She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in 1994 from Arizona State University. Her areas of research include multicultural education, educational foundations, qualitative research methodology, teaching strategies, and ESL/bilingual education. Dr. Huerta earned the Utah State University President's Diversity Award for faculty in 2001 and the Teacher of the Year award for the Department of Secondary Education in 1996. Her professional memberships include the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and University Faculty.