Grads Grilled Graphic Header Image - UC Davis

Graduate Student Profile: Griselda Jarquin, History

Meet UC Davis Graduate Student Griselda Jarquin

  • Department
    History
     
  • Program and year of study
    Ph.D., 6th year  
     
  • Previous degrees and colleges
    MA World History (Africa, Europe and Latin America), San Francisco State University, 2011
    BA History, San Francisco State University, 2008
     
  • Where did you grow up?
    Los Angeles, CA
     
  • Where do you live now?
    Lafayette, CA
     
  • What's your favorite spot in Davis?
    Tres Hermanas! Mostly for their happy hour menu.
     
  • How do you relax?
    Have lunch by myself; watch guilty-pleasure TV shows; read historical fiction.
     
  • What was the last book you read for pleasure?
    James Kaplan’s biography of Frank Sinatra, Sinatra: The Chairman.  
     
  • What was the last film you saw at the theater?
    Pablo Larrain’s Jackie.
     
  • Research interests
    The Cold War; social movements; Nicaragua’s Sandinista Revolution; Conservatism; grassroots activism; transnational history.
     
  • Dissertation title or topic
    My dissertation examines how the Left and Right in Nicaragua and the U.S. viewed Nicaragua as the final frontier of the Cold War that would determine the fate of their ideological struggles. The triumph of the 1979 Sandinista revolution was a critical moment in the Western Hemisphere that offered hope to Leftists that revolution was a viable alternative to achieve political change, while its defeat heralded the triumph of Conservatism and American democracy over “authoritarian communism.” At the heart of my project are activists across the political spectrum who defied national boundaries to create transnational networks to support or oppose the Sandinista revolution.
     
  • Please share a surprising or noteworthy fact or finding from your research
    One of the most surprising things is how San Francisco and the wider Bay Area, rather than Miami, was a destination for Nicaraguan exiles, and the extent to which those exiles built a vibrant community that opposed the dictatorship in Nicaragua from the 1930s-1970s.
     
  • Which professor or class inspired you to pursue graduate studies?
    Professor Trevor Getz. He’s a fantastic role model: a caring and supportive mentor, a dynamic and engaging educator, and an innovative scholar.
     
  • Which scholarly text do you wish you had written? Why?
    Thomas Klubock’s Contested Communities: Class, Gender and Politics in Chile’s El Teniente Copper Mine, 1904-1951. It uses gender as a unit of analysis effectively. 
     
  • What's the best thing about being a grad student?
    Doing research in Nicaragua, traveling to conferences, and teaching.  
     
  • What's the worst?
    Grading.
     
  • What wisdom can you offer to someone considering grad school?
    Speak to other graduate students to get a sense of what the professors, program, department, university, etc. are like. They’re an under-utilized resource that can give you an honest depiction of what to expect as a graduate student.
     
  • If you weren't a grad student, what would you be doing?
    I’d be a high school history teacher..
     
  • Bonus question: What is the one city/country you most hope to visit?
    La Havana, Cuba, which features so prominently when I teach Latin American history and within my own research.
     

Graduate student profile courtesy of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science.


About Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies at UC Davis includes over 100 dynamic degree programs and a diverse and interactive student body from around the world. Known for our state-of-the-art research facilities, productive laboratories and progressive spirit – UC Davis offers collaborative and interdisciplinary curricula through graduate groups and designated emphasis options, bringing students and faculty of different academic disciplines together to address real-world challenges.

UC Davis graduate students and postdoctoral scholars become leaders in their fields: researchers, teachers, politicians, mentors and entrepreneurs. They go on to guide, define and impact change within our global community.

For information on Graduate Studies’ current strategic initiatives, visit the Graduate Studies strategic plan page.

Secondary Categories

General News