08/28/2023
Welcome to the Team!
The Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Cecilia J. Aragón to complete the term (through November 2024) of former trustee Mary Alice Bruce. Aragón is originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Cecilia is Mexican-American and Native American, affiliated with both the Navajo and Pueblo tribes. Aragón grew up in a family with nine siblings and was the first of nine to go to college—a first generation student. She has one daughter who is a student at Laramie High School.
Dr. Aragón received her Ph.D. at Arizona State University. She is a Full Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance and Latina/o Studies Program in the School of Culture, Gender, and Social Justice at the University of Wyoming. She serves as Faculty Affiliate of Gender, Women, and Q***r Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Modern and Classical Language, and Faculty Adjunct in the College of Education. Since 2015, Dr. Aragón was appointed to serve as the Executive Director of the Wyoming Latina Youth Conference and Founder of the Wyoming Latina Youth Center at UW. Aragón serves as a member of Leadership Wyoming (alumna, 2021).
In Laramie, Aragón has volunteered with diverse communities. She served as Board President of KOCA 93.5 Bilingual Radio Station, a member of the LHS Parent Advisory Committee, coordinator of UW Fine Arts for K-12 Endorsement, Laramie Head Start, Early Childhood Education Center, Big Brother Big Sister, LGBTQ2+ Support Groups, Civil Air Patrol-WY Wing, Wyoming Humanities Council, ARK Regional Services, Whiting High School, Cathedral Home for Children, and Lincoln Community Center. Aragón is the recipient of the Jason Thompson Diversity Award, for promoting community engagement and social justice at UW. Aragón was recently appointed to the National Endowment for the Arts national review board in Washington, D.C.