Could you introduce yourself and tell me a bit about your background?

My name is Dr. Adriana Ponce. I prefer the pronouns she/her/hers. I am a first generation college student. I’m the first and only one in my direct family line to go to college and get an undergraduate and a graduate degree. I did my undergraduate degree in sociology at the University of California-Berkeley, and then I completed my masters and Ph.D. degrees in sociology at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

What sparked your interest in sociology, and why did you want to become a professor?

When I went to college, I felt really validated in my Introduction to Sociology course. It provided language and frameworks for experiences that I had throughout my childhood and teen years. It made me realize that I wasn’t the only one going through the things that I was going through, experiencing, and thinking. I’ve always been really interested in, committed to, and inspired by social justice. Obviously, the topics of social justice that I have developed an interest in have changed over time, but having that validation in a university setting was life changing. It really inspired me to continue my trajectory on to graduate school. In graduate school, I realized that I really love teaching students and I’m really passionate about research, and so being a professor felt like the natural next step.

Are you currently working on any research, if so, what is it?

I’m currently working on a project on step-parent families, particularly their unique practices and processes. I’m actually working currently with an undergraduate student here at Southwestern through an independent study. We’ll be doing a faculty-student project over the summer, where we’ll start collecting data. I plan to continue more data collection over the 2024-2025 academic year with funding that I got from Southwestern, and I plan to continue working with students on that project.

How did you hear about Southwestern, and why did you want to work here?

When I was applying for professor positions, I read the job description from the application here and felt like it fit really well with my work and my goals. I got on a video call with the department chair and two other faculty members and we clicked right away. It was so cool. There was a sense of collegiality and it naturally felt like a good fit. I came for my visit and that just closed the deal. On top of that, I’m part of the thematic hire, so I was really excited about being able to start with other folks who are also from marginalized identities who also do work on diversity, equity, and inclusion–it’s been wonderful.

I’m really grateful for my thematic hire colleagues. I’ll name them alphabetically, just to be fair: Drs. Sonia Del Hierro, Alex Goodwin, Amanda Hernandez, Brian Kauma, and Megan Solomon. I’m really grateful for our mentors too, which include Drs. Alicia Moore and Brenda Sendejo. My department has been wonderful: Drs. Maria Lowe, Naomi Reed, and Mel Johnson. Dr. Lowe has been a steadfast advocate, mentor, and role model, going above and beyond to support my transition here. Women of color give us so much labor of love, and I just can’t thank all of these people enough.

What classes do you teach?

This past semester, I taught Introduction to Sociology and Sociology of Gender. I will also be offering those courses next semester, in fall 2024. In spring 2025, I will be teaching Sociological Theory, in addition to Introduction to Sociology. I’ve also taught Sociology of Family in the past.

What are you looking forward to teaching in the coming semesters?

Sociology of Gender has been so amazing and wonderful, I think for both the students and myself this semester, so I’m really excited to continue that work next semester. I’m excited to make Sociological Theory a fun class because I know theory can be kind of dry and a little tedious. I’m really excited about those two courses.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Because I’m new to Texas, I’m still trying to figure out what I like doing when it’s not extremely hot. Back when I was in Michigan, I used to love kayaking, painting, dancing, walking trails, and hanging out with my daughter. I think having a work-life balance is extremely important, so I encourage everybody to do that as best as they can.

What is something students would be surprised to learn about you?

I used to run track and cross country in high school. We used to run 10 miles every day. I don’t think I could run a mile today. I was also class president.