Adriana Nieto

I am a daughter of Denver’s dust. My ancestors have migrated up and down the path from El Paso, Texas to Denver, Colorado for generations. I was born in El Paso, Texas with maternal roots in Las Cruces, New Mexico and paternal roots throughout ‘Greater Mexico’. My parents moved to Denver when I was a baby for educational opportunities for my dad. I went to Denver Public Schools my whole life, from pre-school to South High. And I spent summers and holidays with extended family in New Mexico.

After years away from Denver after high school, I came back in 2003 with my two kids and partner. I earned my PhD in the doctoral program in Religious and Theological Studies at the Iliff School of Theology and University of Denver in 2009, and serve on the faculty in the department of Chicana and Chicano Studies.