Nichole Margarita GarciaAfrican-AmericanDear Academia. . .This is year-two on tenure track. I am already behind in meeting writing goals, lesson plans for my courses, professional applications, and getting that next grant out. You reminded me earlier this week that you have very high expectations and with those expectations come yearly cycles of rejection.September 16, 2019OpinionWords That WoundUnfortunately, today, as seen in the past, hate speech is materializing into emotional and physical violence. I plan to speak, write and do language with the students I teach to combat words that wound and empower us all to act as catalysts of change on our campus. How do you plan to heal from monsoons of words that wound?August 19, 2019Opinion‘We Didn’t Cross The Border, The Border Crossed Us:’ The Importance Of Ethnic StudiesI once heard a story about a man that needed to go North from Mexico to the United States in the 1940s. At the time, Guerrero, Mexico was depleted of resources and there were no jobs for the people. It spread throughout the city that there was work in the United States through a temporary workers program. The man knew this was his chance to go North so he went to where all the laborers were gathering to leave.July 16, 2019OpinionTearing at my Heart: The First Year on Tenure TrackI reached for the tissue box and it was empty. The tears trickled down my face at a faster pace than usual. I rushed to the bathroom to replenish my tissue box. I slowly slipped into an uncontrollable sob. I felt like I was an infant again overwhelmed with emotions but left without the words to explain the depth of what I was feeling. Were these tears of joy, happiness, sadness, restlessness, exhaustion or hurt?July 1, 2019Women‘I Just Said That!’Have you ever had that moment when you were in a meeting and proposed an idea for consideration to solve a problem? In an instance, you are abruptly interrupted. Your colleague regurgitated your idea as if it was their own. As you look around the table for a connection of affirmation, in your head you are thinking, “I just said that!”April 15, 2019OpinionPublish or Perish: How to Rid Yourself of FearRecently, my colleague Dr. Raquel Wright-Mair at the University of Northern Colorado virtually invited me to guess lecture in her graduate course regarding my op-eds. It is always an honor to share space with colleagues and students across the nation. A graduate student in her course posed a question that I have been reflecting on for the last several days. The student asked, “Do you have fear when it comes to writing these opinion pieces?” Fear and writing go hand in hand in all that we do in academia.February 18, 2019Opinion‘But You’re Not a Real Doctor!’Once while traveling to a conference, I used my credit card to check-in to use my frequent flyer benefits. My salutation, Dr. Nichole M. Garcia, prompted the sales associate to ask me if I could provide medical advice for something they were experiencing. As I began to explain that I was not a medical doctor, I was met with, “But you’re not a real doctor, you’re a teacher.”January 17, 2019Opinion‘Please Call Me Dr.’For the past three years I have had students who were “offended” or “insulted” because I have made it a point for them to call me Dr. Garcia.December 20, 2018African-AmericanCelebrating #NastyWomen of ColorI walked a mile from campus to a church where my local polling place to vote was, like many United States citizens did throughout the nation on November 6, 2018. However, this midterm election seemed to have a different energy as “unexpected” candidates throughout the nation emerged in response to the political conditions they found themselves in after the election of Trump. Who were these “unexpected” candidates, women of color!November 12, 2018LatinxOn Leaving HomeMy mother consistently asks, “When are you coming home?” which is usually followed by, “Do you just not want to come home?” For my mother, earning a Ph.D. meant that I would have the ability to return home because why else leave to attend graduate school.October 16, 2018Previous PagePage 2 of 4Next Page
