Meet a Roadrunner: Enrique and Sonya Alemán want to provide UTSA students with guidance

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Sonya Alemán and Enrique Alemán, Jr..

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(Sept. 9, 2015) --Meet Enrique and Sonya Alemán. The married couple has returned to San Antonio after many years away to share their knowledge and guidance with the South Texas community that raised them.

The Alemáns arrived this summer to join the UTSA College of Education and Human Development faculty. Enrique Alemán, Jr. is the new chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, which recently moved from the Main Campus to the Downtown Campus. Sonya Alemán joined the Mexican American Studies Program in Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies as an associate professor.

The Alemáns have a deep connection to South Texas. Enrique was born and raised in Kingsville and Sonya in Cotulla, two towns with largely Latino populations. They consider San Antonio to be home; it was, after all, the city in which they met. 

"We met while studying at St. Mary's here in San Antonio," recalled Sonya. "We were always drawn here because San Antonio's population is so similar to who we are. It's the perfect ground to conduct our research and engage with our community." 

"I didn't know that I wanted to be a Ph.D. until I met Sonya," said Enrique, who was a first-generation college student and initially hoped to enter law school. "I knew I wanted to help improve the community – my community, but she helped guide me to academia."

After earning their undergraduate degrees, the Alemáns married and spent several years traveling the country and working toward their Ph.Ds. Their journey took them to some of the country's most prestigious universities, such as the University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University. Their ultimate goal was to one day return home and share the knowledge they gained in ways that would benefit the next generation of students of color.

"We're coming back home now after a long time away," said Enrique. "But we're coming back with more experience and more knowledge about the way the world works, and we want to put our talents and expertise to work for the community. We wanted to come home, but we also wanted to be a part of something – with UTSA faculty and students."

Prior to joining UTSA, Enrique was an associate professor with the University of Utah. His research focuses on the impact of education policies for students of color in public K-12 schools and higher education. He also works to develop collaboration between public schools, universities and surrounding communities, and develops theoretical frameworks for education using critical race theory. 

"I'm trying to push the boundaries about how we think about educational opportunity, educational leadership and educational policy," said Enrique. "In many ways, coming to UTSA is perfect for my research. The university's young, diverse population and its growth can be used as a lens through which to explore many of these issues, and, hopefully, also serve as a model for other less diverse higher education institutions."

In 2013, Enrique co-wrote and produced a documentary titled "Stolen Education," which detailed the story of Mexican-American school children who fought against discrimination in Texas schools in the 1950s. It has been screened across the country, including at UTSA last year. He is currently writing a book on their struggles.

Sonya's research interests include race, racism and white privilege in the news and media. In college, Sonya was the editor for her university's newspaper. The experience interested her in further understanding the factors and rationales that drive media representations of minorities and communities of color, particularly representations of Latino populations.

"I have always approached my work through the lens of race and racism in the media and used that to look at the patterns in representations," said Sonya. "I want to help train media and our students about how media representations can reinforce certain hierarchies in our society." 

Enrique received his Ph.D. in educational administration and a Mexican-American Studies doctoral certificate from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his master's degree from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs in New York, and his undergraduate degree from St. Mary's University. 

Sonya received her Ph.D. in communication from the University of Utah. She earned her master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and her undergraduate degree from St. Mary's University.

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