By WIDA Communications
WIDA is thrilled to announce that WIDA researcher Grazzia Mendoza has been selected as one of only 20 fellows worldwide for the Women in Higher Education Fellowship.
The fellowship, organized by Professors Without Borders, is open to women with advanced degrees and proven leadership in higher education. It attracted more than 100 applicants from around the world. Mendoza’s selection reflects her extensive contributions to the field, including 14 years as a professor at both graduate and undergraduate levels, six years as an administrator in higher education language programs, and eight years in educational research and program development. She holds two master’s degrees and deep expertise in multilingual learner education.
“I’m honored to join this network of women leaders committed to advancing opportunity and collaboration in higher education,” Mendoza said. “The fellowship’s interdisciplinary nature — bringing together experts in medicine, psychology, education, language, and more — closely aligns with WIDA’s mission of advocating for and supporting multilingual learners. It provides an invaluable opportunity to amplify the voices of educators serving multilingual learners and foster partnerships that shape education locally and globally.”
The fellowship emphasizes mentorship, collaborative growth, and inclusive leadership, uniting women from various disciplines and geographic regions to “empower women through knowledge, networking, and interdisciplinary exchange.” Mendoza sees strong connections between the program’s goals and WIDA’s commitment to building educator agency, fostering professional growth, and advancing advocacy for multilingual learners.
“We’re thrilled that Grazzia is a member of our 2025-2026 cohort. Her work, which includes mentoring, scholarship, and professional development, demonstrates her unwavering commitment to empowering women from diverse corners of the world,” Ilka Kostka, deputy chair of the Women in Higher Education Fellowship, said. “With these experiences, she’s a tremendous asset to the fellowship, and we look forward to the valuable impact she will make on our program.”
As part of the fellowship, Mendoza plans to explore projects that merge her longstanding work in women’s leadership and empowerment with initiatives supporting educators from K-12 through higher education. She anticipates that her involvement will not only strengthen WIDA’s international presence but also inform policy decisions, research, and advocacy strategies that benefit leaders worldwide.
Professors Without Borders is a UK-based nonprofit organization focused on bridging educational divides around the globe by providing collaboration opportunities for researchers, educators, and practitioners.
WIDA is an educational services organization within UW–Madison’s School of Education that advances academic language development and academic achievement for multilingual children to help ensure equitable, quality education.