Uplifting Experiences: Assistant Professor Allison Madia Weaves Lived Experiences With Teaching

For Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies Allison Madia, PhD, every step in their academic journey has been influenced by those who came before them. The strength of Madia’s ancestors in the Tohono O’odham Nation is the foundation of Madia’s work.

“Pivotal to my development as a scholar has been the guidance of my elders and the stories of my ancestors' resilience — I have been incredibly fortunate to be guided by the experiences of those who have come before me at every turn of my academic journey,” they say.

As a new faculty member in the Department of Ethnic Studies, Madia brings that lineage of knowledge into their classrooms at the University of San Diego. They currently teach Race, Indigeneity, and the Environment and Introduction to American Indian Studies. Their long-term vision includes expanding USD’s course offerings on the global experiences of Indigenous peoples, particularly in relation to science and technology.

Madia’s passion for teaching Indigenous studies is derived from her deep connection as a citizen of the Tohono O’odham Nation.

While ancestral guidance anchors their work, Madia also credits the transformative power of academic mentorship. As an undergraduate researcher, they didn’t just develop a strong foundation in research  — they learned that their interests mattered. Their graduate studies in sociology deepened that understanding — preparing them for a career in which teaching, research and community remain intertwined. Madia’s journey fuels a deep commitment to supporting USD’s undergraduate students.

“Being a research assistant as an undergraduate introduced me to doing research and taught me that my interests were valid. Being an undergraduate researcher also instilled in me the confidence to pursue a graduate education,” they say. “I look forward to training undergraduate students in research, with hopes that they will carry their experiences into their own academic and professional pursuits.”

Madia’s courses center on a fundamental challenge to a common misconception: that issues facing racialized communities don’t affect the whole. Their curriculum dismantles this belief by inviting students to see themselves as participants in the conversations they study.

“Too often, it is believed that challenges faced by Native American and Indigenous peoples and racialized groups are irrelevant to people who do not carry these identities,” Madia says. “My course curriculum is built around dismantling this myth by encouraging students to identify and reflect on the intersections of their experiences.”

Through writing, research and artistic expression, students are encouraged to reflect on their identities, understand historical and contemporary injustices, and imagine how the knowledge they gain can shape a more just future.

“I ask students to put their knowledge into practice and to imagine how what they have learned will impact their future,” Madia says. “That’s central to their personal growth.”

Their scholarship focuses on the environmental experiences of Indigenous and racialized communities. Their current manuscript examines water management in Southern Arizona, a project that bridges history, policy and lived experience. They hope to expand this work at USD by creating research that connects global stories of water pollution and environmental harm.

“I would love to start a collaborative project here at USD that brings racialized people’s experiences with water pollution together across time and space,” they say. “I’m excited to work with my colleagues and students on global comparative research that can be translated into direct action.”

Beyond the classroom and fieldwork, Madia is an artist. Many would be surprised, they said, to learn that they paint — especially large, bright canvases that help them process the weight of the subjects they study.

“Painting is part of my research process,” they explain. “It gives me a way to visualize ideas and also helps me destress.”

Working in fields that examine human suffering can be emotionally taxing, and creative practices allow them to continue the work with clarity and care.

Whether they are teaching students to rethink their relationship to race and environment, researching water justice or painting to process complex histories, Madia’s work is driven by a deep respect for those who came before them. Their presence in the College of Arts and Sciences is not only an addition to the faculty but a continuation of a story that began long before they arrived, one they now invite their students to help write.

— Emma Pirhala