Valerie Gomez came on board as a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the Pullias Center for Higher Education in 2025, shortly after graduating with her PhD in education from the University of California, San Diego. Drawn to the Pullias Center at the USC Rossier School of Education for its reputation for producing some of the world’s best research on higher education, Gomez was eager to gain the experience needed to take the next step in her academic career. In this interview, Gomez discusses life as a postdoctoral fellow, her current research and the social media platform she created to provide a space for first-generation college students like herself.
You started working with the Pullias Center for Higher Education in January 2025 as a Provost Postdoctoral Fellow. What made you want to work at the Pullias Center?
As I was getting ready to graduate with my PhD, I began reflecting on where I wanted to be after graduation. I envisioned continuing to build on my dissertation research in an institution where I felt supported and welcomed. I was also seeking a mentor to guide me through the next stage of my academic career. I was particularly drawn to the Pullias Center because of its reputation as one of the world’s leading research centers in higher education, as well as the opportunity to work with my mentor, Associate Professor of Education. Adrian H. Huerta.
Can you tell us about the projects you’re currently working on at the Pullias Center?
I am currently working on several projects, including a study funded by the Spencer Foundation titled “Intergenerational Trauma, War, Migration, and Education: How Salvadoran Immigrant Mothers Shape the College Aspirations of Their Daughters.” This project explores how Salvadoran mothers use storytelling as a pedagogical tool to share war- and migration-related trauma with their daughters. My goal is to examine how different levels of exposure to these narratives shape second-generation experiences, as well as how storytelling functions as a resilience-building mechanism.
I am also conducting a longitudinal study of formerly undocumented college students who are now adults. Some have adjusted their immigration status, while others continue to navigate adulthood as undocumented immigrants. This work focuses on how their experiences have evolved across changing immigration policy contexts.
Finally, I am engaged in social impact work through my platform, Latina Grad Guide. Through this platform, I share resources and guidance to help first-generation Latinas navigate college and graduate school. I also lead a scholarship program in collaboration with the TELACU Education Foundation.
What are your goals in academia, and how do you think your time at the Pullias Center will help you reach them?
My primary goal is to create a positive impact in my community by making higher education more accessible to students who have historically been excluded from these opportunities. I hope to become a professor who helps positively shape student experiences while continuing to build my research agenda and, eventually, establishing my own research center.
My time at the Pullias Center has been really transformative. I have been learning a lot about what it means to be a full-time professor, developing the skills needed to be a competitive applicant, and gaining a deeper understanding of myself as an emerging scholar.
Being a postdoc can be a sort of liminal space for early-career scholars as they gain experience and define their research paths. Why do you think this period is such an essential part of an academic career?
I feel very grateful to have been selected as a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow. It has given me the time and space to reflect on my identity as an emerging scholar, refine and further develop my research agenda, and deepen my exploration of my scholarly interests in a more intentional way. It has also allowed me to continue building the skills necessary for a future faculty role, including strengthening my writing, expanding my methodological approaches, and engaging more deeply in scholarly conversations.
This postdoctoral period has been instrumental in shaping my growth as a scholar and preparing me for the next stage of my academic career. Having dedicated time to focus without the immediate pressures of other roles has enabled me to generate new ideas and think more critically and expansively about my work.
Your research explores methods to advance access to higher education for first-generation students, students of color and those from working-class backgrounds. What do you think is most misunderstood about first-generation students?
A common myth about first-generation students is that they don’t have familial support, but that really couldn’t be further from the truth. While some parents may not have attended college in the U.S. and may have different educational experiences from their home countries, they still often draw on those experiences in meaningful ways to support their children.
Many parents actively encourage their kids to pursue higher education and see it as a way to create more opportunities. They offer emotional support, practical advice and tangible help, even if they aren’t fully familiar with the U.S. college system. Parents also often play an important role as connectors, linking their children to friends, coworkers and community members whose children have gone to college. In so doing, they’re helping their children access information and guidance they might not otherwise have.
You are a first-generation student yourself who began your higher education journey at Cerritos College. Community colleges like Cerritos College are the primary entry point to higher education for Californians, but student persistence has been a challenge for the schools. What kinds of support do you think would help students stay on track to graduate or transfer to a four-year college?
I think students would benefit from greater clarity on transfer pathways early on, greater access to financial resources, and stronger academic counseling support, which likely requires additional funding for these institutions.
When I was in community college, I remember being overwhelmed by the long lines at the counseling center that stretched out the door. I ended up wandering around campus and eventually stumbled upon the career center, where I asked whether the career counselor also provided academic advising. She did, and she ended up helping me figure out my path and guiding me in the right direction. That experience really showed me how critical accessible, timely advising is for keeping students on track to graduate or transfer.
You earned your bachelor’s degree in anthropology from UCLA. How has your training in anthropology impacted the way you approach your research in education?
I chose anthropology as my major because I’ve always been fascinated by people, their culture, language, and how societies emerge and evolve over time. That training really shaped how I think as a researcher. It cultivated my intellectual curiosity and, more importantly, taught me how to ask meaningful questions and use research to explore them in a thoughtful way.
I also think it laid a strong foundation for my work in education research. It has influenced not just how I approach research, but also the kinds of questions I ask. For example, I’m especially drawn to stories and storytelling as both a method and a way of understanding people’s lived experiences, particularly in educational contexts.
As you’ve worked with Salvadoran immigrants and their daughters, have there been any particular themes or patterns that have emerged in how they think about or approach higher education?
I think immigrant parents are often framed through a deficit lens, and that perspective really overlooks the richness of their experiences and the ways those experiences shape how they think about education and support their children. In my work, I try to center the relationship between mothers and daughters and make sure mothers’ voices are included as central participants in the research.
What I’ve found is that mothers, both intentionally and sometimes in more subtle ways, use a range of strategies to cultivate college-going aspirations in their daughters. Many see higher education as a pathway to upward economic mobility, but also as a way for their daughters to gain independence and autonomy. At the same time, I’ve also learned about the pressure daughters can feel to succeed, and how they navigate and negotiate those expectations within their relationships with their mothers.
Through this work, I aim to challenge the assumption that Latino parents are not engaged in or supportive of their children’s education. Instead, I aim to highlight the educational investment that exists within these families.
You created Latina Grad Guide, a social media platform that supports and guides Latinas and first-generation students through higher education. What inspired you to start the platform, and what has been most surprising to you about the experience of running it?
Both my personal and professional experiences inspired me to create Latina Grad Guide. As a first-generation student, I struggled to navigate the educational system on my own with very little guidance. I often felt frustrated, wishing there were more accessible resources to help make the process clearer. The year I launched my platform, I was also working as a university counselor and coordinator, where I noticed similar patterns. Many first-gen students were navigating college without adequate information or support. While I felt I was making an impact in my one-on-one work with students, I wanted to create something that could reach and support a much broader community.
What has surprised me most is the scale of impact and the community that has grown around the platform. I didn’t anticipate how many individuals would connect with the content or how many opportunities would come from it. One of the most meaningful has been the opportunity to establish a scholarship program in collaboration with the TELACU Education Foundation. To date, we’ve awarded $45,000 to help graduate students cover tuition, books, research, and other expenses. I’ve also been invited to share my story across the country and contribute to conversations about supporting the next generation of scholars.
Adrian H. Huerta
- Associate Professor of Education
