Isabel Araiza is an associate professor of sociology at Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, where she teaches in the Mexican American and women and gender studies programs. She’s an expert on sociology and its intersections with education, social class and inequality. 

Araiza spoke up against the university’s plans for in-person classes in fall 2020. Many schools abandoned plans for in-person instruction due to outbreaks — most notably, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, made the rest of the semester entirely online after 130 students tested positive in the first week of classes.

Araiza’s recent research has focused on access to clean water, the political preferences of Latinos, Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education in Texas, and the community impact of the integration of Corpus Christi Independent School District in the 1970s.

Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Araiza went on to earn her Ph.D. in sociology from Boston College. As a public sociologist actively engaged in her community, Araiza is a founding member of For the Greater Good, a local advocacy organization that pushes for access to clean water and investment in public institutions and infrastructure.

She’s also co-authored several health needs assessments on the community needs and uses of hospitals in the Coastal Bend region of South Texas.

Expertise: Universities and the coronavirus, sociology, Mexican American studies, women and gender studies, social class, education, inequality 

Location: Corpus Christi, Texas

Email: isabel.araiza@tamucc.edu

Phone: 361-825-3936

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