Bio


Rubén A. González, proudly from Greenfield, California, is a PhD candidate in the Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE) and Curriculum and Teacher Education (CTE) programs at Stanford University, where he also earned a Master of Arts degree in Sociology. His research explores how students and teachers of color develop, sustain, and enact a critical sociopolitical disposition in classroom, school, and larger community settings. Rubén’s scholarship has been supported by the Stanford Graduate Public Service (GPS) Fellowship, the California State University Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP) Fellowship, the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, and the NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship.

Prior to pursuing his graduate studies, Rubén was a high school English, English Language Development, and AVID teacher in Sacramento, California. As a high school teacher, he co-founded and co-advised the Social Justice & Equity Collective (SJEC), an after-school and student-led organizing and activist space. Rubén also worked with (im)migrant and multilingual Latinx youth as an academic tutor in classroom and after-school settings in Dixon, California, during his undergraduate studies. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Sacramento State University after transferring from Hartnell College.

Honors & Awards


  • NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship, National Academy of Education, Spencer Foundation (2024 - Present)
  • Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color (CNV) Fellowship, National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) (2024 - Present)
  • Ford Predoctoral Fellow, National Academy of Sciences (2022)
  • Early Career Educator of Color Leadership Award,, National Council of Teachers of English (2021)
  • Graduate Public Service Fellow, Stanford University (2021 - 2022)
  • Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education Fellow, Stanford University (2020 - 2022)
  • Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program Fellow, California State University (2020 - 2021)
  • Pathways Education Research Fellow, California State University, Sacramento (2019)
  • Area 3 Writing Project Leadership Institute Fellow, University of California, Davis (2018)

Education & Certifications


  • Master of Arts, Stanford University, Sociology (2024)
  • Bachelor of Arts, California State University, Sacramento, English (2013)
  • Associate of Arts, Hartnell College, General Studies: Social & Behavioral Sciences Emphasis (2010)

Service, Volunteer and Community Work


  • Member, Educator Advisory Council (EAC), Educator Trust West (ETW) (2019 - Present)

    Location

    Oakland, CA

  • Founding Member, Ethnic Studies Now (ESN)-Sacramento (2014 - Present)

    Location

    Sacramento, California

  • Member, Association of Race Educators (ARE)-Sacramento (2014 - Present)

    Location

    Sacramento, California

Research Interests


  • Civic Education
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • Secondary Education
  • Social and Emotional Learning
  • Teachers and Teaching

Work Experience


  • English Teacher, Florin High School (2014 - 2020)

    Location

    Elk Grove, California

  • Academic Tutor, California Mini-Corps, Migrant Education (2010 - 2013)

    Location

    Sacramento, California

All Publications


  • I’ve always had the abolitionist spirit in me”: Preservice teachers of color & pedagogies of abolitionist praxis English Education González, R. A. 2024; 56 (3)

    View details for DOI 10.58680/ee2024563143

  • The Struggle for Ethnic Studies in the Golden State: Capitol City Organizers & Activists. In R. T. Cuauhtin, M. Zavala, C. Sleeter, & W. Au. (Eds.), Rethinking Ethnic Studies. Milwaukee: Rethinking Ethnic Studies González, R. A., Rosendo-Servin, M., Williams, D. A. edited by Cuauhtin, R., Zavala, M., Sleeter, C., Au, W. Rethinking Schools. 2019
  • Speaking Spanish in White Public Spaces: Implications for Literacy Classrooms Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy Martínez, D., Rojo, J., González, R. A. 2019; 62 (4)

    View details for DOI 10.1002/jaal.924

  • “Students with Big Dreams That Just Need a Little Push”: Self-Empowerment, Activism, & Institutional Change through PAR EntreMundos PAR EntreMundos: A Pedagogy of the Amerícas González, R. A. edited by Ayala, J., Cammarota, J., Berta-Avila, M., Rivera, M., Rodriguez, L., Torre, M. Peter Lang. 2018
  • "If Not You, Then Who, & If Not Now, Then When?": Maintaining a Social Justice Paradigm as a Novice Educator California English Journal González, R. A. 2017; 21 (4)