The Career Enhancement Fellows鈥� research advances disciplines such as history, Chicana and Chicano studies, religious studies, gender and women鈥檚 studies, literature, African diaspora studies, and more. Beyond academic diversity, the 2024 Fellows come from an equally diverse range of institutions from across the country. Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, Fellows are expanding perspectives within their disciplines and are committed to research and service that increases engagement and inclusion on campus.

Administered at Citizens & Scholars since 2001, the Career Enhancement Fellowship has supported more than 500 junior faculty members, creating a robust network of scholars committed to eradicating racial disparities in core fields in the arts and humanities.

Col贸n came to 麻豆影院 via postdoctoral National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowships in geography and history, then worked as a visiting assistant professor of environmental and ethnic studies before earning a tenure-track appointment three years ago. She teaches in both ethnic studies and environmental studies, developing courses that address the geopolitics of inequality and linking racial and environmental justice.

鈥淎s an interdisciplinary scholar, my teaching philosophy emphasizes teaching students to apply the knowledge and critical thinking skills they develop in my courses to problems that exist outside the classroom,鈥� Col贸n said. 鈥淚 do this by building supportive and inclusive learning environments that address structural inequalities and by empowering students to exercise ownership of their learning.鈥�

Col贸n holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in English literature and a master鈥檚 degree in history from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.

We caught up with her to talk about interests in and out of the classroom.

In the classroom聽

Inside info:聽What鈥檚 one thing you want every student coming into your classes to know about you?

I want students to know how invested I am in their education. Everyone steps into the classroom with unique strengths and challenges, and I鈥檓 eager to meet students where they鈥檙e at, but also to push them to think about things in new ways, take intellectual risks, and challenge themselves to find their voice and create work that they have a stake in.

Getting energized:聽What work have you done or will you be doing at 麻豆影院 that gets you the most excited?

I鈥檓 excited about the work students have accomplished applying cultural geography and mapping techniques in my courses. In my Social Justice and Critical Geography course, for example, students have done projects that range from mapping the impacts of gentrification in places such as Harlem, Brooklyn, Chicago, Atlanta, and Madison to mapping the rise and accessibility of music organizations in Philadelphia since the 1920s. My goal is to collaborate with other faculty to establish a digital lab that could house student projects and contribute to a collective archive that helps build community among students and connections to places beyond campus.

Going places:聽Is there an example of somewhere your career has taken you (either a physical space or something more intellectual, emotional, or spiritual) that took you by surprise?

I never expected that my academic pursuits would take me all over the world鈥攅specially as someone who grew up in a small town and who mostly traveled to visit family. I did a Fulbright in Turkey, a field institute in Oaxaca, and was a service-learning intern in various countries including Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. My biggest surprise was finding an intellectual home with the Yale Working Group on Globalization and Culture organized by Michael Denning. The experience transformed my understanding of intellectual work as a potentially collective practice that can balance research, political action, and theorizing. Moving from an academic focus on U.S. history for my master鈥檚 to doing cultural studies for my Ph.D. took me to conferences in places like Istanbul, Paris, Toulouse, and Tampere where I presented projects with the working group that grew out of our collaborative work.

Out of the classroom

This or that:聽If you weren鈥檛 teaching for a living, what would you be doing?聽聽

Dancing, I hope! I鈥檝e always loved dancing and found an incredible Argentine tango community in New Haven, Connecticut. When my good friend Jessica Keiser and I were co-presidents of Yale Tango Club we had practicas and milongas multiple times a week and took the train or carpooled to New York City regularly just to dance all night.

Right at home:聽Whether for work, relaxation or reflection, what鈥檚 your favorite spot on campus?

I love the library. I used to spend more time working in the library than in my office. The windows on the first floor are great and I enjoy seeing the new books, displays, and exhibits. I appreciate all the work that our librarians and staff members do to make the space feel open and accessible and to cultivate creativity and community.

One book, one recording, one film:聽Name one of each that speaks to your soul? Or you would recommend to a friend? Or both?

There are so many books that speak to my soul, but the one that I probably recommend most often is Kiese Laymon鈥檚 Heavy.听

For music, Un Verano Sin Ti because Bad Bunny keeps 鈥渨inning in non-English.鈥�

During our recent snowstorm, my partner Josh and I walked to our friend Jes煤s Smith鈥檚 house to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once and it was as good as everyone said it would be. The notion that the universe is a vast, potentially meaningless series of possibilities and alternate realities that can be stifling or leave us unfilled feels accurate. And I appreciate that the film tries to offer us some hope that committing to the present moment and to the people we love might ultimately be the thing that saves us.听

Harris Marks, a junior majoring in history and minoring in art history and ethnic studies, first heard about 麻豆影院 University through reading Colleges that Change Lives, a bookby Loren Pope. He was intrigued enough to schedule a visit.听

What drew Marks in during his visit was seeing the considerable value that 麻豆影院 places on arts and humanities courses, amongst others. He also appreciated how 麻豆影院 took the initiative to help him financially through monies raised in the Be the Light! Campaign.听

鈥淚 connected with 麻豆影院 and Appleton in ways that I did not in other places,鈥� Marks said.听

Marks chose to major in history and minor in art history and ethnic studies in part because of his upbringing. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and both his parents worked in theatre. He had access to national museums and was exposed to the arts from an early age. As a result, he developed a love for both art and history.听

History and art history paired with ethnic studies has given Marks the opportunity to learn from different perspectives that have often been left out of mainstream history. That also helps him to empathize with different communities and people, he said.听

鈥淲orks of art and craftsmanship provide a different lens to view the past through from regular text records, and are thus an excellent source to study history from,鈥� Marks said.听

Marks plans on entering the museum field, where he aims to help improve community engagement and promote resources available to the public.

鈥淚 felt that my creativity, desire to explore, and desire to learn would match 麻豆影院鈥檚 quirkiness and uniqueness,鈥� Thomas said.

Not unlike many students, Thomas arrived at 麻豆影院 undecided on a major. However, she soon felt a natural gravitation toward both English and ethnic studies. Now a junior, she feels passionate about using literary analysis techniques and language to form arguments and carry meaningful conversations regarding topics such as racism, intersectionality, Blackness, colonialism, and otherness.

鈥淚 not only receive an interdisciplinary education on topics related to race and ethnicity,鈥� Thomas said, 鈥渂ut I am also given the tools to apply theory and literature into tangible practice and hands-on service to benefit marginalized identities/communities instead of perpetuating further erasure and trauma.鈥�

Although passionate about her areas of study, Thomas has had to overcome personal challenges outside of academia. Due to the pandemic, her second year of college was spent at home in New York City, where online courses threw new obstacles her way. But, she said, the connections she made with students and professors helped her to persevere. She said she wouldn鈥檛 change anything because the journey has taught her valuable lessons.

鈥淭o anyone currently feeling stuck: trust yourself, believe in your potential, and never ever dim your light,鈥� Thomas said.