NMSU’s Adriana Cardenas Honored with 2024 Kingston Leadership Award

School of Education Doctoral Student Receives Prestigious Recognition for Early Childhood Research
Impact & Student Success | November, 2024

Adriana Cardenas, a Ph.D. candidate at New Mexico State University’s School of Education, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Kingston Leadership Award through the Glass Family Research Institute for Early Childhood Studies. As the first recipient of this award, Cardenas recently presented her groundbreaking research at the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME ) Conference in Anaheim, California. This achievement highlights her exceptional contributions to the field of early childhood education, with a focus on multiculturalism and bilingual education.

Cardenas, who is set to graduate in Summer 2025, brings 14 years of experience as a bilingual elementary educator, is pursuing her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education. Her dissertation, titled "Testimonios from the Borderland: An Art-based Exploration of Identity, Language, and Healing among Heritage Spanish-speaking Educators," explores how the early childhood experiences of heritage Spanish-speaking educators in American schools shaped their identities and language ideologies. Through art-based inquiry and testimonios, Cardenas’ research delves into how these experiences influence teaching practices and language ideologies, with the goal of promoting collective healing and challenging monolingual perspectives in bilingual education.

“I am truly honored to have received the Kingston Leadership Award and to have presented my research at the NAME Conference,” said Cardenas. “This recognition is a meaningful step in my journey as a researcher, allowing me to highlight the importance of identity and healing for multilingual educators.”

At the NAME Conference, Cardenas presented her dissertation proposal, "Translanguaging as Advocacy: Embracing Multilingual Identities in Education." Her presentation was well received and underscored her commitment to advancing equity and inclusivity in education through multilingual and bicultural perspectives.

Dr. Baptiste, a founder of NAME and a leader in multicultural education, expressed his admiration for Cardenas’ work:

"In my ten years of leading the selection process for NAME’s Emergent Scholars in the Founders Forum, Adriana Cardenas has proven through her research acumen to be one of NAME’s par excellence Emergent Scholars. An eminent NAME scholar even called her ‘an amazing young scholar.’ I, too, was impressed by Adriana’s innovative approach, combining testimonial and visual narratives to support healing for Heritage teachers. I congratulate her for being the first recipient of the Kingston Leadership Award."

• Chair: Dr. Susana Ibarra-Johnson
• Committee Members: Dr. Huerta, Dr. Pedraza, Dr. Flores-Carmona

In addition to her academic achievements, Cardenas brings an extensive background in education. She has served as Program Manager for NMSU’s Teacher Pipeline Initiative (2022-2024), where she led efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain educators. She is also a Visiting Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and Global Program Coordinator, focusing on supporting student success and curriculum development.

Reflecting on her academic and professional journey, Cardenas remarked, “As a multilingual, bicultural educator, I am deeply passionate about creating educational spaces that honor the identities and stories of my students. This award affirms the importance of this work, and I am excited to continue advocating for bilingual education.”

As the recipient of the 2024 Kingston Leadership Award, Adriana Cardenas has already begun making significant contributions to the field of early childhood education. Her research and advocacy have the potential to influence policy and practice, particularly in the areas of multilingual education and cultural inclusivity. With her successful presentation at the NAME Conference, Cardenas is poised to continue her impact as a scholar and leader in education.