The AZ HSI Consortium is pleased to announce the Comunidad, Cultura y Conexión in Building HSI Servingness: Serving-With For Transforming NAU's College of Education as an inaugural AZ HSI G.A.T.E. Funding Opportunities Awardee. After careful review from colleagues across the state of AZ, Comunidad, Cultura y Conexión in Building HSI Servingness: Serving-With For Transforming NAU's College of Education was shown to be an effective program in identifying barriers to and within higher education for Latinx learners, engaging in institutional problem solving, and implementing solutions that support Latinx learner success while successfully documenting how change at their Arizona HSI was implemented.
Please read below to learn more about Comunidad, Cultura y Conexión in Building HSI Servingness: Serving-With For Transforming NAU's College of Education.
Project Abstract:
Building on the concepts of HSI servingness and HSI consciousness, this proposal aims to create a Serving-with model to engage Latine students in coauthoring our HSI’s identity. This initiative has the potential to establish a democratic partnership with Latine students, empowering them to lead efforts involving peers and stakeholders in community forums to discuss and shape what servingness means at NAU’s College of Education. Ultimately, it will generate student engagement and agency to recommend actionable goals that define Servingness at our institution.
Project Objectives:
1.Empower Student Leadership: Identify and support student leaders connecting with their communities and co-author research on NAU's HSI identity.
2.Mentorship for Planning: Mentor students to conduct research tailored to unique geographical and socio cultural contexts.
3.Mentor Students in Research: Guide students in effectively conducting research.
4.Data Synthesis for Recommendations: Develop actionable recommendations for the university to reshape its servingness identity.
This initiative builds on the previous efforts of the NAU College of Education HSI Task Force. Recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient, we emphasize the importance of engaging students as critical contributors to the mission of HSIs. It is grounded as an act of restorative justice and decolonization. We seek AZ HSI Consortium Seed Grant funding to support this research.
Claudia Rodas, Northern Arizona University, Educational Specialties
Dr. Claudia Rodas is an Associate Teaching Professor and Lead Faculty for NAU’s Online Special and Elementary Education Program. A first-generation college graduate, she is deeply committed to mentoring and preparing future educators while championing inclusive and equitable practices in education. As an HSI Curricular Liaison, Dr. Rodas leads initiatives that enhance access, retention, and degree attainment for underrepresented students, particularly Hispanic/Latine and low-income populations. She plays a pivotal role in addressing systemic barriers through culturally responsive program development, institutional support, and innovative strategies that strengthen pathways to higher education across statewide and online campuses. Through her multifaceted roles, Dr. Rodas continues to advance NAU’s mission of serving diverse student populations and preparing educators to create lasting, positive impacts in their communities.
Carmen Arciniega, Northern Arizona University, Teaching and Learning Center
Carmen X. Arciniega Avila is a graduate student obtaining two master’s Degrees in ESL and Bilingual Education and Special Education while serving as a full-time staff member for NAU’s Early Learning Development Center. Serving as a mentor teacher, Carmen follows an inquiry-based approach to create an authentic learning environment that supports inclusion, pedagogy, and culturally relevant materials suited for students and families. Carmen creates awareness for future educators, young learners, and professional staff in enforcing the importance of cultura y lenguaje in an early childhood setting.
Heather Lindfors Navarro, Northern Arizona University, Teaching and Learning
Dr. Heather Lindfors-Navarro, Assistant Professor, Mathematics Education, is an elementary mathematics education scholar whose work centers children’s mathematical ideas within a complex educational system, particularly Latinx and Indigenous children. She teaches and researches mathematics instruction that is responsive to children’s mathematical thinking. Dr. Lindfors-Navarro has spent two decades working with Latinx and Indigenous communities, first as an elementary school teacher and a mathematics specialist and now as an assistant professor in mathematics education.
Alma Sandigo, Northern Arizona University, NAU Yuma
Alma Montemayor-Sándigo, Ed.D. is an Associate Teaching Professor at Northern Arizona University-Yuma, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, where she specializes in Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language (ESL) theories and methodologies for undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates. Her passion for advancing effective teaching practices for diverse students is central to her involvement in the Yuma K-20 educational community, where she engages in consulting, community service, and research partnerships. At Northern Arizona University, Dr. Sándigo is actively involved in initiatives aimed at enhancing instructional practices and supporting academic English development for Latino students in higher education. She has also made significant contributions to several committees and task forces for the Arizona Office of English Language Acquisition. In addition, Dr. Sándigo is the Past President and a dedicated supporter of the Arizona Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (AZTESOL) Association.
Cynthia Villarreal, Northern Arizona University, Educational Leadership
Dr. Cynthia D. Villarreal is an Assistant Professor at Northern Arizona University in Educational Leadership. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Her research program examines the borderlands of higher education, Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), organizational culture, and faculty decision-making. Her scholarship weaves together interdisciplinary and intersectional frameworks to critique higher education by interrogating the policies and culture within colleges and universities.
Gerald Wood, Northern Arizona University, Educational Leadership
Dr. Gerald Wood is an Associate Professor in Educational Foundations in the Department of Educational Leadership. His research focuses on critical geographies of/in education and community organizing. He is particular interested in the the production and transformation of educational spaces into more just and equitable spaces.
