Julie Lopez Figueroa

Julie López Figueroa is a professor of Ethnic Studies at Sacramento State University. She also holds faculty affiliation with the Doctoral Educational Leadership Program at Sacramento State. With a focus on retention, her qualitative research focuses on access and success of first generation students within higher education, specifically Latino males. She is recognized as one of the earliest contributors informing and framing the body of knowledge examining the academic success of Latino males in higher education. Julie is particularly interested in understanding how teaching and learning in diverse classroom settings can contribute towards institutional retention efforts. In terms of making college accessible to minority and underrepresented communities, Julie has served as the Faculty Fieldtrip Coordinator for the 65th Street Corridor Community Collaborative Project for the last 11 years. Overall, her teaching, research and scholarship have earned her numerous distinctions at local, state, and national levels. Currently, Julie serves as the Associate Editor for the Association of Mexican American Educators (AMAE) Journal and a Research and Faculty Affiliate of Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success). Julie completed her doctoral studies in Education from the University of California, Berkeley; a M.A. in Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz; and her B.A. in Sociology and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Davis.