About Dr. Manuela Alejandra Gomez
Dr. Manuela Alejandra Gomez is a Professor of Philosophy with over 20 years of teaching experience on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. She specializes in philosophical pedagogy, ethics, feminism, visual literacy, and Latin American philosophy. She is the author of the book Intersecting Worlds in Mexican American Philosophy: Teaching and Learning from the Border, published by Bloomsbury. She has presented her research at prestigious institutions, including Harvard University and Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, India. Beyond academia, she is an award-winning journalist focused on U.S.–Mexico border politics.
Dr. Gomez was nationally elected to serve as Vice President of the Society for Mexican American Philosophy and is a member of the American Philosophical Association's national committees on Latinx Philosophy and Teaching Philosophy. She has received recognition from the Texas House of Representatives, was honored as a Community Champion during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has contributed to civic initiatives, including the creation of the Healing Garden commemorating the victims of the August 3 El Paso shooting.
In 2022, she was named the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor for the State of Texas, one of the most prestigious statewide awards for teaching excellence. In 2023, her research received the Outstanding Dissertation Award at the University of Texas at El Paso, and in 2024, she was inducted into the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame for her public service.
Dr. Gomez serves on multiple commissions and boards within the El Paso–Juárez community. She created the concept of Desenterrando Conocimientos (Unearthing Knowledge), a philosophical framework that reimagines Mexican American labor to include intellectual work and community-based epistemologies. Her research challenges structural racism and sexism in the hope of making philosophy a more inclusive and community-engaged discipline.
Hello!
Hola!
First- Generation
Fronteriza
Writer
Philosopher
Journalist
Awards & Recognitions
Recognized nationally for her scholarship and leadership, Dr. Manuela Gomez has earned numerous awards, honors, and media features.
2026
Appointed to Harvard's Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project
Commendation Award by Congresswoman Veronica Escobar
2025
Appointed to Rayenari Arts Board
2024
El Paso Commission for Women Hall of Fame Inductee
2023
College of Education Outstanding Dissertation Award
2022
Teaching, Learning, and Culture Doctoral Program Outstanding Dissertation Award
Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award
Congratulatory Resolution Recipient, El Paso County Commissioners
EPCC Inspirational Award, Student Government Association
2021
EPCC Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award
2020
EPCC Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award
EPCC Inspirational Award, Student Government Association
Community Champion, El Paso Community Foundation and KVIA-TV
First Place Award, EPCC Philosophy Club
EPCC Tejano Food Pantry Award for Most Donations to the Community
2019
Success Through Technology Education (STTE) Foundation Award
Recognized by El Paso Mayor Dee Margo for contributions to education
2018
EPCC Inspirational Award, Student Government Association
Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching Nominee, American Philosophical Association
2017
Research Scholarship, Yale University PIER Summer Institute
2010
First Place, Black and White Photography, Beyond Borders–Borderzine Contest
Columna de Plata Journalism Award
2006
New Mexico Associated Press Award, Second Place, General News Package
2003
Named Best Hispanic Journalism Student by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Cristina Saralegui
Other Awards
First place in Black and White Photo for Beyond Borders- Borderzine Contest, 2010
2018 Prize for Excellence in Philosophy Teaching Nominee by The American Philosophical Association
Columna de Plata Journalism Award for a story on the reality of war in Iraq, 2010
New Mexican Associated Press Award Second place for general news package on gun control, 2006
Named Best Hispanic Journalism student in 2003 by National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Cristina Saralegui (Show de Cristina)
National Elected Positions
Vice-president, Society for Mexican American Philosophy 2023-2025.
American Philosophical Association Hispanics/Latinx Philosophy Committee member 2020-2025.
American Philosophical Association Teaching Philosophy Committee member 2023 2026.
Membership in EPCC committees, sub-committees, or task forces 2017-2024
2022 EPCC Humanities Collaborative Faculty Fellow
2021-present EPCC Faculty Professional Development Coordinator
2021-present EPCC Competency-Based Education Faculty Liaison for Philosophy
2019-present EPCC Valle Verde Campus Faculty Coordinator for Philosophy
2019-present EPCC Valle Verde Division Faculty Senator
2018-present EPCC Philosophy District-wide Discipline Coordinator
2022-2023 Border Learning Conference Committee Member
2020-2021 EPCC Chair of Faculty Professional Development Committee
2020 EPCC Faculty Credentials Review Committee Member
2016-2020 EPCC Pathways Coordinator
2015-present EPCC Philosophy Department Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Committee Member
2015-present EPCC Philosophy Department Core Assessment Committee Member
2013-present EPCC Philosophy Department Textbook Committee Member
2013-present EPCC Philosophy Department Advisor to students majoring in Philosophy
2012-present EPCC Philosophy Club Advisor
2012- present EPCC Philosophy Department liaison for Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Faculty Development Committee Chair 2019-2021
Border Learning Conference Committee/Crossing Borders Award Chair 2021
Liaison to EPCC Operation College Bound. Visited 10 high schools in 2019 to promote philosophy.
