The University of Texas at Austin

Graduate Student, Geography and the Environment

College of Liberal Arts

About

Currently, I am a first year Doctoral Student in the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of Texas at Austin. After spending some time traveling abroad and immersing myself in other cultures I now have a desire to return to my roots. As a Mexican-American, feminist geographer I have become increasingly interested in aspects of my own identity and how it has been shaped by my experience. Naturally, this has sparked a curiosity of how other Mexican-Americans view themselves, particularly in such a hostile political climate. And so, my research interests, while broad, fall within the realm of Mexican-American cultural identity (i.e. differences between 1st/2nd generation mothers versus 2nd/3rd generation daughters), community (organizations, activism) and families, issues of poverty, and how cultural identity and belonging has been affected by recent immigration legislation. Also, I have recently become curious as to what role wealthy Mexican-Americans play in their community (if any) and their perceptions of their own Mexican-American identity.

I completed my M.A. in Geography at Ohio University with a focus on Gender and Development in June of 2010. My thesis research took place in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua and explored the ways in which women participated in community-driven development and how that participation affected people's perceptions of gender roles and relations.

    My previous field research has taken me to Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Cambodia and Singapore), Nicaragua, Mexico and Spain. While in Southeast Asia and Southern Mexico I investigated the effects of globalization on indigenous peoples, the relationship to agricultural change (i.e. Green Revolution, GMOs, environmental degradation, health effects, etc.) and also the development of artisan crafts. Nicaragua offered a first hand look at coffee production, the importance of women's cooperatives and fair trade in the highlands of Esteli. While the wine country of California, Michigan and Ohio have provided ample opportunity for research in the geography of wine (and personal advancement in the complexities of this wonderful art). Additionally, I have cruised the various natural landscapes of Western United States for pleasure and photographic endeavors.