Meet Bianca Negrete Coba

Tell us a bit about your background

I am a mixed-race Xicana/Chicana from Chula Vista, CA. My dad was in the Army throughout my childhood so I moved around a lot. My go-to fun fact is always that I moved about 10 times by the time I was 8 years old and attended 5 different elementary schools. I've never spent more than 6 years living in one place (to this day) and have been fighting my way back to San Diego since I was 12 years old when my family had to leave it once again. Despite always having moved, San Diego is the one place that has ever truly felt like home.

I originally wanted to be an environmental engineer and went to UC Merced to pursue a degree in environmental engineering but fell in love with reading and writing and studying culture and stories so I switched my major. I graduated in 2016 with a BA in English and a Minor in Writing. During my time at UC Merced I also was a member of our Associated Students (ASUCM). I was an External Office Lobbyist, a Court Justice, and the External Office Campus Organizer. In these roles I lobbied to state representatives across CA mainly about student's rights, hosted and participated in protests against tuition hikes, assisted in planning and hosting the Students of Color Conference at UC Merced, and served as a Co-Chair for a student-led group fighting to get the first cultural center at UC Merced.

I decided to stay at UC Merced to continue my education and work with the faculty mentors I had there. Once again, my degree interests slightly shifted but I knew I wanted to become a professor. My research during this degree focused mainly on Environmental Philosophy, Ecology & Film Studies, and Literature and Sexuality Studies. I received my MA in Interdisciplinary Humanities from UC Merced in 2019.

Finally feeling settled in my degree choice, research interests, and career choice (after being in college for 10 years!) I am here at UCSD to pursue my PhD in Literature, Cultural Studies with a Specialization in Critical Gender Studies.

What are you studying/researching?

My research is concerned with narratives of displacement, gentrification, identity, community, belonging, and connections to land, place, and space in Chicanx Literature. I work within the fields of Chicanx Studies/Literature, Chicana Feminisms, Chicanx Histories, Multiethnic Literature, Critical Race Theory/Studies, Ethnic Studies, Mixed-Race Studies, Critical Gender Studies, Place/Space Studies, Gentrification Studies, Urban Planning/Studies, and Prison Studies. I recently became ABD (All But Dissertation- which means I passed my Qualifying Exams), received my Candidacy in Philosophy degree as well as a MA in Literature, and am starting my dissertation, which is something I am really excited about!

Describe your involvement in the UC San Diego community.

Coming in as part of the 'COVID cohort,' as we like to call ourselves, it has been so hard to get myself integrated to on-campus orgs and events since the first two years of my degree were entirely online. I was a part of the Philosophy Phenomenology Reading Group in my first year here and and am part of my department's Afternoon Tea graduate group where we host writing rooms and panelist events where students and faculty can share their work. Now having worked as a TA and being on campus more, I have finally been finding ways to participate in more orgs and events across campus. I recently was a panelist for a MEChA event and am looking forward to being a panelist again for an upcoming MEChA event as well as finding more ways to get involved not just on-campus but across San Diego!

Why did you choose UC San Diego?

I chose to come to UCSD because I wanted to come home to San Diego to pursue this degree. My work feels really personal and local to SD so it was really important for me to be here during this time. I am relearning how to be from a place I loved as a child and considered home but have been away from for so long and am now returning to as an adult. Additionally, I knew I wanted to be in the Literature Department here at UCSD because of its commitment to interdisciplinarity, deconstructing disciplinary borders, and the amazing faculty!

Have you been awarded any fellowships or grants during graduate school?

Yes! I have been incredibly blessed to have received a 4-year fellowship from my department (the Shen Fellowship) that was part of my admission offer, which is unheard of.

Any final thoughts?

I became a mom in 2021, during the first year of my PhD and have worked really hard to balance being a full-time mom and a full-time student and I am proud to say I have remained on-track with my degree and have a happy healthy now toddler who is my whole world. I think this is important to mention because student parents are out here and we're doin' it!