Maria Isabel Ayala,
María Isabel Ayala is Director of the Chicano/Latino Studies Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Michigan State University. Ayala’s work calls attention to the intra-group diversity and capital of Latinx people by examining the relationship between their unique and complex racialization and sociodemographic experiences and behaviors. Moreover, Ayala explores the role of Latinx identities in reconstructing structures, centering and highlighting agentive and resilient behaviors and cultures in the navigation of physical, symbolic, and social White spaces. Her humanistic and social justice commitment and her dedication to inclusivity shape her research, teaching, and leadership. Ayala is a 2020-21 Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program Fellow.