Gonzalez, Melissa (Mel)

Hi y'all! My name is Melissa Gonzalez, but I usually go by Mel. My pronouns are she/they. I'm a fourth year Biology major, LGBTQ Studies minor. I'm a first generation college student from the Central Valley, specifically Bakersfield. Despite growing up in a predominately Latinx area of town, Bakersfield lacked the kind of rich, vibrant visual Latinx/Chicanx cultural influence that is often seen in cities like Los Angeles. I remember constantly worrying about how well I was assimilating into the predominantly white population of the town, plagued by shame and internalized racism. The public schools in my city didn't offer any kind of ethnic studies classes and the general history courses completely glossed over any mention of Chicanismo. Living in a conservative county deprived me of the knowledge that was so vital to my understanding of my place in the world. As I got older, I actively sought out more information on Latinx culture and the significance of that culture--I joined my high school's folklorico dance group which helped me undo much of the negative connotations I had subconsciously attached to my own identity. I didn't even know the word Chicano/a/x existed until I was in the later years of my high school career and I didn't fully understand it until I was a first year at UCLA. I jump at every chance I get to learn more about Chicanismo and Latinx culture in general, especially given the depth and breadth of these. I am super excited to learn more about Chicana art and artists in this class and I look forward to discussing it with you all!