” said Moayedi. “This is how we ensure no student falls through the cracks. Whether they’re facing housing or food insecurity, we’re their mentors, and they know they can come to us for support.”
To meet students’ evolving needs, Moayedi and Chavez continuously adapt and refresh the program. For example, they recently added financial literacy to the curriculum in response to student requests. This year, students had speakers tell them not just that they would be able to buy a house, but exactly how to save to make that dream a reality. With their practice of staying connected to their alumni over the years, they will no doubt see this dream come to fruition for their current students.
“Everything is possible when you have the right people. The true privilege is doing this work alongside Cecy,” said Moayedi. “Having a partner I trust completely, whose values align with the mission and vision of the program, is why we've been able to accomplish everything we have. Our shared dedication to supporting students and empowering them to overcome barriers is at the heart of our success.”
