Felipe Ponce

Felipe Ponce is a Professor at San José State University (SJSU) in the Department of Mexican-American Studies, where he also earned his Master's degree. He has taught at SJSU for 7 years and concurrently teaches at a local community college. A first-generation college graduate and Bay Area native, his work focuses on dismantling systemic inequities in education and criminal justice.

Education: B.A. in Liberal Studies and Raza Studies from San Francisco State University; M.A. in Mexican-American Studies from SJSU (the nation’s first MAS Master’s program).

Research emphasizes the school-to-prison pipeline, advocating against hypercriminalization of marginalized youth through dress codes and surveillance. He critiques policing in schools and advocates for equitable resource allocation in education.

Publications include op-eds on youth criminalization (e.g., 2012 Mercury News and 2011 SF Bayview), highlighting structural racism in educational policies.

Labs/Teams: Active in YWCA Project Inspire After School Program in East Side Union High School District.