A Passionate Advocate for the Hispanic/Latinx Community

By recruiting underserved and underrepresented students interested in Early Childhood Education, Dr. Angelica Reina is helping to diversify TCC's student body.

As a TCC ambassador in the Hispanic/Latinx community, Angelica Reina, Ph.D., serves as Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education and George Kaiser Family Foundation Endowed Chair for Hispanic/Latinx Outreach. She also serves as co-advisor of the Hispanic Student Association at TCC’s West Campus and the Education Outreach Center.

“I work at TCC because it allows me to serve students and work toward providing excellent student learning opportunities,” says Dr. Reina who is fluent in English and Spanish and joined TCC in 2016. “By working at the College, I can recruit underserved and underrepresented students interested in early childhood education so they can get a degree in the field. I enjoy collaborating with other colleagues in different projects and building partnerships with community organizations to increase TCC’s student body diversity.”

She is passionate about civil rights and social action, human rights, and social services. In fact, she has served as Commissioner of the Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic Affairs Commission since 2017 and has published multiple articles related to domestic violence, resilience, and mental and physical health among Latina immigrants. She is also a collaborator in the development of the C-RE-C-E-R [Cultivating RElationships Carrying Example and Respect] Implementation Manual, a program focused on healthy relationships designed to prevent domestic violence among Latinx immigrant families.

In 2022, Dr. Reina received the Tomás Rivera Award by the Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic/Latinx Affairs Commission for working to improve education in the Latinx community of Tulsa. In 2023, she was a TCC Service Excellence Award recipient.

Fun facts about Dr. Reina: With a strong appreciation for other countries and cultures, Dr. Reina likes traveling several times a year, especially outside the country. She also enjoys hiking and can often be found at Turkey Mountain.