This week we spotlight the work of Dr. Taryn Ozuna Allen, Project MALES’s first Faculty Affiliate. Dr. Ozuna Allen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, at the University of Texas in Arlington. Dr. Ozuna Allen became a Faculty Affiliate with Project MALES in June 2014. Her research focuses on the educational experiences of under-represented student populations as they transition to four-year institutions.
Recently Dr. Ozuna Allen had the opportunity to participate in the 34th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience, which took place in Dallas a few weeks ago. Dr. Ozuna Allen presented a paper on understanding the first-year experiences and perceptions of sense of belonging among Latino males enrolled in two, four-year Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Texas. Dr. Ozuna Allen described her experience at this event:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the conference. We had great discussion in our session, as well as other sessions I attended. The participants were engaging and dedicated to promoting student success in the first year and beyond. The conference was well attended and well organized. I recommend it to other administrators and researchers”.
Dr. Ozuna Allen also shared that in the future she is interested in expanding her research by developing “a longitudinal study that could follow a cohort of Latino males through their college experience at an HBCU to understand how their campus experiences influenced their long-term career or academic trajectory.”
We are honored to have Dr. Ozuna Allen as our inaugural Project MALES Faculty Affiliate, and we look forward to future research collaborations.
