Summary
Languages: English and Spanish
I am a first-generation Indigenous Latina born and raised in Reno, NV. I am also a proud child of Mexican (with Wixarika roots), Guatemalan, and Salvadorian immigrants. I am the first in my family to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and a minor in Political Science with a focus on Political Systems in Latin America. My undergraduate thesis titled “The Creation of Folk Catholicism in 16th Century Mexico” received the History Department’s Richard and Sharon Davies Senior Thesis Prize. I am also the first in my family to progress to a graduate degree and am pursuing a Master’s Degree in History with a focus on museum work. There is truth to the statement, “You are what you study” and I took that sentiment seriously. My main emphasis is on Mesoamerican Ethnohistory, primarily of Indigenous communities, and how to decolonize museum spaces in order to allow these communities to control their cultural items and the presentation of their historical narrative. My main goal is to bring our history to informal spaces so that our community has greater access to education, regardless of their level of schooling. My thesis will focus on Indigenous Feminism in the 1994 Zapatista Uprising in Chiapas and the 2006 APPO Political Protests in Oaxaca.
I read a quote in my first year of undergrad that has guided me ever since, and I would like to share it as I feel it relates to all of us who feel alone when we inhabit spaces that were not originally created for us, “Do work that matters. Vale la Pena.” – Gloria Anzaldua
I began my professional career at the University of Nevada, Reno as an Administrative Assistant II for the College of Science. I then transitioned to an Administrative Assistant IV for the Development Team at the College of Science and held that position for two years. After three years I was presented with the opportunity to work in a larger capacity in the central Advancement office. I am currently the Manager for Board of Trustee Relations and the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Advancement. My prior position before arriving at the University was for a non-profit organization in Seattle named Landesa whose mission is to help people in impoverished countries gain access to land rights.