Zakery was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He received his MA in Rhetoric & Writing at the University of New Mexico with a specific focus in the rhetoric of citizenship. His MA portfolio was grounded in the rhetorical history of constitutional era New Mexico. In addition, he was a Project Coordinator for the Salt of the Earth Recovery Project that was featured in an NPR piece titled “And They Will Inherit It.”

His path to PhD has not been linear or easy. Growing up in a Spanish speaking household, he went to six high schools, attained a GED, and struggled as a young undergraduate student unprepared for college. This journey nurtured his need to understand broad questions of language assimilation and citizenship in the United States. His work uses rhetorical theory to contextualize these issues, as he believes rhetoric to be an important tool in understanding what motivates people. Additionally, he is interested in technical communication and narrative design.

His work has afforded him many fellowships and awards including the Vicente Ximenes Scholarship in Public Rhetoric & Civic Literacy, UNM’s Center for Regional Studies Fellowship, and the Graduate University Fellowship at Syracuse University.