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Nicole Contreras-García is an assistant professor of higher education leadership at Â鶹¾«Æ·ÊÓƵ. Nicole uses qualitative and mixed methods to elevate community college students’ assets, experiences, and outcomes, and to explore how institutions and educators enact change toward equitable student support and success. Her passion for community colleges stems from her time as a student at Río Hondo College and working with community colleges as a student assistant and mentor. Nicole transferred from Río Hondo to UCLA, where she received her B.A. in Sociology and was a McNair Research Scholar. She then received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Her research experience spans independent and collaborative projects focused on community college students’ experiences and institutional conditions that influence their success. She has examined the opportunities and challenges faced by community college re-entry programs in supporting formerly incarcerated students during and post-COVID-19, as well as topics related to student mental health and equitable transfer partnerships. Nicole’s independent and collaborative work has been published in Teachers College Record, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, and New Directions for Community Colleges. Nicole’s ongoing commitment to advancing humanizing and student-centered college structures will be carried forward through close collaboration with community college partners, their students, faculty, and staff.