Leslie Torres

I am a third year doctoral student in the MA to Ph.D. program. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2022 and my Master of Arts in History at Texas A&M University in 2024. My Master's thesis, entitled "Challenging 'Bad Sons of Uncle Sam': Ethnic Mexican Mobilization and Acts of Resistance in Early 20th Century Texas," uncovered the role of ethnic Mexicans in pursuit of civil and racial justice, spanning from the 1850s to the 1920s within the Texas-Mexico borderlands. When studying my historical subjects, I analyze outsider-perceived and self-identified racial categorization, extralegal and law-abiding acts of resistance, gender relations, transborder experiences, American nationalism, and the impact of segregation and racial violence. Outside of research, I am the student convener for the Glasscock Center-sponsored Immigration, Migration, and Ethnicity Working Group, a graduate student affiliate with the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute at Texas A&M University, and the '24-'25 Communications Officer for the History Graduate Student Organization.

Advisor: Dr. Sonia Hernandez