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 titled: “From Sixteenth Century Indigenous Mexico to Modern United States Mushroom Churches: A Historical and Critical Analysis of Hallucinogenic Mushroom Rituals.”
Contact Me
Email: Kimamelgoza@gmail.com
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmelgoza/
KimberlyMelgoza.com 