My academic journey began unexpectedly when, at twelve years old, my parents decided to move, without notice, from a small town in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero to the United States. One day, we were traveling to Ciudad Juarez, and days later, we were in a foreign place called Iowa. My need to understand migration and explore my identity nurtured my curiosity and personal connections to research. I am interested in the intersections of migration, cultural belonging and heritage, community formation, and citizenship as seen in popular culture and everyday life. 

My dissertation, “Latine/x Nightlife Experiences of Belonging and Mexicanidad in Iowa and the Rural Midwest,” contributes to the growing scholarship of the Latine/x Midwest. By examining nightlife practices in small cities like my hometown, Marshalltown, Iowa, I explore how Latinx individuals construct identity, community, and belonging in spaces outside of home and work.