Cueponcaxochitl Moreno Sandoval, Ph.D.

Cueponcaxochitl Moreno Sandoval, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Ethnic Studies program at Stanislaus State, is recognized for her extraordinary facilitation of student and community engagement, and the passion with which she practices innovative pedagogies.

Moreno Sandoval is a visionary leader in activities that contribute to student success, engaging them in social justice pedagogies that emphasize inclusivity in her community-focused classrooms. She incorporates experiential learning, creative high-impact practices and dynamic assignments that empower her students to examine societal issues and advocate for change in a critical and collective manner.

As she builds a new indigenous studies curriculum, she weaves in activities that attract and connect students to each other, to the campus and to the greater regional community. Moreno Sandoval inspired students from her introductory ethnic studies course to start the Indigenous Students in Activism Club and the new Indigenous Community Garden. She also supported Transformative Tuesdays (an open forum for students to be vocal and proactive about campus issues). Moreno Sandoval also hosts the Indigenous Peoples Day event with her students, drawing several hundred people to campus in a broad representation of ages and communities.

As one of the few native faculty on campus, her tireless service extends to numerous committees, including the Presidential Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, the CSU Chancellor's Native American Initiative Working Group and CFA's Indigenous Peoples Caucus.

“There is nothing passive about the experience of being in her classes. She challenges and inspires her students to examine issues and advocate for change in a critical and collective manner," says James Tuedio, dean of the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Stanislaus State.