The University of North Texas Libraries invite applications for the 2020 The Portal to Texas History Research Fellowship. Research using the Portal is relevant to studies in a variety of disciplines including history, journalism, political science, geography, and American studies. We encourage applicants to think creatively about the opportunities that research with large digital library collections can enable. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the greatest potential for publication and the best use of The Portal to Texas History.

The Portal to Texas History 2019 Research Fellowship Awardee

Alejandra C. Garza

Project Title

From Laborers to Legends: The Life and Memory of Vaqueros in South Texas Throughout the Twentieth Century

Project Description

This project will utilize the Texas Borderlands Newspaper Collection for research about vaqueros in South Texas during the twentieth century. This research will be a vital part of Alejandra C. Garza’s dissertation at UT-Austin. Additionally, she will create a three-panel exhibit of notable newspapers and their content related to vaqueros which could be shown in partnership with the Hebbronville Museum Foundation in Jim Hogg County.

Biography

Alejandra C. Garza is currently the American Historical Association Career Diversity Fellow and a PhD candidate in the History Department at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a portfolio student in the Mexican American Latina/o Studies Department. Her research centers around twentieth century South Texas ranching communities and historical memory. Alejandra is a Texas native and grew up in South Texas. In 2014 she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas A&M University-Kingsville with a B.A. in History and a minor in Journalism.