Melissa Rojas Williams is a first-generation doctoral candidate and motherscholar in the Social Studies Program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The University of Texas at Austin, where she also earned a M.Ed in Bilingual/Bicultural Studies and BA in Mexican American Studies and Government. Melissa currently serves as an assistant instructor for both the Generalist and Bilingual Elementary Social Studies Methods, as well as the Latinx Children’s Literature Course. It is an honor for her to explore how pre-service Bilingual Teachers utilize children’s literature to help build children’s civic identities as they too reflect on their own civic identity, membership, and agency. Having had ten years of teaching experience in a bilingual classroom, Melissa is personally invested in long-term mentoring pre-service teachers in their journey of health and sustainability within the teaching profession.
