Dr. Rebecca Covarrubias

Dr. Rebecca Covarrubias is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Faculty Director of the Collaborative Research for Equity in Action (CREA) research group at UC Santa Cruz.  As a social and cultural psychologist, she examines how institutional structures perpetuate educational inequity by privileging middle-class, White ways of being and thereby undermining experiences of low-income, first-generation students of color. She then examines how to reverse these effects through culturally-informed approaches that draw attention to students’ cultural strengths. With a team of CREA student researchers and other critical partners, Dr. Covarrubias works to translate these findings into actionable practices that can shift the culture of institutions and can help students thrive.