Blanco Earns National Recognition as Rising Graduate Scholar

Felipe Blanco's is an impressive emerging scholar whose contributions to his community and field were recently recognized by one of the most preeminent magazines dedicated to issues of diversity, equity, and access in higher education across the country.

Blanco, a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Administration, was recognized by Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine, which recently announced its list of 2021 Rising Graduate Scholars.

Blanco is one of just 10 students to be recognized in the recent issue, which was published on March 18.

Following several years as an adjunct professor at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City, Blanco moved to Nebraska in 2016 and then began working for Nebraska Appleseed, a local nonprofit focused on issues of child welfare, immigration policy, health care, and economic justice.

Blanco came to UNO as a student in 2018 and in that time has been recognized for his work from professional organizations in the fields of Public Policy and Public Administration. These awards include the Equity and Inclusion Fellowship from the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM), and the prestigious Founders’ Fellowship from the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA).

“The ultimate goal for me would be using that research and knowledge generation as a tool to ultimately change the way that this society and many other societies [have] addressed racial issues,” Blanco told the magazine. “So basically, trying to do my part on fighting racism.”

“The entire school sends our congratulations to Felipe,” said Angela Eikenberry, Ph.D., program chair of the Public Administration doctoral program. “We are extremely proud of him and his achievements and expect he will continue to make a significant impact on the field.”

You can read more of Felipe Blanco's story online at Diversity in Higher Education's website.