RUIZ 2
Vicki Ruiz was the first in her family to earn an advanced degree and has been a major force in shaping the field of Chicano/Latino studies. Credit: Leigh Castelli

Vicki Ruiz, UC Irvine professor of history and chair of Chicano/Latino studies, has been named an honoree for the 2015 National Women’s History Month. Her achievements will be recognized and celebrated by the National Women’s History Project on March 28 at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. Ruiz has been a major force in shaping the field of Chicano/Latino studies and has written extensively about the role of Mexican American women in the history of the U.S. Southwest and Pacific Coast. In 2012, she became the first Latina historian inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. The 2015 theme for National Women’s History Month, “Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives,” presents the opportunity to integrate women’s stories – individually and collectively – into the fabric of our nation’s history.