Jared Gaitan

Jared Gaitan serves as an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of History within the College of Liberal and Fine Arts at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), while also teaching at Northwest Vista College. A San Antonio native raised on the city's East Side, he champions a student-first educational philosophy prioritizing classroom excellence over research output.

His academic journey at UTSA includes:

• Undergraduate studies culminating in the Nau Undergraduate Research Award in History (2013)
• Master of Arts in History (2016) following the Nau Graduate Research Award (2014) for work on Meiji-era toponymic reform

Research centers on 19th century East Asian historical transformations, with specific focus on Meiji Japan's political geography reforms and Imperial China's socio-cultural systems. His methodology bridges archival analysis of toponymic shifts with broader examinations of state-building in 19th-century Asia, though no publications are currently documented.

His recognized achievements include:

• Nau Undergraduate Research Award in History (2013)
• Nau Graduate Research Award (2014)

As an educator, Gaitan teaches core undergraduate curricula including US History, Mexican American History, and World Civilizations across two institutions. He maintains active teaching status while planning future Ph.D. studies in history, with no documented graduate advisees, research grants, or laboratory affiliations. Personal commitments include community engagement through local hiking and literacy advocacy.