Vanessa  Núñez (Sociology) recently was selected as a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship recipient. She earned the fellowship in a national competition administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on behalf of the Ford Foundation. This fellowship supports maximizing the educational benefits of diversity across of the nation’s college and universities. Núñez, a doctoral candidate, was one of 36 awardees from more than 500 applicants across numerous disciplines. Her dissertation explores higher education access among undocumented students.