What does it mean to conduct research with communities rather than on them? In this episode, PhD Candidate Danielle Nicole Aguilar (University of Colorado Boulder) reflects on what she has learned through a community-based participatory research partnership with Denver Healing Generations. Joined by community partners Alessandra Chavira and Tayz Enriquez-Bañuelos, they discuss how trust, humility, and long-term relationships can reshape the role of graduate researchers. Together, they explore la cultura cura (“culture heals”), youth leadership, and healing justice, offering an inspiring conversation about how emerging scholars can build research that is accountable to communities and grounded in collective care.

Guest
Danielle Nicole Aguilar (she/her) is the granddaughter of Mirna Prieto, Maria del Refugia Aguilar, Jose Prieto, and Rafael Aguilar. She is the proud daughter of Lorraine Y. Velasquez and Antonio Aguilar, and the bonus-daughter of James C. Velasquez Jr. Hailing from Ontario, California, Danielle comes from a working-class family with roots in Mexico. She is pursuing a PhD in Educational Foundations, Policy, and Practice at the University of Colorado Boulder and uses critical theory and community-based research approaches to disrupt the relationship between carcerality, youth, and schools.

Community Partner
Alessandra Chavira, Huitzilin Program Coordinator
Alessandra Chavira is a student of the world and a product of the lands that shaped her and those who came before her. Born and raised in Denver, she proudly represents the diaspora of people from Juaritoz. As a mother, sister, and mentor, she grounds her daily decisions in her roles and in the fight for a future that honors her people’s histories, struggles, and dreams. She believes deeply in cultura as a pathway for healing and transformation. At Denver Healing Generations, Alessandra creates space for young people to explore their purpose and power in building a safer world for youth of color.

Tayz Enriquez-Banuelos, Huitzilin CHIAPAS Coordinator
Me llamo Tayz Enriquez-Bańuelos, an eldest daughter raised in Greeley, CO, in a system-impacted family where my father turned to art as a lifeline while incarcerated. Guided by creative women, I learned early that expression is survival, healing, and imagining something bigger. Now in Denver, I explore ways to build community where art and advocacy meet. At Denver Healing Generations, my lived experience fuels my commitment to young people. As a program coordinator, I drive youth policy and support young people in building momentum toward the worlds they envision for themselves—and generations to follow.

What can the humanities do beyond the university?

In the inaugural episode of Community Engaged Conversation, we sit down with Dr. Jennifer Ho—Professor of Ethnic Studies and Director of the Center for Humanities and the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder—to explore how community-engaged scholarship and the public humanities bring knowledge into conversation with communities.

Together, we discuss what it takes to build meaningful partnerships, cultivate trust, navigate difficult conversations across differences, and recognize lived experience as a vital source of knowledge. Dr. Ho also reflects on why the humanities matter today and shares thoughtful advice for graduate students and early-career scholars seeking to connect research with public life.

Whether you’re a researcher, student, community partner, or simply curious about how knowledge can make a difference beyond the classroom, this episode offers an inspiring conversation about collaboration, curiosity, and the many ways scholarship can serve the public.

Guest

Dr. Jennifer Ho is Professor of Ethnic Studies and Director of the Center for Humanities and the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her scholarship explores Asian American studies, critical race and ethnic studies, intersectionality, and American literature. Before joining CU Boulder, she taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for fifteen years. Drawing on both her scholarship and personal experiences as the daughter of a Chinese refugee father and a Jamaican immigrant mother, Dr. Ho brings a powerful perspective on identity, community, and the public role of the humanities.