About Xiomara

Xiomara López (she/her/ella) is a higher education professional with over a decade of experience advancing equity, access, and student success, particularly within Latiné communities. She currently serves as Director of El Centro and Latiné Student Success at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where her work centers on community building, culturally affirming programming, campus-wide advocacy, and institutional initiatives focused on retention and graduation.

Xiomara’s professional experience spans both the University of California system and the California Community College system, where she has served students in counseling, program coordination, teaching, and leadership roles. She holds a Master of Education in Educational Counseling from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from UC Santa Cruz. Xiomara is currently a doctoral student in the UC Davis Educational Leadership Ed.D. program. Her scholarly interests include Hispanic-Serving Institutions, servingness, cultural centers, and the conditions that support Latinx student success across educational pipelines. 

Xiomara is interested in serving on the AHSIE Council because she values being part of a community committed to strengthening servingness through shared learning, collective care, and purpose-driven collaboration. Especially with ongoing threats to HSI funding and MSI designations, she is committed to contributing to collective efforts that reimagine what is next and ensure Latinx students continue to thrive across institutional contexts.