Mario A. Gómez Zamora

Mario A. Gómez Zamora with his students from Patamban, Ocumicho, and Aranza, Michoacán after presenting their book Entre el Recuerdo y la Memoria: Historias de Patmban. Photo by Lu White

Teaching and Mentorship

My teaching and mentorship approach is deeply connected to my identity as a queer Indigenous immigrant scholar who seeks to support others like me who are underrepresented in academia. My teaching is informed by critical pedagogies, pedagogy of liberation, and Indigenous Knowledge systems. 

Projects conducted with the support of students and mentees:

Queer Indigenous Futures Art Gallery, Spring 2025

A project made and curated by college students at the University of California, Santa Cruz

Teaching experience in K-12, college, and graduate level:

Instructor and designer of the upper division course LALS 139, “Queer Indigenous Histories in the Americas.” [Emphasis on creative writing]. Latin American and Latino Studies Department. University of California, Santa Cruz. Spring 2025.

Graduate Student Mentor of graduate students designing courses and course materials. Teaching and Learning Center. University of California, Santa Cruz. Spring 2025. 

Instructor and designer of the lower division course LALS 39, “Queer Indigenous Histories in the Americas.” Latin American and Latino Studies Department. University of California, Santa Cruz. Summer 2024.

Teaching Assistant of multiple courses in the Latin American and Latino Studies Department. University of California, Santa Cruz. 
o	Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies. Summer 2024. 
o	Hip-Hop History. Summer 2023.
o	Hip-Hop History. Summer 2022.
o	Hip-Hop History. Summer 2021.
o	Introduction to Human Rights and Social Justice. Spring 2021.  
o	AIDS Across the Americas. Winter 2021.
o	Introduction to Latin American and Latino Studies. Fall 2020.

Summer instructor. Summer Institute for the Gifted at UC Berkeley. Summer 2018 and 2019.
o	Argumentative Essay (9 – 12 grades)
o	Global Human Rights (9 – 12 grades)
o	Ocean Crisis (4 – 8 grades) 
o	Speaking of Winning (4 – 8 grades)

Part-time Faculty. Universidad Capital de Estudios Superiores. Tangancícuaro, Michoacán. 
o	Pedagogy Major: Philosophic Anthropology. Fall 2017.
o	Accounting and Public Finance Major: Strategies of Study. Fall 2017. 

High school teacher. Preparatoria por Cooperación Tangancícuaro. Tangancícuaro, Michoacán. 2013 – 2014.
o	Universal History
o	Ethics

Middle school student teacher. Escuela Secundaria Técnica No. 2. Licenciado Alfonso García Robles. Chaparaco, Michoacán. 2011 – 2012. 
o	Universal History
o	History of México