Gabriela’s Bio

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Hi friends! My name is Gabriela Corona and I am currently a fourth year McNair Scholar, Chicana/o studies major and Anthropology minor at CSUDH. There are times where I feel as though I am not interesting enough to write about but I am trying! Here we go.

I am the youngest daughter of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrant parents. I have lived in South Central Los Angeles all my life and my love for this community continues to grow everyday. As a child, my social skills caused me to feel lonely and out of place in school environments. My mother bought me first Harry Potter book at age seven and I have been a passionate literature lover since then. Soon, I started to talk more with people. As I got older, I realized how fun it was to talk to people within my neighborhood. Everyone had a different story to tell which helped me realize how rich in experience my people were.

I always knew I wanted to write and teach for a living. I did not know I was going to achieve this but I was determined to try. During my first year of college, I was certain that my major English was permanent and Ideal for me. That all changed when I enrolled in my first Chicana/o studies course. Dr. Corina Benavides Lopez lectured our class from the importance of recognizing Latina/o communities around us and how we should be proud of identifying with this population, too. I was immediately inspired. Since then, I was determined to apply my passions for writing and teaching within the field of Chicana/o studies.

During my second year of college, I was admitted into the McNair Scholars Program at CSUDH. This program has helped me develop a strong love for social justice research. Over the past two years, my research has focused on implementing LGBTQ relevant history within K-12 curriculum in order to reduce homophobic harassment and violence among youth. My research was inspired by the murder of Larry King from Oxnard, CA and the suicide of Ronin Shimizu from Folsom, CA. In the near future, I will begin researching homophobic activity within juvenile detention centers, prisons, and the foster care system.

I want to publish articles and books about my research in the upcoming years. After completing my doctoral degree, I hope to return to DH and be the kind of professor that inspires students just like Dr. Benavides Lopez inspired me.

 

2 thoughts on “Gabriela’s Bio

  1. Your are truly an amazing friend. You are always so encouraging and thoughtful. Getting to know you last semester was one of the best thing ever. I feel like I gained a sister. Last semester was one of the best semester I have had at CSUDH, let’s hope this one is even better. Your are destined for greatness and I know you are going to make your dreams come true. Let’s make the best of this semester.

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