Research Associate
PhD, Higher Education, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Expertise
College Access | Equity | Student Activism | STEM education | Student Affairs | Social Justice Education | Student Leadership
Genia M. Bettencourt is a Research Associate with the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the USC Rossier School of Education. She works with the Promoting At-Promise Student Success (PASS) project, a mixed-method research study that focusing on college transitions to support student success.
Bettencourt’s primary research interests focus on college access, equity, and activism related to marginalized populations in higher education, with a particular focus on social class. Her dissertation research focused on social class meaning-making, sense of belonging, and class-based allyship for working-class students at large public research institutions. Recent publications of her work can be found in the Journal of College Student Development, The Review of Higher Education, and About Campus.
Bettencourt most recently served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) for the Center for Student Success Research, where she focused on STEM learning and interdisciplinarity. Prior to this role, she earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education and a graduate certificate in Social Justice Education from UMass. Genia holds a master’s degree in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State University and bachelor’s degrees in English, History, and Political Science from the University of California Davis.