Majors: English (Creative Writing) and Spanish
2023 Jimmy Award Recipient
My interest in the literary arts has held for years, and upon entering college, I knew I wanted to invest my course of study in literature, so I majored in both creative writing and Spanish. I specialize in the short story and am continuously compelled by the endless possibilities of fiction. I’ve written on themes of Mexican American identity, sexuality and class. Sometimes, I dabble in speculative genres; in a short story called “The Boat was Late,” I follow the history of a single atom located in a man’s spine as he snorkels in Hawai’i.
I received the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, which assists underrepresented students in humanities research and prepares them for doctoral study. I was also an opinion writer for The Daily Trojan and a counselor at Troy Camp. By far, being a counselor at Troy Camp for students from South Los Angeles has impacted me the most. I’ve learned how to be a mentor and seek to continue this as I pursue graduate academic study.
I intend to pursue a PhD in English Literature and continue my investigation of 21st century race and identity formation in Chicanx/Latinx and African American literature. Ultimately, I hope to become a Professor of American literature.
