Patiño-Longoria was unsure at first about returning to CSUB for her doctorate, as it had been nearly 20 years since she was last in college. Her brother ultimately inspired her to apply.
“I felt like a whole new student,” she said. “I doubted myself and wondered if I could do this. It was overwhelming at first, but the support you get at CSUB is second to none. The faculty and staff are ready to help you whenever you need it and they want you to succeed.”
Dr. Mahmoud Suleiman, acting director of the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, said he has been impressed by Patiño-Longoria’s work and believes she is deserving of the CSU Trustees’ Award.
“Felisa is an accomplished professional, instructional leader and a staunch educator who has gained the respect of her students, colleagues, peers, administrators and community members,” he said. “Her membership in the program reflects our commitment to affirm the intellectual, cultural and ethnic being of aspiring underrepresented female minorities whose rich funds of knowledge, social assets, and global perspectives have largely been neglected in the larger academy. Her well-deserved award is a small token of appreciating Felisa’s outstanding academic productivity and promising leadership journey.”
Patiño-Longoria is in her third year of the program and expects to graduate next spring. Her dissertation focuses on how folklórico affects students’ sense of identity.
“I would like to explore the perception of self that children of color carry with them as they navigate the school system,” she said. “Further, how do these students feel about themselves when they experience folklórico? I hope my dissertation will open minds towards creating a more inclusive curriculum for students of color, especially in the cultural arts.”
Eva Patiño said it’s exciting to see her daughter pursue a doctorate and that she’s “the proudest mom of my two kids and what they’ve accomplished. It’s just amazing.”
While pursuing her doctorate, Patiño-Longoria has been working for the Bakersfield City School District as an academy specialist. She helps create lessons for the district’s Extended Learning Program and teaches folklórico to students.
“It’s been a great learning experience to be able to now know the education system from K through 12,” she said.
Patiño-Longoria hopes her doctorate will help her secure a role as an administrator so she can be involved in making decisions that significantly impact students.
“I would like to be at the table making some of these curriculum decisions for our children, always emphasizing the importance of culture, the importance of self-esteem, that all children can succeed in education and in life,” she said. “I want to be that change in the educational system so that equity reaches our children, especially through the cultural performing arts.”
Patiño-Longoria also hopes to one day become an ethnic studies professor. Where else but CSUB.
“I’ve had a positive experience at CSUB. I feel like it’s my home,” she said.