35 Professor Yolanda Padilla (she/her)

Dr. Yolanda Padilla is an associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Bothell. Dr. Padilla earned a B.A. in English at the University of California Davis and a Ph.D. in English at the University of Chicago. She is a Co-Director of the First Year and Pre-Major programs at UWB. Dr. Padilla’s courses focus on Latinx Studies and she is also the Advisor of the Latine Student Union Club. Dr. Padilla is a badass Chicana who pushed herself from childhood hardships, becoming a role model of persistence.

Dr. Padilla was born in California and her parents came to the U.S. from Mexico for better opportunities. She is a first-generation high school and college graduate. Growing up, everyone around her spoke Spanish and embraced the Latino culture. It was not until she left her hometown to pursue higher education that she realized how embedded her culture was in her environment and the impact it had on her life. As she recalls, the impression of reading Latino literature for first time astonished her and steered her career into a new path.

Dr. Padilla has published journal articles, book chapters and edited books which align with Latino politics, culture, race issues, as well as the narratives regarding Latino histories and controversies. She is currently researching for her next book, which she has shared articles on in the Women’s Studies Quarterly publication. Her book manuscript touches on Mexican American experiences and the impacts the Mexican revolution had on Mexicans who were on the U.S. side of the border. She believes the search for data is a delight and most importantly, brings to light the empowering aspects of the Mexican community at the time.

Dr. Padilla is not only a professor who inspires individuals to push limits, but she is also kind and has great compassion and connection with her students. Undoubtedly, Dr. Padilla is a warrior of an advocate for her students. As a Co-Director of First Year and Pre-Major programs, she ensures faculty members have the necessary resources available to provide UWB students the best support possible. She wishes for students to feel included and for them to know they truly belong in this space.

Dr. Padilla’s mentorship aids in her students personal and academic success, which includes her expansive role of being the advisor for the Latine Student Union at UWB. When asked about her reason for becoming a mentor, she simply stated that she perceives her work as a form of activism which supports her students. She feels especially inclined to connect with first  generation and first year students. Dr. Padilla feels strongly that if these students receive help, it will positively affect the bigger, collective picture. Her students agree that her empathizing character grants her to be a professor and mentor of the highest quality. Indeed, she is the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. As a first generation, she understands students struggles and is passionately committed to student’s success in every capacity.