Profile for Gabriel Pulido

Brief biography

I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA in a robust family of 7. When I was younger, I grew up with various medical conditions that often prevented me from attending school. My mom loves telling the story of how oftentimes I would protest this decision and urge her to let me go despite the circumstances. Years later, I find myself committed to making education accessible, culturally relevant, and fun!

As a University of California, Santa Cruz undergrad I further developed my love of poetry and theory. After almost being pushed out the director for El Centro, Rosalee Cabrera, advised me to push back and intern for her. This inspired me to pursue a master’s program in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership. During that time, after the first week of class, Dr. Raquel Wright-Mair consulted with me about pursuing a Ph.D. Initially, I shot her idea down but two years later I found myself pursuing a doctorate in Higher Education at the Pennsylvania State University. During my time at PSU, I reunited with my love for interdisciplinary scholarship and pursued a double minor in African American & Diaspora Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

As a first-year assistant professor at UW-LaCrosse, I am excited to cultivate and inspire in and outside of the classroom. At the heart of my teaching philosophy is the notion that what I teach and how I teach are equally important; that teaching is an act of love that enables students not only to explore their intellectual curiosities but also to grapple with issues in critical ways that catapult their thinking beyond themselves and their cultural boundaries and belief systems.