Monica Isabel Garcia

Dr. Monica Isabel Garcia was born on November 8, 1971 in Oxnard, California. She grew up in Oxnard where she had close bonds with her aunts, uncles, and cousins, whom she loved dearly. As a young woman, Monica worked hard and had a variety of jobs, one of which was at a moving company, where she met her future husband, Martin Garcia. Together, they have three children, Andrew, Angelica, and Alexander.

Monica loved her family and strived to do all she could to provide for them. This included going back to school to earn her college degrees. Monica attended Oxnard College and transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara. At UCSB, Monica earned her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in History. She attended lectures and classes alongside Martin and even brought her three young children. Monica had a rich and successful academic career where she earned praise from her mentors and was awarded various scholarships and awards for her work as a graduate student and Teaching Assistant.

After she graduated with her PhD, Monica worked for UCSB’s History Department as an undergraduate advisor and also had opportunities to teach summer courses. She helped the department’s students, staff, and faculty in any way she could. She mentored many young students and yearned to help them achieve their goals in higher education. After five years of service at UCSB, Monica transferred to UC Merced where she started as the Graduate Specialist in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SHAA). Monica advocated for graduate students and strived to provide structure to the Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Group. Eventually, Monica became the Manager of Graduate Services where she worked alongside SHAA’s great and capable staff. Monica valued higher education and believed in creating opportunities for people of color, especially women of color, to achieve their academic and personal goals.

Monica loved life and enjoyed traveling with her family and creating wonderful experiences and memories. She traveled to museums, historical landmarks, national parks, and throughout the state of Colorado. She absolutely loved Prince, Guns N Roses, Rick James, Claude Monet, purple irises, nail polish, and the Jungle Book movie. She enjoyed crossword puzzles, gossip magazines, reading, and reality television. She was an avid reader who read every single day, whether it be the news or her favorite books. She also loved to cook and bake for her family and would teach her children everything she knew and learn new recipes with them. One of her dreams was to open a bookstore with a coffee shop. Monica cherished her “Baby/Boogie” Nutmeg, a rambunctious four-year-old Toy Rat Doxie, and would spoil her with toys and treats whenever possible. Monica was fiercely intelligent and witty; she was stubborn and bold; she held a lot of love for those she cared for; and she loved, supported, and protected her family with all she had. She was truly one of a kind and touched the lives of countless people. Monica was a scholar, a historian, a mother, a wife, a dear friend, and a good woman. She will be greatly missed.

Monica is survived by her husband, Martin Garcia, and her three children, Andrew A. Sanchez Garcia, Angelica N. Garcia, and Alexander M. Garcia.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stratfordevansfunerals.com for the Garcia family.