Natalia Deeb-Sossa, associate professor in the Department of Chicana/o Studies, has a passion for an advocating for marginalized communities and addressing inequities.

Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, Deeb-Sossa was finishing her undergraduate degree in economics when the number of kidnaps, extortions, intimidations and murders became grotesque and unprecedented, even by Colombian standards. In part to escape this violence shaped by the growing drug trade, she came to the United States in 1995 to pursue a graduate degree in sociology.

Her current research at UC Davis focuses on addressing issues faced by Mexican farmworker mothers in Northern California. Over the past decade she has dedicated thousands of hours to the community of Knights Landing, working with residents to establish a health clinic, veterinary clinic and community garden in the town.

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