William Perez is an Associate Professor of Education at Claremont Graduate University. His research focuses on immigrant students, as well as the academic achievement and Latino higher education access. Before joining CGU, he worked at various research institutes including the RAND Corporation, the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research, the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute. His research on undocumented students has been published in various academic journals including The Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, The Journal of College Admissions, The Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, and New Directions for Student Services.

Professor Perez is also the author of the acclaimed book, We ARE Americans: Undocumented Students Pursuing the American Dream (Stylus Publishing, 2009), which was awarded the 2009 Mildred Garcia Prize for Excellence in Research by the Association for the Study of Higher Education. In its first week of publication, We ARE Americans was selected as the "pick of the week" by Publishers Weekly. In addition, the book has received very positive reviews in other academic review outlets including The Library Journal, Diversity and Democracy, Choice Magazine, Fellowship Magazine, Interactions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine, The National Academic Advising (NACADA) Journal, and Latino Studies Journal.

Due to the relevance of his research to national discourse on immigration reform, the DREAM Act, and higher education access for undocumented students he has been featured or cited in various media stories/articles including, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, the Telemundo and Univision national evening news, MTV Tr3s, Univision’s Despierta America, CNN en Español, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, La Opinion, Associated Press (AP), Associated Foreign Press (AFP), Diversity in Higher Education, Alma Magazine, Hispanic Magazine, Latino Future Magazine, Colorlines Magazine, NPR’s nationally-syndicated All Things Considered and Latino USA, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, and Univision Radio’s nationally-syndicated La Dra. Isabel Show.

Professor Perez has written several essays and editorial articles about undocumented students published in the Huffington Post, Diversity and Democracy, The Claremont Letter, The Orlando Sentinel Hispanosphere, Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) State of Education Blog, and 21st Century Scholars Blog. Over the past two years he has presented his work on undocumented students to various audiences across the country via keynotes, lectures, and research presentations at professional conferences, organizations, and college campuses. Some of these research conferences include the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD), and The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI). Organizations include the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), Association of Mexican American Educators (AMAE), The Salvadoran American Leadership and Education Fund (SALEF), The College Board Forum, and The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). He has lectured at numerous institutions of higher education including community colleges, and both private and public universities such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Brown University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, NYU, USC, Pepperdine University, LMU, Pomona College, and Pitzer College.

Born in San Salvador, El Salvador, Professor Perez came to the United States at the age of 10 to escape the country’s civil war and spent his remaining childhood in Pomona, California. He earned his BA at Pomona College, and his Ph.D. at Stanford University. In 2010, he received the Stanford University Distinguished Scholar Alumni Award. Most recently, Alma Magazine named him as one of four Lo Mejor de Nosotros (One of Our Best) in its 50th Anniversary Hispanic Heritage Month Edition.