Sandra is a higher education senior research analyst who researches various topics, such as accessibility and cost of attendance. She also analyzes large data sets and creates easy-to-read data visualizations.
Prior to joining EdTrust, she aided in research at San Diego Mesa College through focus groups, surveying students, and helping implement bills. During the pandemic, Sandra assisted the California Community College system by transcribing the Chancellor’s statewide emergency meetings and making them available to Guided Pathways leaders around the state.
As a native of San Diego, California, Sandra holds a degree in Mathematics and Scientific Computation from the University of California Davis.
Favorite Sports Team
San Diego Padres
What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
I do math for fun the same way people read books.
Why are you passionate about working at Ed Trust?
The people who work for EdTrust understand various challenges that can occur throughout educational journeys because many of us have lived them. I feel so lucky to be able to use my passion for mathematics and equity every day. Taking from my lived experience and using my computational skills to reveal insights into policies that affect students every day is so rewarding.
Author Archives
How Emergency Relief Funding Helped Students Stay in College During the Pandemic
Two EdTrust briefs paint a clearer picture of how federal emergency relief funding impacted college students and provide recommendations for improving future aid funding
Understanding the Full Cost of Short-Term Credentials
Interest in short-term credentials is surging but their value is mixed. More research is needed to assess their effectiveness.
Under-Representation of Black, Latino, and Native American Undergraduates at Four-Year Universities: A Nationwide View
Our analysis of college access for undergraduate students from seven different races/ethnicities across the nation’s four-year higher education institutions provide a holistic set of data about how students of various races and ethnicities experience college access.
‘Segregation Forever’? Private Universities Haven’t Increased Diversity in the Past 20 Years. What Now?
As an accompaniment to our analysis of Black student enrollment, EdTrust explored enrollment for Latino students at the nation’s 122 most selective private four-year colleges and universities.
A Map of Anti-DEI Efforts on College Campuses Across the U.S.
Threats to DEI are only growing stronger, with continued plans to introduce bills in the next legislative session, and attacks occurring on the accreditation front. Use our interactive dashboard to keep track of the evolving attacks on DEI across the states.
Segregation Forever: Private Universities Haven’t Leveraged Race-Conscious Admissions to Increase Diversity. What Now?
The Supreme Court has banned the use of race-conscious practices in college admissions. However, enrollment at selective public institutions and selective private institutions has never reflected the diversity of states…