Roćio Villalobos

Trail Runner

Rocío Villalobos is a Xicana Indigenous woman based in Austin, TX whose transnational childhood shaped her understanding of community, family, migration, inequities, and borders. Rocío’s entry into social justice movement work began when she was a first-year college student at the University of Texas at Austin. Her involvement with a grassroots environmental justice organization based in East Austin transformed the way she saw herself and the role she wanted to play in her community. Since then, Rocío has been involved in social justice movement work in Austin covering education, immigration, and the outdoors/environment.

Rocío received her B.S. in Applied Learning and Development and M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Cultural Studies in Education from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently serves as the Immigrant Affairs Manager at the City of Austin’s Equity Office. Rocío volunteers her time as a board member of Ecology Action of Texas and recently as a Mentor with Explore Austin. She is also the co-founder of Native Roots ATX, a running and wellness crew that centers Indigenous people and seeks to create a welcoming and inclusive space where people can enjoy movement in community.