Michelle Barboza-ramirez
geosciences lecturer
California State University, Florida
Hi! My name is Michelle Barboza, and I’m also from Los Angeles and a first generation POC scientist. (Gabe, Isaac, and I met while we were getting our geology degrees at CSU Fullerton!)
I’m a queer, feminist, Mexican-American nerd who’s always loved reading fantasy and sci fi, but only recently discovered a love of science itself. I started college as a business major (ew!), but luckily I discovered that you can get PAID to play in the dirt and go hiking (hello, earth science!) so I switched over to a geology major. I’ve always been an avid outdoorsperson (I often take a book to read when I’m sitting up at the top of the trail), but I guess I had just never connected that things I liked to do, like hiking and looking at rocks and trying to ID plants, had anything to do with science. It’s seems silly in retrospect, but it’s why I love talking about science so much now - I have to make up for lost time!
I’m currently finishing up my Masters of Science in Paleontology through a joint program at the Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida, where I’m also working towards a certificate in women's studies.