Scholar Homies

On this podcast episode, Dra, Abeyta is joined by Future Doctora Tabatha Cruz as they discuss the Bad Bunny's 2026 Super Bowl performance and its cultural impact. Inspired the performance we share our positionalities and opinions on the parts of the performance that we felt were special to us. From the sugar canes, to the vendors, and ode to og reggaeton artists. We also share our favorite mem...

On this episode of the scholar homies podcast, Maria and Rocio open up about what it means to be scholar moms with teens and college kids who’ve seen them hustle through school and life. They share what pushed them to pursue graduate degrees, the guilt that sometimes comes with balancing motherhood and ambition, and how education became a lifeline for healing after hardship. From surviving domesti...

On this episode the scholar homies discussed services and funding for formerly incarcerated students and system impacted students in higher education systems. They shared their experiences and thoughts on the trauma mass incarceration causes the family members.

In this episode Dra. Abeyta & Dr. Hernandez have a causal conversation about their authenticity and professionalism in academic and social media spaces, how they navigate external expectations while staying true to themselves, and the importance of speaking up for what is right while maintaining authenticity and safety.

The Scholar Homies podcast is relaunching with a new format where Dra. Abeyta announces some of her Scholar Homies as cohosts - Dr. Joe Louis Hernandez, CSU Trustee Emerita Maria Linares, Future Dra. Rocio Sanchez & Future Dr. Armando Lizarraga - will create their own episodes, and the group discussed various aspects of finding joy and professional fulfillment in their work in education. The c...

In this episode I catch up with the future Doctora Christina Rodriguez, founder of 'Latinas with Masters.' She is such an inspiration, we talked about the challenges of dissertations, digital media and how we should normalize therapy. Follow our guest across social media platforms @latinaswithmasters and our host at @academicsoul

In this episode, I talk with future Dr. Miguel Beltran. He is a system-impacted student-researcher who explores societal factors in relation to neighborhood dynamics, the culture of over policing, and the experiences of Chicano males. He reflects on his educational journey and the importance of remaining grounded as he pursued higher education from Los Angeles to Columbia University. Follow our gu...

It's been a year since I've ghosted ya'll. Where did we leave off...in short, we moved, my baby was hospitalized & I ran a marathon. Lets catch up!

In this special episode I share some exciting personal news. Be sure to follow our host on Instagram @academicsoul!

In this special episode, I'm joined again by my 10 year old, Milania for our second episode on this special summer mami scholar series. We talk about our nonexistent summer routine, her birthday week, and our upcoming vacation! Follow our host on Instagram @academicsoul and on Twitter @MelissaAbeyta

In this special episode, I'm joined by my 10 year old, Milania for a special summer mami scholar series. Milania and I talk about what it's like for her as a child of an academic transitioning and moving across country for her moms career. We talk about what the last two years of our transition has been like. Milania also answers questions asked from Instagram and she shares her top 10 uni...

In this episode, I talk with Maria Linares. A first-generation Latina, raised in an immigrant household in a working-class neighborhood in Santa Ana, CA. She is a mother of three, a Girl Scout volunteer, and currently serves as a member of the California State University, Board of Trustees, a position appointed by Governor Newsom. We have an incredible conversation about student activism, self-per...

In this episode, I talk with SDSU student Jahaziel Sanchez. We talk about his experiences as a formerly incarcerated transfer student. He shares his unique perspectives on incarceration and its transition to a student scholar. He also shares his passions outside of research and academics. Follow our guest on Instagram @Jahaziel_anazai Follow our host on Instagram @academicsoul and Twitter @Melissa...

In this episode, I talk with my femtor Dra. Marissa Vasquez. We reminisce on how we first met prior to being academics. We talk about the importance of 'lifting as we climb' through mentorship/femtorship and through creating counterspaces. We also talk about how we are socialized to conference and network.  Follow our guest on Twitter @mvasquez619 Follow our host on Instagram @academicsoul an...

In this episode, I talk with my great friend Dr. Ángel de Jesus González. We reflect on the past ten years of friendship as we both navigate academia. Dr. González shares his most recent experiences on the academic job market and negotiating multiple institutional job offers. We reflect on how our positionaility informs our work and setting boundaries within academia.  Follow our guest on Twi...

In this episode, I talk with the future Dra. Patricia Becerra. She is a mami scholar to 7 children who will be completing her bachelor’s degree this spring. We talk about her inspiration to return to college during the global pandemic. She discusses how her positionality led her to her research as a Mami Scholar and how important it was for her to have mentors/femtors to help guide her on her acad...

In this episode, I talk with the Dra. Rocio D. Hernandez, fellow Lambda Sigma Gamma Sorority Inc sister! We talk about claiming/reclaiming the term Chingona  We share examples of how we've had to negotiate of what it means to be a Chingona and what it means to push against social norms by unapologetically leading with this identity in higher education. We also share are professional and perso...

In this episode, I talk with the Dr. Lazaro Camacho Jr.. We talk about how the Scholar Homies "Collective" begin during the beginning of the pandemic and how we cultivated an online community. We talk about an article he co-authored "No Role Models" and the parallels that they made with their study findings to the J. Cole's album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. We also talk about toxic masculinity and s...

In this episode, I talk with the future Dr. Armando Lizarraga, we share the story of how we met and how that first interaction led us to developing a mentor/femtorship and research collaboration. We talk about his positionality of being carceral system impacted. We also talk about our experiences in normalizing academia/higher education by showing up our authentic selves.  Follow our guest on...

It's my birthday! To celebrate I wanted to share this special episode with my family! In this episode I talk with my family (life partner, my daughter, my mom and dad). We talk about vulnerably about our transition to South Texas. We share our favorite moments with each other and we do a special "California vs Texas" version of "This or That."  We also are dedicating this episode to our dear...

In this episode, I talk with the future Dr. Oscar Duran, as we discuss Streetwise Epistemology and how he works to connect his research to practice. We share how we were socialized into academia in such an uplifting environment with the SEMILLAS Research Team led by Dra. Vasquez. We also discuss our positionalities of being carceral impacted and having survivors guilt.  Follow our guest on Tw...

In this episode I talk with Dr. Reka Barton where we discuss her positionality on being a Black educator. We talk about how she’s merged her talents by being the Scholarly Sewist and dropping academic visuals as mixtapes to make the research accessible for the community. Follow our guest on Instagram @thescholarlysewist and visit her website at https://www.thescholarlysewist.com/ Follow our host o...

In this episode I talk with Dr. Xuan Santos where we talk about how our communities are surveillanced and criminalized as early childhood and in academic spaces.  We reflect on our experiences of the mobilization that took place in California during Proposition 187, our experiences with campus police, and racialized themed parties.  Dr. Santos was featured in this the Decolonize Justice...

In this episode I talk with Dra. Vanessa Bustamante aka Homegirl Doctora where we discuss the performance that exists in academia and sense of belonging. We also talk about the differences between fraternity and sorority life that exists between panhellenic and multicultural organizations. We talk about the criminology of the term Chola and La Chola Conference.  You can follow our guest on In...

In this episode, I talk with the future doctor Alejandro Arellano. We discuss how he navigates fatherhood as a practitioner-scholar and the difficulties we face as parents balancing work. We also share our experiences as first-generation investors in the stock market and the importance of building generational wealth. Follow our host on Instagram @academicsoul and Twitter @MelissaAbeyta