With the passage of Public Law 100-9 on March 12, 1987, Congress established March as Women’s History Month to honor the many contributions American women have made to our nation. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of that decree, we highlight some of UCI’s female faculty members who are currently making history.

As the first in her family to earn a college degree, Anita Casavantes Bradford knows firsthand how daunting the university experience can be with no relatives to turn to for advice on how to navigate classes, finances and extracurricular activities. To help ease the transition for other first-generation students, Casavantes Bradford – an associate professor of Chicano/Latino studies and history at UCI – founded and directs the campus’s First Generation Faculty Initiative. She’s also an immigration and foreign relations historian, a migrant rights activist, a diversity educator, and chair of UCI’s Committee on Equity & Inclusion for Undocumented Students. Casavantes Bradford was awarded the 2017 Tom Angell Fellowship in recognition of her campuswide mentorship activities. In 2016, she received the Social Sciences Dean’s Award for Outstanding Mentorship, and in 2015, she was honored with UCI’s Outstanding Social Justice Activist Award.

Read more about Casavantes Bradford’s awesome work..