Praxis at UC Berkeley
The HEART lab serves as a hub for knowledge, community action, and praxis through community partnerships and coalition at UC Berkeley.
Latinx Thriving Initiatives
Dr. Garcia currently serves as UC Berkeley’s inaugural Faculty Director of Latinx Thriving Initiatives (LTI) within the Division of Equity & Inclusion. In this role she provides visionary leadership to advance UC Berkeley’s commitment to transforming into a Latinx thriving university. She works closely with the Associate Vice Chancellor of Community Engagement and Transformative Care to envision an inclusive academic environment that promotes equity for Latinx students. She is a member of the LTI Advisory Board (2025-2026) and served as tri-chair (2024-2025) where she guided members in understanding servingness as a construct and provided a theoretical foundation for our transformation work on campus. Her main role as faculty director is to support the development of a research agenda for the campus that informs thriving efforts.
As part of this role she is the PI for the “Indicators of Thriving for Latinx Students at an Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution: Meeting their Essential Needs” funded by a competitive grant from the Center for Economic Justice and Action. With this project she works closely with Dr. Andrew Eppig, Director of Equity Data Initiatives in E&I, and a team of student researchers to understand the ways Latinx students engage with essential needs and their connected outcomes.
Dr. Garcia also engaged 25 undergraduate students enrolled in EDUC 167 Higher Education Policy in a Participatory Action Research project where they explored what it means for UC Berkeley to become an HSI, AANAPISI, and Black Serving Institution. More on the outcomes of the project can be found here. Research conducted through the HEART Lab directly informs the LTI faculty director role.
LTI Advisory Board
Members of the HEART Lab, including Alexis Meza, Nathaly Santos, Cassandra Yee, and Deya Chic, currently serve or have served on UC Berkeley’s Latinx Thriving Initiatives (LTI) Advisory Board. The LTI Advisory Board serves as a key stakeholder and advisory body that helps guide the university’s efforts to advance Latinx thriving and the broader Thriving Initiatives. Building on the legacy of the Chicanx/Latinx Standing Committee, the Advisory Board provides strategic input on policies, programming, and initiatives that impact the success of Latinx students, faculty, and staff utilizing the servingness framework. Members of the board advise LTI leadership, consult with campus and community stakeholders, and act as ambassadors and change agents within their respective roles. The board also supports collaboration across Latinx-focused organizations, endorses meaningful programming, and elevates messaging that promotes a culture of thriving on campus. In addition, it develops new initiatives aligned with Thriving priorities and provides accountability and guidance for academic programs, research, and community partnerships. The HEART Lab’s research directly informs our involvement in the LTI Advisory Board.
Diversity & Community Fellows
The Diversity & Community Fellows supports graduate students committed to cultivating an inclusive learning community at UC Berkeley by enriching the cultural, academic, and professional experiences of historically underrepresented graduate students. Prospective and current students are encouraged to meet one-on-one with Fellows to discuss graduate pathways and available campus resources.
Within the HEART Lab, several Fellows advance this mission through the Latinx Thriving Initiative, serving on both the Student Advisory Board and Faculty Advisory Board. Their work strengthens campus efforts to promote equity and inclusion for Hispanic/Latine graduate students. Through research, mentorship, and campus engagement, Fellows help shape institutional practices that foster supportive and inclusive environments.
Casa Magdalena Mora Theme Program
Under the leadership and guidance of the Chicanx Latinx Student Development Office, the CASA Magdalena Mora Theme Program is the largest first-year Chicanx/Latinx undergraduate retention program at UC Berkeley. Named in memory of Magdalena Mora, a UC Berkeley Chicana activist, CASA serves as a critical entrada to university life, academic success, and civic engagement for Chicanx/Latinx identifying students.
As an emerging Hispanic Serving Research Institution, CASA yields high interest and high impact for UC Berkeley students, demonstrating its commitment towards establishing a culture of servingness. In collaboration with the community and campus partners, CASA’s mission is to keep Magadalena Mora’s legacy alive by creating a safe, welcoming, and Chicanx- and Latinx-affirming space where students successfully transition into the UC Berkeley comunidad. Currently, Alexis Meza and Valeria Paunetto serve as facilitators and mentors for Casa Mora, extending our research and reach to current undergraduate students.
Chicanx Latinx Student Development Office & Latinx Student Resource Center
The Chicanx Latinx Student Development Office (CLSD) at UC Berkeley is a space conceptualized and created by Chicanx/Latinx students, staff/faculty, and community members in the late 1980s. The CLSD office is student-centered, staff-led, and community-supported. Historically, CLSD has been a cornerstone for Chicanx/Latinx student success at UC Berkeley. In 2022, CLSD expanded its organization by opening the Latinx Student Resource Center (LSRC), a physical space dedicated to the academic, social, emotional, cultural, and professional development of Latinx-identifying students at UC Berkeley. CLSD and LSRC are offices that are grounded in the Latine comunidad and student experience. Members of the HEART Lab engage with CLSD and LSRC in ways that inform our research and the ways we think about servingness.
DSP Graduate Student Support Program
The Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) serves both undergraduate and graduate students, but has historically underserved graduate students. Starting in the Fall of 2024, the DSP collaborated with the Graduate Division Professional Development Hub to launch a service designed specifically for minoritized graduate students. This service aims to support executive functioning skills while addressing the intersecting identities of graduate students with dis/abilities and other dimensions of identity. Through this work, we offer one-on-one support, presentations, and support networks through identity-centered and culturally responsive practices. Cassandra Yee works directly with DSP and ensures that the HEART Lab considers dis/ability and mental health as intersecting dimensions of our research.