Jessica (Jessie) Marroquín is an ACLS Emerging Voices Fellow at the University of Chicago in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures in the Division of the Humanities. She is further developing her research project on the Santa Muerte, or Holy Death, in Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico Border. She collaborates with interdisciplinary efforts at the University that focus on public and digital humanities, with the goal of lessening the gap between non-academic and academic communities. Jessie is also exploring how to use audio documentaries and podcasting as means to attain this goal and as ways to recover and reincorporate Latinx histories and stories in the U.S. Her research and teaching interests include intersectional feminism, digital, and death studies in cultural productions in 20th and 21st century Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico Border.
“I would like to say that my path at UVA was a tidy one. But I admit that my ultimate path was an untidy one: one that included a two-year pause from and return to academia. Altogether, the five and a half years at UVA were critical building blocks to my career (probably careers?). These blocks featured exciting yet hard twists and turns that invigorated and challenged me to continue my studies. With ongoing support from various mentors and department and university resources, I conducted research in multiple countries (from Argentina to Spain to Mexico to Texas), fomented interdepartmental collaborations (made my first podcast with the Religion, Race, and Democracy Lab), and pursued interdisciplinary research. Thanks to UVA, I have assembled an invaluable toolbox that I will continue to use as a scholar, teacher, analyst, and member of the community.”