Diana Torres

Policy and Research Fellow Diana Torres supports ECMC Foundation by contributing to its research and policy agenda. She works on data analysis and policy-relevant research to support the Foundation’s strategy and decision-making.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Diana served as a senior policy fellow at the UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute where she led evaluation efforts for the policy fellows program. Diana began her career as an inaugural intern with the College and Career Readiness department at the Riverside County Office of Education where she developed an early interest in college access and student pathways. She has also worked as a data fellow at EdTrust supporting research and policy analysis on college affordability and contributed to the development of CollegeResults.org. At UCLA, she served as a teaching assistant for courses in R, statistics, and research methods.

Diana’s research focuses on financial aid and student success. Her dissertation examines how Pell Grant receipt affects completion among students in certificate programs, using nationally representative survey data to estimate the effects of financial aid on student outcomes.

Diana holds a Master of Arts in education from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Bachelor of Arts in education and sociology from the University of California, Riverside, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in education at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Why are you working at ECMC Foundation and committed to working towards improving higher education for underserved learners?

I’m working at ECMC Foundation because of their approach to higher education as a full system, not just colleges but also community context and personal factors, and I value that we use evidence to guide that work. I am committed to this work because it is personal to me. As a first-generation college student and the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, I have seen how access to financial support, resources, and guidance shapes what students pursue and whether they finish. That is what drives my commitment to expanding economic mobility for underserved learners.