By Anna Padilla
Posted July 3, 2025
From California to Georgia and finally to New Mexico, Ruben Loza has been prioritizing finding community throughout his academic career. Originally hailing from Los Angeles, Loza traveled to Savannah to earn his undergraduate degree in graphic design.
During his senior year, Loza considered getting a graduate degree. “I never thought I would do a master’s program, but something was pulling me towards applying for a master’s program,” Loza said. “I didn’t want to just end up working for Google or Pepsi or doing design work for, you know, insert Name Corporation. I wanted to do something that was culturally relevant.”
Loza’s interest was piqued when he learned the University of New Mexico offered a graduate degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies. His mother is from Mexico and has been there for most of her life. A few years ago, she told him that she tried crossing the border once before but was caught and sent back.
“Just hearing those real-life experiences that so many people face, it impassioned me,” Loza said. “I wanted to focus on supporting students of color.”
He gained real hands-on experience with that when he joined the Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color. The group supports undergraduate and graduate students of color through peer mentoring and community-building programs.
During his time as insert lead project assistant, he’s most proud of helping his fellow teammates provide mental health support workshops for students. “We set it up on purpose where it was like right before finals, right before midterm, like, it’s like we know that students are always stressing,” Loza said.
Loza also credits the Chicana and Chicano Studies program for helping him find a space that felt like home. “Chicana Studies was one of the best decisions in my life. It’s such a warm space,” Loza said. “Someone is always there at the casita. Sometimes people are making enchiladas or just hanging out.”
The people he met with the department helped shape the direction of his thesis project. He focused on the visual artwork and music emerging from border cities like San Diego and Tijuana. “I’m actually the son of a musician. But because my dad did music when I was growing up, I had no interest in it,” Loza said.
That is, until a musician and Ph.D. candidate in the department began teaching a class centered around Son Jarocho, a genre of music from Veracruz. “She’d been giving these classes and somehow, they pulled me in. Something felt more organic about playing this sort of music,” Loza said. “I told myself I’ll try out the percussion, and I went to one class, and then I just kept going.”
Music ultimately opened doors for Loza to travel. He had the opportunity to go to France to play alongside other Son Jarocho musicians with full support from the department.
In May of 2025, Loza graduated with his master’s degree. He spoke at the El Centro de la Raza’s stoling ceremony about those who came before him, finding community through his department and showing gratitude for the support he’s received. He also highlighted the need to break with gatekeepers and uplift those who are underrepresented.
“Especially now, I feel like it’s important to support students of color however you can,” Loza said. “It’s hard to take action, but we need to put ourselves in other people’s shoes and make change.”
Anna Padilla is a Senior Public Relations Specialist with the University of New Mexico.
