Dr. Ellen Riojas-Clark

Headshot of Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark.
Image Courtesy of:
Trinity University Press

Brief Biography

Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark earned her B.A. in Education from Trinity University in ____ before going on to complete her M.A. in Bilingual Education at UTSA and her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction at UT Austin.

During her formative years at Trinity, she first encountered bilingual education when assigned to teach Spanish through her practicum at _____ simply because of her language skills. This experience shaped her lifelong commitment to culturally responsive teaching.

As a professor in UTSA’s Bicultural‑Bilingual Studies program for over four decades, she coordinated Title VII bilingual teacher training projects and served as an influential mentor to generations of bilingual educators in South Texas.

Now honored with the nation’s first Ellen Riojas Clark Endowed Chair in Bicultural‑Bilingual Studies, her legacy continues to guide efforts around bilingual teacher preparation, equity, and identity formation for both students and educators alike.

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Oral History Interview

On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, I had the honor of conducting an oral history interview as part of the Conmemorando la Comunidad: Digital Humanities Project with Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark. In our interview, we focused on the intersections of identity, bilingual/bicultural teaching, community engagement, and reflection, especially as they relate to Dr. Riojas Clark’s time at Trinity and her broader contributions to bilingual education in San Antonio and beyond. Below, I have included various quotes of our conversation.

"[T]hat's what I would say about what I've done. I go into practice. I go into the context. You go into the classroom. What is not there? What is missing? What is - where is the disconnect between teacher and content area and students? What is the difference between students and students and students? So for me, getting those hypotheses or questions from the practice, going back, and then developing it into theory. So for me, all theory comes from practice, which was different from what I was taught."