Maria Angel Diaz, a graduate student specializing in archival studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is a 2013 recipient of the Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award. The award recognizes minority graduate students of African, Asian, Latino, or Native American descent who, through scholastic achievement, manifest an interest in becoming professional archivists and active members of SAA.
Diaz is pursuing a master of library and information science degree. Throughout her graduate studies, Diaz has been involved with several archival community service initiatives that document and preserve the Mexican American experience, including the establishment of the forthcoming Cesar Chavez Archives at the National Chavez Center in Keene, California.
A former middle and high school educator, Diaz also has conducted research on the significance of engaging and teaching minorities with primary sources in K–12 education, noting that archival materials “can be used as tools to support critical thinking and analytical skills, and possibly language development for English language learners.”
One recommender noted that Diaz is “exactly the kind of individual who we need to attract into and retain within the archival field.”