Research Associate

Angel L. Velez, M.A., is a Ph.D. candidate in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with a concentration in History of Education and a graduate minor in Latina/o Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He is currently a Diversifying Faculty in Illinois Fellow, a 2021 Surge Institute Fellow, and a 2020 Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Fellow. He is interested in contemporary and historical Latino student activism in higher education, Minority-Serving Institution’s organizational culture, and critical issues of race, gender, and class.

For the past three years, Angel has served as a Research Associate in the Office of Community College Research and Leadership at UIUC. The first project, Hispanic-Serving Community Colleges STEM Pipelines, is an NSF-funded project looking at racially minoritized students in STEM pathways. Under this scope of work, Angel has co-written several research briefs and is currently preparing peer-reviewed publications based on this work. He has also presented at national, regional, and local conferences.

Angel has won numerous fellowships and awards, particularly around teaching excellence and commitment to racial justice. He earned a master’s degree in Higher Education Leadership and a bachelor’s degree in Justice Studies from Northeastern Illinois University. Angel is a proud product of Wilbur Wright College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, where he received an associate degree. 

Education

• Ph.D. Candidate, Educational Organization and Leadership with concentrations in History of Education and Latina/o Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• M.A., Higher Education Leadership
• B.A., Justice Studies