Historian Brings Passion for Improving Lives to Teaching, Mentoring and Research
Marisela Chávez got her first taste of what it’s like to be a historian when she was a college student interviewing her maternal and paternal grandmothers for a research project.
It was the summer between her junior and senior years at Occidental College when the Los Angeles native developed an interest in oral history. It took some persuading to get her grandmothers — both immigrants and strong, independent women — to get on board with the project.
“When you do oral history with people who don’t think of themselves as historically important actors, it takes some effort to convince them that this is a good thing to do,” said Chávez, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence (CAFÉ) at Cal Poly Pomona. “I learned a lot about their experiences as children in Mexico, what their families were like and how they ended up coming here. In retrospect, when I look at those interviews now, it’s interesting to consider what they didn’t share with me and also what they chose to share with me.”
That early foray into the exploration of history, culture and research would later inform her passion for teaching and her desire to support other faculty as they help students discover and navigate their pathways to success.
Her college project not only enabled her to learn more about her roots, but it also connected Chávez with a mentor who would play a pivotal role in her becoming a historian. While majoring in American studies and Spanish at Occidental, Chávez connected with Professor Vicki Ruiz, who taught at Claremont Graduate University. Ruiz met with Chávez and explained everything she would need for the oral history project, including equipment, sample questions and how to structure interviews.
Chávez applied everything she learned from Ruiz for the project on her grandmothers. Ruiz became her mentor, and Chávez later enrolled Arizona State University, where Ruiz moved to, earning her master’s degree in history and writing her thesis on women involved in a civil rights organization during the Chicano Movement.
The Chicano Movement is a topic that Chávez is passionate about. Her parents were activists at the height of the movement in the 1960s and 1970s, often taking their daughter to meetings and protests. Last year, she authored the book, “Chicana Liberation,” which chronicles Mexican American women activists from the mid-1940s to 1981 when they formed the intergenerational Chicana feminist organization Comision Feminil Mexicano Nacional to fund childcare and work training centers to help women become economically independent.
Teaching to Learn, Learning to Teach
Growing up, Chávez didn’t know much about graduate school. Her mother went to law school when she was a child, and Chávez remembered tagging along with her to classes, but she didn’t quite understand the concept of graduate school until she got into her master’s program.
Her master’s degree program paved the way for her to apply for Ph.D. programs. She went on to earn her doctorate in history at Stanford University.
She taught high school Spanish for a year after graduating from college but knew during her master’s degree program that she wanted to be a college professor..
“It’s a real joy to see how students react to what you are teaching them and what they gain from it,” Chávez said. “When you see the light bulb go off, you can physically see it, and it’s amazing.”
Her first college teaching experience came while she was a doctoral student at Stanford. She taught in the Chicana and Chicano studies department for 15 years at CSUDH, rising through the ranks to serve as department chair for five years.
Chávez said she always embraced opportunities to learn and grow at Dominguez Hills, from taking workshops for new faculty to serving as an Administrative Fellow in the Provost’s Office to coordinating faculty learning community events. Prior to coming to Cal Poly Pomona in July, Chávez served as the Faculty Center director at CSUDH for five years. The center supports faculty with teaching and learning, research and creative activities, and service learning and leadership.
The goal was to provide faculty with the support they need to grow and to meet students where they are, Chávez said. She hopes to continue and expand this support at CAFÉ at Cal Poly Pomona.
“I come from a foundation of equity and justice, where it is important to recognize that students and faculty come to a campus having experienced certain things in life. No one comes to campus with nothing,” she said. “How do we learn about that and build on it so that everyone is learning and engaged? How do we more effectively teach? How do we provide opportunities for students? It was a lot of trial and error along the way. We are constantly learning how to be better. It’s not a static thing.”
As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Cal Poly Pomona proudly celebrates Latinx Heritage Month and the experiences, leadership, and impact of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. Read more stories about our community on ÁùÉ«Íø News. Show your Bronco pride by using our new this month.