ChingonaRising.com is newly established; like me, it's a work in progress!

As a nontraditional, first-generation Chicana scholar, I earned my B.A. in Professional Writing from Michigan State University (2021) and began teaching WRA 101 while completing my M.A. in Rhetoric and Writing (2025), with a concentration in pedagogical approaches to cultural rhetorics. I moved from an entry-level clerical role to First-
As a nontraditional, first-generation Chicana scholar, I earned my B.A. in Professional Writing from Michigan State University (2021) and began teaching WRA 101 while completing my M.A. in Rhetoric and Writing (2025), with a concentration in pedagogical approaches to cultural rhetorics. I moved from an entry-level clerical role to First-Year Writing Instructor over eight years, confronting firsthand how systemic inequities discourage, devalue, and exclude marginalized voices.
As a single parent, my perspective deepened when my two sons were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder after struggling in traditional classrooms. This experience sharpened my commitment to multimodal composition and student-centered pedagogy as tools for access and agency.
During my first week of graduate study, I lost my grandmother, Herminia, whose influence continues to guide my work. With only a third-grade education from a segregated Mexican schoolhouse in 1930s Texas, she arrived at insights I later encountered in thinkers like Aristotle and Socrates. That connection compelled me to question whose knowledge is valued, who defines it, and which language practices are legitimized.
Grounded in that purpose, I center equity in my teaching by fostering play, self-efficacy, care, and belonging—drawing as much from my grandmother’s lessons as from rhetorical theory. My path reflects what becomes possible when marginalized ways of knowing are recognized rather than dismissed. I am committed to amplifying those voices and challenging the systems that attempt to silence them.

I seek to bridge research and practice in writing studies and English education by developing inclusive pedagogies that value diverse linguistic traditions and affirm students’ lived experiences as sources of knowledge.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.