Professor José Alamillo is recognized for cultivating enduring bonds with students and community

Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, Alamillo came to the U.S. at the age of 7, following parents who were worked in the lemon industry. Growing up in Ventura, he took part in the University of California, Santa Barbara’s (UCSB) Educational Opportunity Program, which encourages historically underrepresented students to pursue higher education. After graduating from UCSB, Alamillo earned his Master’s and Ph.D. at University of California, Irvine and taught Ethnic Studies at Washington State University before coming to California State University Channel Islands in 2008 to inaugurate the Chicana/o Studies Program.

In addition to teaching courses like Chicana/o History and Culture, Diversity in Latino/a Communities, and Contemporary Immigration Issues, Alamillo leads students in community-based research projects. His classes have documented the stories of Ventura County’s braceros for an exhibition partnering with the Smithsonian Institution, showcased the role of Mexican-American men and women in baseball and softball in Ventura County, and preserved the history of Oxnard’s Wagon Wheel neighborhood.

He volunteers his time with Buen Vecino,  Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project’s Tequio Scholarship Committee, Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice of Ventura County and on campus, he served as co-chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence and former co-chair of the Chicana/o Latina/o Faculty and Staff Association.

Contact me: jose.alamillo@csuci.edu