Patricia G
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

Expertise

Art History, Feminism, Popular culture, Critical Race, History, Theory, Writing, Latin American Studies, Black Studies, Indigenous Studies.

Bio

My name is Dr. Patrícia Gomes. I have my Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and currently work as a Postdoctoral scholar at UCLA. My M.A. is from NYU, and my undergraduate was at the University at Buffalo. This means I have experience at both public and private universities, in small towns to big cities, and in different parts of the country. As a member of the 1% of Latinas who hold a doctorate, I understand what it feels like to be underrepresented and how to successfully navigate university systems at multiple educational levels. I am passionate about studying art and culture, and advocating for student success, which begins in high school. My research looks at art, cultural production, political histories, feminist movements, and more throughout Latin America and the USA. I take particular interest in Black and Indigenous artists and activists. My work considers how women and marginalized communities use art as an activist tool to fight against oppressive regimes in these areas. I have advised students on projects that range from research papers to creative projects. Based on my experience as an instructor at UC Berkeley, I give students insight into the writing and research skills necessary to be successful at college writing. Patrícia is a native speaker of Portuguese and proficient in Spanish.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Visual Analysis Paper

This project will preview a research paper that you might have to do in college. Pick a favorite work of art, film, or video work. We will work on skills of visual analysis - looking closely at the work of art for what it means. You will pick a point of view, a thesis. You will find supporting evidence both in the work and in supporting theory and other works of art too. You will gain skills in writing and editing, as well as an in-depth knowledge of your chosen research topic.

Languages I know

Portuguese, some Spanish

Teaching experience

I already have a track record as a mentor, working with students from all backgrounds. At the heart of my mentorship is the compassion I bring to navigating the college application process and demystifying the experience. For many students, this is a very stressful time and topic, so I prioritize ease and assurance to build a strong working relationship. Then I draw on more than a decade of experience in higher education to address any questions or concerns students might have. I have successfully applied to and been admitted to college for undergrad, M.A., and Ph.D., and now at the postdoctoral level. For mentoring experience, I have mentored undergraduate students as a Graduate Mentor in the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising and for the Chicanx Latinx Student Development Office. In this capacity, I ran workshops, co-facilitated events with student groups like Hermanas Unidas and the Women-of-Color Initiative, and held one-on-one mentoring office hours. I created and ran a working group for undergraduates called “Belonging at Cal,” in which we addressed imposter syndrome, navigating higher education through an intersectional framework, how to build successful relationships with faculty, how to attend office hours, and demystified the process of applying to graduate school. I served as the Graduate Assistant for Women’s Resources at the Gender Equity Resource Center, providing programming and services to graduate women. In these roles, I specialize in addressing questions of belonging in higher education and in running workshops on well-being and academic success. Currently, as a postdoctoral scholar, I mentor high school students who do research projects to gain college-level experience before entering as a freshman.

Credentials

Work experience

UC Berkeley College of Letters & Sciences (2020 - Current)

L&S Graduate Mentor

Education

State University of New York College at Buffalo

BA Bachelor of Arts (2016)

Art History and Gender Studies

New York University

MA Master of Arts (2017)

Performance Studies

University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)

PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate