Current MA Students
Yasmine Alber
Yasmine was born and raised in Germany. She has an undergraduate degree in Multimedia Journalism but always had a passion for History. Yasmine is excited to be pursuing a Graduate degree in history. “Growing up in a small town in Germany that still has buildings that date back centuries, I know how important it is to know your history.”
Jacob Fong
Jacob earned a BS degree in Physics from UTEP in 2017. Currently pursuing an MA in history, Jacob's primary research focus centers on the History of Science with a present focus on the history of Computer Science. Intersecting his research interests are topics of race relations and queerness. Jacob intends to pursue a PhD in the History of Science while continuing to study and understand the history of sciences from the perspective of the historically marginalized groups.
Luis Alonso Menendez
A native of the Ciudad Juarez and El Paso border region, Luis earned a bachelor's degree from UTEP in English and American Literature with a minor in African American Studies. Luis is currently working on a master's degree in history, with a special focus on oral history. As an undergraduate, Luis served as president of UTEP’s Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society chapter.
lamenendez@miners.utep.edu
Briana Olson
Originally from El Paso, Briana received a BA in History with a minor in Museum Studies from UTEP in 2017. She returned to UTEP in 2020 to pursue an MA in History with a Certificate in Public History and Oral History. She has interned at the El Paso Museum of History as well as UTEP’s Institute of Oral History and has been a panelist at the New Mexico Association of Museums’ Annual Conference. She is currently researching the formation, perpetuation and effects of implicit boundaries by looking at segregated education in El Paso schools after the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Gabe Peek
Gabe Peek is from Washington state, where he attended the University of Washington and received a bachelor's degree in history and political economy with a minor in South Asia studies. He is pursuing a master's in history and the Graduate Certificate in Teaching History here at UTEP, with interests in colonial, economic, and legal history. Gabe hopes to one day help effectively communicate academic insights to broader audiences.
gtpeek@miners.utep.edu
Jacqueline Sierra
Jacqueline received a BA in History at from UTEP. In the MA program, she is focusing her research on the connections between Black and Mexican communities in the Antebellum South, and into the Civil Rights Era. She has worked for various museums in El Paso including the Archaeology Museum and the Magoffin Home. She is currently working for UTEP’s Institute of Oral History looking at the development of the Bracero Museum in Socorro.
Jacobo Villegas
I was born and raised in El Paso, TX, and have lived here my entire life. I have a BA in history from The University of Texas at El Paso. I am interested in gastronomical history in the El Paso / Juarez frontera and also in localized public history. I hope to one day work in the fields of cultural or historic preservation.
Matthew Ward
Matthew is a native of El Paso Texas. He received a BA in History from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2021. Matthew is currently working on an MA in History with plans to become a lecturer and ultimately a certified US history teacher at the high school level in Texas.
msward@miners.utep.edu
Ervin Zubiate
Ervin was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He graduated from UTEP with a BA in Criminal Justice in 2017 and an MBA in 2019. Academic interests include Latin American history, immigration, public policy, and education. Ervin hopes to use his degree to amplify the voices of marginalized groups.
eazubiate@miners.utep.edu
