Marlene Andrade, Chicana and Chicano studies graduate student, is one of the recipients of the Sally Casanova Scholarship for her research on how communities of color use their traditional and cultural practices to promote and uphold sustainability.
The Sally Casanova Scholarship provides students with resources to prepare them for doctoral programs, according to a California State University webpage.
She focuses on the contributions that women of color make to environmental justice.
Three graduate students at SJSU were awarded this scholarship for 2022-2023. Andrade, along with another Chicana/o studies student, is one of the first in her department to receive this scholarship.
“That’s pretty huge and also very disappointing, because ... why is it until now?” Andrade said. “It just made me feel really proud for the discipline ... A lot of folks don’t want ethnic studies and we’re particularly a small department. Small but strong.”
She said dedicated scholars are essential, as there is a lot left to be learned in ethnic studies.
“I think this is just a reminder for us to continue creating scholarship that impacts the whole community and to further literature and research that is important.”
Andrade is a first-generation student from the San Fernando Valley in her third year as a graduate student at SJSU.
She completed her undergraduate degree in sociology and Chicana/o studies at CSU Northridge where she worked for Youth Speak! Collective in San Fernando.
Youth Speak! is a youth-driven organization uplifting young students of color and helping them to cultivate leadership skills to pursue higher education and create positive change in their communities, according to its LinkedIn page.
Andrade said her time there exposed her to students who were aware of the injustices facing them as young people of color, but were actively trying to combat them.
An important project Andrade worked on with the collective was the restoration of a local park that had been neglected and vandalized.
“It was important for me to witness their willingness to want to restore the park,” Andrade said. “It was part of not only the [Youth Speak!] legacy but also their high school legacy and just having to tie their cultural backgrounds into that.”
She said, as she witnessed the students’ dedication to reclaiming the space as an outdoor sanctuary for their community, she was reminded of her youth and the environmental issues that lurked in the background of her memories.
“I grew up in a community with really bad air quality as well and our living conditions weren’t good either,” Andrade said. “Their personal experiences really made me question my own experience and look at the environment in a more critical lens.”
Andrade said, during that time, she developed an interest in environmental justice that has since shaped her work in higher education.
Through the Sally Casanova Scholarship, Andrade will receive $3000 to continue pursuing her research.
“I hope this scholarship really kind of highlights the work I'm trying to do but also why it’s significant and connected to the department and the discipline of Chicanx studies,” Andrade said.
The scholarship will also grant her the opportunity to participate in a summer research program with a faculty member in her field at a doctoral granting institution.
Additionally, the scholarship includes mentorship at SJSU during which Andrade will be further guided on the path toward her doctorate.
Amy Leisenring, associate dean of inclusive student success, said the application process for the scholarship includes three essays, a detailed budget plan, transcripts and a faculty letter of recommendation.
“To apply definitely takes a commitment. It takes a pretty concrete understanding of what it is that you want to do and why,” Leisenring said.
She also said applicants must show that they have a feasible plan for impactful research in their field, have strong plans to pursue a doctoral degree and return to teach in the CSU system.
“I was certainly very impressed with her application. I remember that she had a very strong application to begin with,” Leisenring said.
As a first-generation student of color in a non-traditional field, Andrade said, at times, she felt discouraged in her studies.
“Often, as a person of color in our community, we don’t get highlighted much,” said Andrade.
She said she didn’t see many people like her being recognized for their scholarly accomplishments.
Christine Vega, Chicana/o studies assistant professor and one of Andrade’s mentors at SJSU, said there is a need for people like her to keep pushing forward.
In the U.S., a mere 0.2% of Chicanas have doctoral degrees, according to a 2020 study by Northern Illinois University.
Vega said this data speaks to the lack of representation that Chicana scholars have to look up to in higher education. She said she believes Andrade will play a part in filling this gap once she obtains her PhD and becomes a professor.
“Her contributions are gonna be super significant in terms of how we think about Chicana environmentalists who are using critical scholarship around race, ethnicity, gender and the environment,” Vega said. “What I can say is that we need more work like that.”
Andrade said she has completed her applications to pursue her doctorate in ethnic studies.
Looking to the future, Andrade said she is excited to hear back from the doctoral programs she has applied to.
She also said she wants to move forward in her education to highlight the joy communities of color find in practicing sustainability within their cultures.
“Often we hear about environmental injustice ... the air quality and the proximity to waste,” Andrade said. “I want to continue to highlight women of color in environmental justice and how they find joy in organizing and supporting their community.”
