Professor Talavera-Bustillos is a fourth-generation Chicana and a first-generation college student from South Gate. She graduated from Pius X High School, attended UC Irvine, and received her doctorate in 1998 from UCLA’s Graduate School of Education, mentored by Professor Daniel Solórzano. She began teaching Chicano Studies in 1999 as an adjunct and joined the faculty in 2003. Another mentor, Professor Rita Ledesma guided her passion for teaching and supporting students. Professor Talavera-Bustillos is a full professor and served as Summer Department Chair from 2014-2016 and was Interim Department Chair in 2016. She was the director of two mentorship programs and Chair of CLUA, the Chicana/Latino faculty advocacy group in 2017. In 2023 she was awarded a U.S. Department of Education Title V, DHSI grant of $3 million dollars over five years, it is named the Reclaiming Pedagogy, Community & Student Success. The grant proposal was a group effort, with CLUA members assisting, having platicas, with collaborative writing circles. Prof. Miguel Zavala played a critical role in the final version of the grant and later, stepped up to be Co-P.I for 2023-2024, Year 1 of the grant. She brings her personal experiences and academic training to her teaching to help students become critical thinkers, develop as scholars-in-training, and to serve our community now and after they graduate.