Mariela Nuñez-Janes (profe) is a Professor of
Anthropology and 1.5 generation Latina scholar activist with expertise
in education, immigration, and youth. Her personal experiences with
migration, diaspora, and structural violence anchor her pedagogical and
research interests in migrant families and undocumented youth and her
commitment to working collaboratively with vulnerable communities
towards freedom and social justice. She is involved in projects and
collaborations that rely on participatory methodologies and Latinx
feminist pedagogies. Recent examples include the co-authored book Eclipse of Dreams,
the journal article “Organic Activists: Undocumented Youth Creating
Spaces of Acompañamiento” co-authored with McNair scholar Mario Ovalle,
and her advocacy for Latinx residents in Denton, TX through Water for Green Tree.
Profe is the recipient of the 2017 UNT Foundation Community Engagement
Award and was elected to serve as President of the Council on
Anthropology and Education (CAE) in 2020.
