Roberto C. Orozco receives early career award from AAHHE

The American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) has presented its 2026 Early Career Award to Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development Assistant Professor Roberto C. Orozco. The award recognizes those who demonstrate commitment and promise via their actions, research, and service to the Latinx higher education community. 

Orozco is a leading scholar of Jotería Studies in higher education. Jotería is a decolonial and sociopolitical reclamation that names the knowledge and experiences of queer and trans Latinx/a/o peoples and Jotería Studies is an interdisciplinary mobilization of Jotería research and scholarship. Orozco currently serves as the co-chair ex-officio of the Association for Jotería Arts, Activism, and Scholarship (AJAAS), a national organization focused on bringing together artists, activists, and scholars to advance the study and integration of Jotería across different platforms. He served as the national co-chair of AJAAS from 2022–24. 

“In my role, I have led the structuring and sustainability of our grassroots organization and have helped in the implementation of two national conferences,” he says. “This year, we celebrate our Queerceñera—15 years—of the official founding of the organization as we prepare for our national conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, from March 19 through March 22.”