carlos gomez

 

(Class of 2019)

About carlos gomez

carlos gomez is a first-generation graduate from the Ethnic Studies Department at Cal Poly. After graduating, carlos went on to receive an MA in Ethnic Studies at UC Riverside. They grew up in Bakersfield, California, and are now based in Los Angeles, where they attend UC Los Angeles as a PhD student in the Department of Gender Studies. 

While at Cal Poly, the Ethnic Studies Department was vital to their success. They began undergrad as a curious student interested in the racial politics of pollution, urban space, and the environment, initially registered as a student of environmental science with plans to minor in ethnic studies. While enrolled in courses from both departments, they found that ethnic studies opened up race, gender, and sexuality in fascinating, novel, and precise ways that ultimately reframed environmental politics. This would prompt them to change their major, and soon became part of this department. In it, they were supported in several ways: faculty organized for carlos to attend the National Association for Chicana/Chicano Studies, supported them in presenting research at the Critical Ethnic Studies Association, offered teaching assistant positions (ES 112) and research opportunities (through Cal Poly's BEACoN Research Scholars program), and facilitated their intellectual curiosities such as by agreeing to supervise an independent study on "biopoltics and racializing assemblages” (Weheliye 2014) and a student-led course on trans of color critique. Navigating the terrain of higher education as a first-generation student was challenging; however, carlos credits the Ethnic Studies community—the faculty, staff, and fellow students—for creating an environment that allowed them to thrive.