Maria Elena Cruz

Maria Elena Cruz is a Lecturer in Chicana and Chicano Studies and Director of the Aspire/McNair Scholars Programs at San José State University. As a first-generation Wixáritari descendant and scholar, she holds a Ph.D. in Social Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin (2013). Her research specializes in Indigenous and Mexican American oral histories within U.S.-Mexico borderland contexts.

Cruz directs TRIO programs supporting first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students in developing research skills for doctoral studies. Her teaching focuses on testimonio traditions and oral history methodologies, examining how these narratives preserve cultural memory and resistance strategies.