Profile
Mayra Avitia grew up in South Gate, California, a predominantly Latino working class community located in Los Angeles County. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, she is the youngest of three daughters. Mayra obtained her BA in History and Chicana/o Studies from UCLA in 2003. Mayra continued her studies earning an MA in U.S. History at Cal State Northridge in 2008. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in UCSD' Department of History writing her dissertation, “Political Comadrazgo: Chicana Networks, Gender Politics and Ethnic Identity in Twentieth Century Los Angeles.” Her work examines the complex process in which aspiring Chicana activists in 1970s Los Angeles drew on traditional cultural forms and practices to create new networks that challenged traditional racial and gendered power relationships and, eventually, contributed to the production of new forms of political identity as well as gender and racial consciousness. Beyond her scholarship, Mayra is invested in the importance of creating networks at multiple levels as spaces to develop mutual relationships of resource, strength, and support. Through her involvement with UCSD' Dimensions of Culture (undergraduate writing program), UCSD' Raza Graduate Student Association, UCSD' Raza Resource Center, and UCSD' middle school pen pal program, Mayra is committed to empowering students from diverse backgrounds to pursue their own academic aspirations. Through her affiliations, Mayra supports and helps students demystify the academic process through workshops, outreach events and mentoring to provide students with the vital tools for surviving and succeeding in academia.
