Diana Hernández, the 2014 Terwilliger Fellow
Thom Terwilliger Higher Education Fellowship
Diana Hernández was the 2014 recipient of the Thom Terwilliger Higher Education Fellowship. Established in 2013 with a gift from Thom Terwilliger, Ed.D. ’92, this fellowship provides resources to supplement graduate assistant packages for full-time doctoral students in the Higher Education Administration program.
As a Terwilliger Fellow, Diana works as a graduate assistant with Drs. Jim Barber and Jamel Donnor in order to collaboratively further their research agendas within the field. She is currently a member of Dr. Barber’s Integration of Learning research team. Some of Diana’s other ongoing qualitative research involvement includes an international research project focused on the Latino student experience within the Italian higher education context, a study on the topic of the ethnic identity development of traditional-aged Latina students, and a collaborative research study on international agents’ support of students from underserved populations at tuition-free institutions.
Originally from Madera, California, Diana attained her bachelor’s degree from Occidental College as well as her master’s from the California School of Professional Psychology. Prior to arriving at William and Mary (W&M) to pursue her doctorate, Diana’s professional experience spanned the higher education landscape at various institutions, with positions ranging from student services and enrollment management consultant to deanof admissions. At W&M, some of her many co-curricular activities include being a member of the William & Mary Educational Review (WMER), the WMER editorial review board, and student conduct council. She also served as a guest speaker on the topic of minorities in higher education during the W&M Latin American Student Union’s 4th Annual Awareness Week in addition to being a founding committee member of the doctoral student peer mentoring program at the School of Education.
In response to what she loves about W&M, Diana said, “I love the community of scholars at W&M’s School of Education. They are consummate professionals who are committed to our learning.” After completing her doctoral studies, Diana’s future career goals include coupling her interest in higher education administration with her research interests, particularly with regards to Latino-related issues.
