Ibette Valle, Ph.D.

Instructor, Psychological Sciences

Ibette Valle earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), where she trained as a sociocultural psychologist. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology and medical anthropology & global health from the University of Washington. While at UCSC, Ibette participated in research and community endeavors focused on engaging the cultural strengths of students from historically minoritized backgrounds. As a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow, her research focused on the college transition experiences of low-income, first-generation college Latine students. She co-founded a community group for women of color graduate students and served as a co-chair for a graduate fellowship program through the American Association for Hispanics in Higher Education. Ibette continues to draw from her experiences as a low-income, first-generation Mexican-American college student from a migrant farm-working family to inform her research and teaching approach. As a researcher, she embraces interdisciplinary scholarship to promote belonging and success for low-income, first-generation students from historically minoritized racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds. As an educator, she strives to encourage students to engage with their cultural and familial backgrounds as valuable strengths for learning, leadership, and social change, just as her mentors did for her. Ibette is thrilled to be at UP and looks forward to learning from the student community. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing volleyball, drinking coffee, and appreciating nature with her dog.