For research that was inspired by her personal experiences, Nydia Sánchez, a doctoral student in higher education from Brownsville and a Gates Millennium Scholar, has won the prestigious National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship for the 2016-17 academic year.

Sánchez's dissertation focuses on Latino border town students from Texas who are part of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. Her faculty mentor is Barrett Taylor, assistant professor of counseling and higher education. She was one of 35 winners from a pool of nearly 400 applicants and is the first UNT student to win the award.