iCubed scholar Rachel Gómez inspires students to takes pride in history
January 9, 2023
January 9, 2023
School of Education professor followed a nontraditional path guided by her ancestors.
Rachel F. Gómez, Ph.D., was taking classes in community college when she first learned about colonialism. That eye-opening experience set her on the path she’s still on today.
“So much suddenly made sense to me,” said Gómez, now a tenure-track assistant professor of foundations of education in the School of Education and a member of the iCubed Urban Education and Family core. With her heritage based in the indigenous and Mexican populations of New Mexico, she realized how colonialism impacted her ancestors.
“I found out how my people were affected by the Mexican-American War. I understood why my ancestors worked in the mines for so many years,” Gómez said. “Since then, I have been fascinated by mythological histories, the false narratives we’re given in our kindergarten through 12th-grade experiences.”
In her position teaching the foundations of education, she can reframe, contextualize and correct those narratives for her students. And her students clearly appreciate the work she’s doing: In the spring of 2022, she was honored with the Charles P. Ruch Award for Excellence in Teaching, an award voted on by School of Education students for their most influential professor.