Rican Vue, an associate professor in UC Riverside’s School of Education whose scholarship examines racism, community knowledge, and educational justice, has received the 2026 Carlos J. Vallejo Exemplary Scholar Award from the American Educational Research Association.
The award recognizes mid-career scholars whose work has made significant contributions to multicultural and multiethnic education through research, theory, or practice. Recipients are selected for scholarship that advances equity and social justice and improves education policy, teaching, and research.
Vue’s work focuses on how educational systems affect students and communities that have experienced racism, exclusion, and displacement, particularly HMoob (also known as Hmong), Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. Her research also explores how marginalized students and scholars create spaces of belonging, resistance, and opportunity within higher education.
The Carlos J. Vallejo award honors the legacy of the late Arizona State University professor and social justice scholar Carlos J. Vallejo, whose work emphasized community engagement, educational equity, and diversifying the teaching profession.
In a letter informing Vue of the honor, award committee members said they found her research, teaching, and service “very compelling.”
“I’m deeply honored by this recognition,” Vue said. “Much of my work is rooted in the experiences, histories, and struggles of communities that have too often been overlooked or misunderstood in education. Their insights and experiences continue to push us to think differently about educational justice, and I see this award as a reflection of that ongoing collective work.”
Among her recent publications is a 2024 study in the journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis examining racialized emotions and political narratives surrounding efforts to restrict discussions of race and gender. Another recent paper examined how HMoob American students navigate and resist what she describes as “hyperinvisibility” within historically white educational institutions.
Vue’s scholarship is informed by personal experience. She describes herself as a first-generation college student, first-generation faculty member, and the child of refugees. Those experiences have shaped a research approach that seeks to reimagine education for equity and justice.
Vue joined UCR in 2019 after serving as an assistant professor at Oregon State University. She earned her doctorate in higher education and organizational change from UCLA.
In addition to her research, Vue has helped lead initiatives at UCR supporting Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution programs and has worked on federally funded efforts aimed at improving opportunities for underserved students