Celestina Castillo earned her bachelor's degree in history at Pomona College and a master's in Urban Policy Analysis and Management at New School University in New York. She has also worked with a wide range of community-based organizations focused on education, community and workforce development, advocacy and organizing throughout Los Angeles. She is currently working towards a doctorate in gender studies with a concentration in American Indian Studies at the University of California Los Angeles. She is interested in understanding the role gender has played in the leadership and development of American Indian social movements and organizations in Los Angeles and other urban centers. She is currently working on a community based archival research project with United American Indian Involvement (UAII) which consists mostly of photos. She is building this community archive in partnership with UAII and community members through conducting oral histories to interpret source materials, as well as apply a visual culture lens to describe the creative, artistic expressions of the photos.
