Francisco Jiménez (writer)

At Santa Clara University, Jiménez met his to-be wife, Laura Facchini, and they got married while he was attending Columbia University. They have three children: Francisco Andrés, Miguel Antonio, and Tomás. Tomás Jiménez is (in 2019) full professor in sociology at Stanford University.

Jiménez started his career as a professor teaching at Columbia University. He later accepted a position teaching in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature at Santa Clara University, where he worked full-time until 2015. He has received numerous awards for his teaching, including the Dia del Maestro Teacher of the Year Award from Santa Clara County, the David Logathetti Award for Teaching in Excellence from Santa Clara University, and the US Professor of the Year from CASE and the Carnegie Foundation.

Jiménez has also written some autobiographical picture books, including La Mariposa (1998) and The Christmas Gift/El regalo de Navidad (2000). In La Mariposa, Jiménez writes about the challenges of not speaking English during his year in first grade. Some awards he has received for his writing include the Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, the Boston Global Award for Fiction, the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Book Award, the Parents' Choice Award, the Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature, and the John Steinbeck Award. In 2015 a new school in Santa Maria, California was named in honor of his late brother and him: The Roberto and Dr. Francisco Jiménez Elementary School. He has been featured in Univision's “Aquí y Ahora" and Telemundo, and has received commendations for his work from the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, the California State Senate, and the governor of the State of Jalisco, Mexico. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Clara University.

In 1997, Jiménez published his first autobiographical short novel, The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child (Cajas de Carton, Spanish edition). This book documents his early life, from crossing the border as a child to attending elementary school and working in the fields. There are three sequels to this book, which continue documenting his life through its next few stages. Breaking Through (Senderos Fronterizos, Spanish edition) is about his time in high school, Reaching Out (Más Allá de Mí, Spanish edition) is about his time attending Santa Clara University, and Taking Hold: From Migrant Childhood to Columbia University (Pasos firmes: Desde niñez migrante a la Universidad de Columbia, Spanish edition) documents his years in graduate school.

Jiménez has held several administrative positions at Santa Clara University, including, Director of the Division of Arts and Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences (1981-1990); Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (1990-1994); Chair, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (1997-2000) Director, Ethnic Studies (2001-2005)

After high school, Jiménez went on to attend Santa Clara University, getting his B.A. in Spanish in 1966. He became a US Citizen during his junior year at Santa Clara. Then, he went to Columbia University to get his Master's and Ph.D. in Latin American Literature.

Francisco Jiménez (born June 29, 1943 in Tlaquepaque, Mexico) is a Mexican-American writer and professor at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.

Francisco Jiménez was born in 1943 in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, as the second oldest of eight children. Up until he was four years old, he lived in a town in the state of Jalisco, Mexico called El Rancho Blanco. His family then immigrated illegally to California to work as migrant farm workers. When he was six years old, he already started working in the fields with his family. Growing up, his family would move with the seasons of crops, causing him to miss months of school every year.