McNair Scholar: Jimena Mojica-Camarena Eyes Future as a College Professor Teaching English wit...

McNair Scholar Jimena Mojica-Camarena spent one week as an undeclared major at Stanislaus State.

She knew she wanted to major in English. She knew she wanted to be a college professor.

But, after she took "Introduction to Ethnic Studies" and then Assistant Professor Juvenal Caporale's "Intro to Chicano a/x Latino a/x Studies" class, Mojica-Camarena became a double major.

What caused that one-week hesitancy?

"I wanted to know my options," said Mojica-Camarena, whose deep dimples light up her face. "When I took my 'Intro to Ethnic Studies' course, I realized I had a passion for the topics being discussed, specifically racial relations and diversity. That's what hooked me initially. With English, I'm still an analytical person. I like analyzing literature, so I'm going to have a double major."

Not only is she a University Honors Program student, Mojica-Camarena received the President's Central Valley First-Generation Scholarship, which she said allowed her to pay for summer school and more easily double major.

Ethnic studies was a new field for the Downey High School graduate, who took Advanced Placement courses there.

"I took that first Ethnic Studies class and started seeing history through a different lens," she said. "A lot of history is Eurocentric. I realized there are other frameworks and theories. I was excited by that, because I did not feel I was represented at Downey in terms of my ethnic identity. But once I got to that class, I felt a sense of belonging in the classroom that I had not seen since elementary school."

In third grade, her teacher, Balbina Rodriguez, included culture in her lessons, which gave Mojica-Camerena a sense of identity.

Born in Modesto to Mexican immigrants, Mojica-Camerena feels connected to her family in Mexico, its music and other cultural roots.

Acceptance of those ties, first awakened in her third-grade class, was reinforced by Caporale's courses and Assistant Professor of Sociology Maria Mora's "Contemporary U.S. Immigration class."

"Being in the program has been the highlight of my college experience, because I feel the support and encouragement. That, in turn, helps me visualize myself as a graduate student. I'm an undergraduate now, but I look forward to being a graduate student."

Jimena Mojica-Camarena, McNair Scholar

Both professors urged Mojica-Camarena to apply for the McNair Scholars Program. Caporale had been a McNair Scholar himself. The program serves academically successful first-generation and underserved students interested in graduate school.

"Dr. Mora talked about the McNair process and encouraged me," Mojica-Camarena said. "She said, 'You definitely belong in the space of academia.' Sometimes, as a Latina scholar, you don't see yourself represented often in Ph.D. programs. For a Latina woman, the percentage is very low. I would like to be one of those people who pursues a Ph.D. but also encourages others to seek out opportunities."

Her older sister Jessica, who earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences at Stan State and has applied to its master's program, also influenced the third-year student to apply to the McNair program and pursue an advanced degree.

"She's the one who was my major influence in pursuing graduate studies," Mojica-Camarena said. "I thought it was attainable. Before, because I was a first-gen student, I didn't see myself in those spaces. But because of my sister and being part of the McNair program, when I applied, I started to consider, 'This is something I can really do,' and I started to gain confidence in myself."

She envisions a future where she can combine ethnic studies and English, two subjects she believes complement one another.

"My goal is to be a professor and teach something in the realm of multicultural literature," Mojica-Camarena said. "I would like to apply my ethnic studies framework and epistemologies to literature. That's what I'm working on for my McNair capstone class."

She is currently interviewing students and faculty as part of her research and works in Stan State's Writing Center.

"It's contributing to my English degree, because I get to explain concepts to students, which I really enjoy doing," Mojica-Camarena said. "It's been a wonderful experience."

It's training for her career goal to become a college professor, something being a McNair Scholar has helped her see as a real possibility.

"Being in the program has been the highlight of my college experience because I feel the support and encouragement," she said. "That, in turn, helps me visualize myself as a graduate student. I'm an undergraduate now, but I look forward to being a graduate student."

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