Mary Dueñas is an assistant professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee. Her research explores how broader social processes shape students’ experiences and overall well-being, with particular attention to access, belonging, and mattering in higher education. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, she examines the experiences of Latinx/Hispanic, Black/African American, first-generation, commuter, and STEM students to identify and strengthen pathways for their college success. Her work has been published in the Journal of Diversity of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Latinos and Education, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Dueñas is an active member of ASHE, AERA, and AAHHE, and earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Dr. Dueñas’s research is grounded in three central areas that support student success and well-being in higher education. Her first line of inquiry focuses on how students experience a sense of belonging and mattering in educational settings, and how they define success on their own terms. Her second area examines the role of culture and familial environments in shaping college experiences, with a focus on how institutions can better understand and support students’ cultural backgrounds. Her third line of research explores the connection between Latinx college students and impostor syndrome, examining how it influences their academic journeys. Across all of her work, Dr. Dueñas aims to inform practices that promote student access and foster environments where students feel they truly belong.

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