Elaine Jessica Tamargo

Dr. Elaine Jessica Tamargo brings over a decade of experience as an educator and higher education researcher with a passion for advancing equity in higher education. Currently, she serves as a full-time Lecturer in the Department of Education Leadership at CSULB. In this role, she teaches graduate courses on student development, equity issues in higher education, qualitative research, and intergroup dialogue. Dr. Tamargo earned her Ph.D. in Education with a focus on Higher Education and Organizational Change from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her dissertation, a mixed-methods study, explores the impacts of colonialism on the career decision-making processes of Filipina/x/o American college students. This work aims to reconceptualize university career and counseling services to better serve students from immigrant backgrounds. Before completing her doctorate, Dr. Tamargo worked as an institutional research analyst, a career counselor, and a K-12 educator. She is also an advocate for students with caregiving responsibilities, having become a part-time caregiver herself during graduate school. Dr. Tamargo has presented her research and her perspectives as a student caregiver at several conferences, including NASPA, ASHE, and AERA. Outside of her professional life, Elaine enjoys spending time with her family, tending to her plants, and exploring new travel destinations.