About the Video: A video project displaying a bit of what Highlandtown, a community with Baltimore City, means for the Latine community and Julissa.
Julissa Gómez Ruvalcaba was born and raised in Marysville, a small farming community, previously coined "The Biggest Little City" in Northern California. She earned her Bachelor's in Child Development and Asian Studies. Shortly after, Julissa joined the Peace Corps and served as a Youth Development volunteer until her return to the United States. Her time in Perú solidified her research interests to document the complexity of living with a dual cultural identity specific to the United States. To explore this cultural phenomenon, she pursued her Master's in Applied Sociology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where she collaborated with Baltimore City's Latine community using storytelling, performance, and digital media as a medium to document spaces being intentionally built and fostered. Julissa continues to write about the dual cultural experience through poetry and digital storytelling. Currently, she's in the process of writing a zine illustrating the pains and beauty of first loves as a first-generation Mexican American exploring her femininity and sexuality titled "El Guey".