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My name is Gabriel Rodríguez Lemus, Jr. (he/él), and I am a first-generation queer Latinx PhD candidate living with a disability at UT Austin. I am getting a PhD in the Program in Higher Education Leadership & Policy in the College of Education with a dual graduate portfolio in Women & Gender Studies with a specialization in LGBTQ+ Studies and Mexican American & Latinx/a/o Studies. I am the son of Gabriel Rodríguez López and Rosario Lemus Quezada, who immigrated to Fresno, California, from Nueva Italia, Michoacán, México. Born and raised in Fresno, California, I have also lived in San José, California; Tucson, Arizona; Indianapolis, Indiana; and currently reside in Austin, Texas. I earned my M.S.Ed. in Higher Education & Student Affairs from Indiana University Bloomington (Class of 2020) and my B.A. in Sociology, with a concentration in Community Change from San José State University (Class of 2015).
I've never had a quinceañera, a wedding, or an engagement party, but I will be the first in my family to earn a PhD so I want to go all out for the celebration. I also didnt get to celebrate my masters graduation because of the COVID19 pandemic. For all those reasons I really want to celebrate this milestone but if you didn't know (because I didn't) doctoral regalia and class rings are incredibly expensive. I am seeking padrino/x's, mardina/x's, mentors/queertors/femtors, people to support with doctoral regalia, UT Austin class ring (a Texas tradition), and a doctoral diploma frame.
Universe willing, I will be defending my PhD in Spring 2026 and graduating in May 2026. I am hoping to fundraise money to purchase these now as a motivational tool as I get closer to completing my doctoral program. I plan to enter the professoriate and will be using my doctoral reglia until retiring from the academy.
Breakdown of the costs:
$915 - Gown & Hood
$122 - Tam & Tassel
$264 - Frame
$1525- Class Ring
Thank you to everyone who can support, thank you for being part of the final stretch of my doctoral journey.
Con Mucho Amor/Much Love,
(Future Doctor) Gabriel Rodríguez Lemus, Jr.
P.S. Learn more about me & my work here: