Darsella Vigil is a PhD student in the Higher Education program at the University of Denver, where she currently works in the Office of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence and teaches in the Graduate School of Social Work. Darsella earned her master’s degree in educational leadership, policy, and advocacy at New York University, where she worked for the Higher Education Opportunity Programs, providing academic support to historically underrepresented students. As a first-generation college student herself, Darsella’s research interests include examining issues of access, persistence, outcomes, and equity for first-generation, low-income, immigrant, and undocumented students of color. She employs mixed methodologies and utilizes critical theoretical frameworks to evaluate and inform higher educational policies directly impacting marginalized communities. Darsella was a recipient of the Channing Briggs Small Research grant through NASPA and was awarded Research Impact 2016 by DU’s College of Education Student Association for her work on institutionalizing support for undocumented students.
