Dr. Lori Beth Rodriguez is Assistant Professor of Humanities and Mexican American Studies, and Coordinator for the Center for Mexican American Studies at Palo Alto College. She is also a freelance independent copy editor, specializing in academic manuscripts. Lori holds a Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in Latina/o Literature from the University of Texas at San Antonio and has received various awards and honors for her academic research in the areas of literature, cultural studies and women's studies including a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, among others. After completing graduate studies, Lori served as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Latina/o Studies Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and subsequently as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chicano Studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Lori is a domestic violence awareness advocate and guest speaker, sharing her own personal experiences as a survivor of domestic violence at various speaking engagements. She is also a proud mother to a rambunctious four year-old and in her spare time (when she finds some) she enjoys yoga, roller skating and researching holistic healing methods.