Biography:
I was born in Cueva Grande, Zacatecas, Mexico and migrated in 1977 with my family to the largest lemon fruit ranch in the country known as Limoneira Ranch, in Ventura County, California. My family worked in lemon packinghouses and orchards year-round which allowed my siblings and I to attend local public schools. At middle school age, I took part in University of California, Santa Barbara's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) that encouraged minority students to seek a higher education. I’m proud to be a beneficiary of Affirmative Action programs like EOP. After graduating with a B.A. in Sociology and Communication Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara I began graduate school at University of California Irvine. I received my Ph.D. in the Comparative Cultures Program (ethnic studies) in 2000. During the 1999-2000 school year I accepted a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies. In May, 2006 I received tenure was promoted to Associate Professor. Apart from my academic research, I have worked with community oral history projects, museum exhibitions, labor unions, immigrant rights groups, and social justice organizations. I’m currently the advisor for WSU-MEChA and former co-chair of the Chicano/a-Latino/a Faculty and Staff Association (CLFSA) at WSU.