I grew up in Los Angeles, CA. I then graduated with a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Southern California in 2021. I received a M.A. in Religion at Yale Divinity School in 2023 where I emphasized in Latinx and Latin American Christianity. I started her PhD journey in the Joint Degree Program at the University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology. I am starting my 3rd year in the fall of 2025.
My reason for pursuing a PhD in religious studies is to further explore indigenous religions and practices that are not thought to be authentic by the dominant Euro-American culture and, in turn, bring them to light in the academic canons of religious studies. I want the re-telling of their stories to come from them and no longer from an outsider’s perspective. I am not only interested in the research aspect, but also the teaching aspects and mentoring of students. I want to be an inspiration for others to believe that they can achieve a high level of education and continued engagement with their communities as well because that was something I never knew, especially as a low-income, first-generation Mexican woman from South Los Angeles. I aspire to teach at a university, college, or seminary where I can teach a variety of courses from: introduction to religion, world religions, Latinx studies, anthropology, indigenous studies, and feminist studies. My current dissertation is tentatively on the contemporary development of “Mushroom” churches in the United States, and after I plan to write a book about the traditions and practices of indigenous religions in Mexico and their religious use of hallucinogenic mushrooms considered sacred for centuries before Spanish colonization and their forced conversion to Christianity.
Contact Me
Email: Kimamelgoza@gmail.com
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmelgoza/
KimberlyMelgoza.com 