Volunteer for the 50th Anniversary EPCC Open House event subcommittee in 2019.
Participated and helped organize EPCC Employee of the Month celebrations at VV in 2019.
Volunteer for the EPCC Teal, Chill, and Grill committee at VV in 2019.
Presented at the EPCC Counseling Institute to over 100 high school counselors in the area on the importance of teaching Ethics and promoted PHIL 2306 in 2019.
Served as a hiring committee member for the Campus Life representative in 2019.
Served as a hiring committee member for the EPCC Philosophy Lecturer for NW in 2019.
Applied to serve on the EPCC IRB committee in 2019.
Served as a hiring committee member for the EPCC Philosophy Lecturer for MdP in 2018.
Volunteer for EPCC Welcome Information Tables 2017-2019.
Volunteer for Hispanic Heritage Month 2018-2020.
Volunteer for EPCC Festival Voces de El Paso 2018.
Volunteer for EPCC Early Alert Welcome Week 2018-2019.
Volunteer for EPCC Fall Festival since 2012-present.
Special educational and community projects
Participated in El Paso County’s creation of the Community Healing Garden in 2021 to honor the victims of the August 3rd, 2019, massacre.
Coordinated with artist Ellen Elmes (pictured above) to get the 23 portraits she painted of the 23 victims to the inauguration of the Healing Garden and the families of those lost.
Coordinated with Harvard and De Paul University scholars to create multiple educational activities to combat racism and commemorate August 3rd.
Invited to PBS EPCC-TV Philosophic Dialogues from La Frontera to talk about U.S.-Mexico border philosophy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RTRfaQsJkY
Partnered with the University of Texas at El Paso and the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission to develop a series of educational videos for the Integrating Ethics: From Thought to Action project. The videos are used at many high schools and colleges in the U.S., including in EPCC Ethics classes. (Over 7,000 visitors) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpSnCs0P8Fw
Developed and published an open educational resource ethics textbook freely online for low-income students. (Used in over 30 campuses) https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-epcc-introethics-1/
Developed Lesson Plan for Yale University Programs in International Educational Resources. https://pier.macmillan.yale.edu/sites/default/files/cc_2017_pier_lesson_plan_manuela_gomez.pdf
Created an EPCC Philosophy Library Guide for Valle Verde students with online philosophy resources for all classes, including philosophy videos, philosophy podcasts, and other multimedia resources. https://epcc.libguides.com/Philosophy_VV
Designed, developed, and published a course and textbook for PHIL 2306 Ethics as an Educational Open Resource (OER) course. https://library.achievingthedream.org/epccintroethics1/
Organized the EPCC Philosophy Virtual Lecture series during COVID-19 pandemic.
Organized a discussion with Carlos Perez, Director of the Netflix documentary The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo, to discuss ways in which we can create awareness about social justice. More than 80 people attended the virtual event. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2688691854731549&id=1537484129852333
Single-handedly created EPCC Philosophy Resource Corner at Valle Verde Campus, a space with multimedia resources that range from free philosophy books to films for all students and community members in 2019. Collected and distributed over 600 books and movie donations.
Created the Ethics Fair and posterboard display at the Philosophy resource corner in 2019 and continues to hold the fair annually.
Organized and presented an event on Dalit Feminism with Indian scholar Sunaina Arya, with an attendance of over 150 students at EPCC Valle Verde in 2019.
Organized an open house event to promote the Philosophy department as well as the EPCC Philosophy Club. Attendance of over 60 students and their families. + Hosted EPCC Philosophy Career Day with 250 community members.
Developed PHIL 2306 as a Competency-Based Education (CBE) course.
Added PHIL 1304 Introduction to World Religions, PHIL 2316 Classical Philosophy, and PHIL 2389 Academic Cooperative to the curriculum.
Developed PHIL 2389 Academic Cooperative.
Developed PHIL 2321 Philosophy of Religion and PHIL 2307 Introduction to Sociopolitical Philosophy to be taught online. This made our discipline one of the few disciplines to offer a fully online in-degree.
Reviewed the PHIL 2303 Logic curriculum course description.
Certified as a Safe Zone/Classroom Educator by UTEP’s Queering Our Classroom conference in 2018.
