Dra. Joanna Maravilla
Dra. Joanna V. Maravilla, is a native of Chicago. She is a daughter of migrant parents, a first-generation college graduate, a former Chicago Public School student and parent. In 2020, she earned her doctoral degree in curriculum studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dra. Maravilla currently serves as an Assistant Professor and the Co-Director of the Literacy, ESL, & Instructional Technology program in the Department of Education at Lewis University. Her scholarship centers comunidad and examines the impact of curriculum and language ideologies on the success of Latinx students in public education. Leveraging Latinx critical race theory (LatCrit) as a theoretical framework and testimonio as a methodology, her research includes participatory action research, the education of emergent bilingual students, bilingualism, education policy, urban education, teacher preparation, and the education of migrant and undocumented youth. Most recently, Dra. Maravilla became a recipient of the Spencer Foundation’s Racial Equity Research Grant and has been nominated for the 2025 American Education Research Association Research Engagement and Development with Youth (READY) Award.
