About Me

Dra. Natalie Muñoz is a proud AfroLatina and Assistant Professor of Social Work at Rutgers University–Newark. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Work from Howard University in 2023. For over 15 years, Dra. Muñoz has been a passionate advocate for underserved college students, designing and leading mentorship programs that empower Black and Latine students to thrive in academic spaces that were not built with them in mind.

Her research centers AfroLatine racial and ethnic identity, mental health, and educational inequities, with a deep commitment to honoring cultural resilience and collective healing. In 2024, she launched @Azucar_TV a YouTube channel dedicated to celebrating the beauty and richness of AfroLatine culture, history, and healing traditions. Inspired by the legendary Celia Cruz, Azúcar serves as a joyful and defiant tribute to Blackness in all its forms — uplifting AfroLatine, Latine, and Black communities through storytelling.

Dra. Muñoz was recently honored as the Dr. Cheryl Wall Fellow for her contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion at Rutgers–Newark. Outside of academia, she finds joy in spending time with her abuelos and familia, cooking up a warm sancocho, and dancing bachata like no one’s watching.

"Natalie has given me the confidence that I needed to be an impactful leader in my campus community"

-Nekayle Whitaker, Former Student at St. John's University

"She's committed to quality, growth, and progress, and she inspires her team, colleagues, and students to do the same."

- Diana Lopez, Former Colleague at St. John's University

"...her genuine support, was a never-ending love that transcended mentoring. From networking events that empowered us as leaders to workshops related to financial literacy/societal issues, she never let anyone fall behind."

- Miguel Vasquez, Former Student Leader at St. John's University

"She constantly challenges her student leaders, mentors, and mentees to engage principles of success in their emotional and physical health, relationships, finances, and other important areas of their lives so that the whole person is addressed. Most importantly Natalie lives the message that she shares to her students."

- Vaughn Edmeade, Former Classmate & Colleague

"Ms. Muñoz was such a delight! As a professor you can tell she really takes her work seriously while also making it fun & accessible!"

-Anonymous Student Evaluation, Howard University School of Social Work

"Professor Muñoz was one of the best professors I've had. She's very understanding and makes sure her students are learning and understanding the material."

-Anonymous Student Evaluation, Howard University School of Social Work

"I enjoyed how Professor Munoz taught the class because it didn't feel like a lecture. We had conversations about real life scenarios and applied them to our social work practice. She often broke us up into smaller groups to discuss critical thinking exercises."

-Anonymous Student Evaluation, Howard University School of Social Work