Lily E. Espinoza, Ed.D. – Former DVC liberal studies student


Lily Espinoza, dark haired woman smiling “Since DVC, I have concentrated on the issue of Latina community college student success. Having been a transfer student myself from DVC to U.C. Berkeley, I’m fascinated with the community college transfer process. While I was employed as a Transfer Center Director, I was dismayed to learn that many students reach transfer eligible status at community college but fail to transfer.

I continued my studies and wrote my first book Not Getting Stuck: Success stories on being Latina and transferring from a California community college, set for release in April 2017. In this book, I explore the lives of nine Latina community college students as they complete the transfer process from the community college to university. Students discuss the factors that led to their personal and academic success. Each unique story highlights the importance of perseverance, self-determination, and institutional support in reaching goals.

I’m currently an instructor in the Upward Bound program at Mills College in Oakland, CA. I received my B.A. in Women’s Studies from UC Berkeley, M.A. in Student Personnel Administration from Columbia University, and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fullerton. In addition, I completed graduate work in teacher education at University of Southern California.”