As a high school student with her sights set on college, all M贸nica Gonz谩lez Ybarra needed was a simple signature from her guidance counselor to move on to her next chapter. To her surprise and dismay, she faced resistance and questioning about her readiness for college. Gonz谩lez Ybarra grew up in a diverse suburb outside of Chicago where she attended predominately white schools. She realized later, that she had been tracked into remedial courses based on her name rather than her capacity.听
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鈥淚 had this awesome resume 鈥� I was captain of the dance team, and I did a lot of community work where I lived 鈥� but the teachers and guidance counselor didn鈥檛 know that,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y experiences reflect racialized realities for students of听color. Now, I have the tools to systematically disrupt it, and I want to share it with my students.鈥�
Now, the CU 麻豆影院 School of Education鈥檚 Outstanding Doctoral Graduate and a PhD graduate in the Literacy Studies program, Gonz谩lez Ybarra has incorporated her experiences into her community work and research.听
For three years, she worked with Latinx youth in a youth-participatory action research study of their experiences navigating immigration and documentation status. She regularly met with the youth and the staff of a learning center within an immigrant housing community.
The youth in her study cross and navigate borders, their families have been displaced by colonial projects, many of their lives have been criminalized, and their humanity called into question. Gonz谩lez Ybarra鈥檚 work is an urgent call within educational systems to highlight the ways in which (im)migrant young people are producers and holders of knowledge and, above all, are human. Her dissertation title begins with a telling comment from a youth in the program, 鈥淗ere, I already feel smart.鈥�
鈥淚t captured what I was doing,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or young people, when we acknowledge their knowledge and center their voices outside of the classroom, we have the power to shift what they think about themselves. That鈥檚 why I love working outside of schools, because we can reimagine what learning looks like.鈥澨�
Her work was awarded two highly competitive and prestigious national fellowships: the Cultivating New Voices Fellowship through the National Council of Teachers of English and the AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship, awarded to just six scholars nationwide.
What Gonz谩lez had not fully anticipated in her study, was how she would be fully welcomed as a 鈥減art of the family,鈥� and those bonds with youth continue to inspire her. That鈥檚 who she will be thinking about when she walks across the stage at graduation.听
鈥淵oung people, without a doubt, drive my passion for my work,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am inspired by them, their knowledge, their voices, and the creative ways they express themselves everyday. Youth can teach us so much about re-imaginging social justice projects and creating spaces that are dedicated to the experiences, lives, and bodies that are continuously placed at the margins.听
鈥淚t is through this work that I am able to remain hopeful for radical sociopolitical change and continue to work amidst the struggle towards justice."
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How has your choice to attend the CU 麻豆影院 School of Education been influential on your life and your future?
The relationships I have cultivated during my doctoral experience at CU 麻豆影院 School of Education have been most influential in my personal and professional life during the past five years. The mentorship I received from faculty, especially Elizabeth Dutro and Ben Kirshner, across the stages of the doctoral process has been so important in shaping my scholarship and engagement in the academic community. My mentors have not only supported my academic endeavors but have demonstrated a deep sense of care and commitment to my overall wellbeing and success. They serve as models for the kind of mentor I hope to be as a faculty member for graduate students in the future. Additionally, the friendships that came from my time at CU 麻豆影院 further expanded my academic community and sustained me throughout my doctoral studies 鈥攖his includes my cohort members, doctoral students across cohorts before and after me, and our amazing School of Education staff members. I know these relationships will continue to flourish. I am also tremendously thankful to have worked with two dedicated and inspiring Deans, Lorrie Shepard and Kathy Shultz who have shown their commitment to me as a student at every stage of my career. One of my favorite things about the school is our close-knit community鈥擨 know my doctoral experience would not have been the same anywhere else.听
What is next after graduation?
I am excited to begin my faculty career as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, El Paso in the department of English. I am looking forward to working at a Hispanic Serving Institution on the Mexico-U.S. border and seeing how this will shape my work with Chicanx/Latinx immigrant/migrant youth.听
What鈥檚 your advice for incoming students?
A quote from Gloria Anzald煤a comes to mind, 鈥淒o the work that matters, vale la pena.鈥� My advice for incoming PhD students is, do your heart's work. Find mentors who will support you in doing that. Do good work. Do work that the community you are working with will be proud of. This doctoral process can be long and hard, you have to love what you do and the people you are doing it with. Be true to yourself and take care of yourself, always.
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