William Estrada is currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Art Education and an Assistant Professor at the UIC School of Art and was a teaching artist at Telpochalli Elementary School for 23 years. Estrada's approach to both art and teaching is centered on collaborative discourse. He encourages a critical re-examination of both public and private spaces by engaging with existing images, texts, and the political landscape. His roles as a teacher, artist, and cultural worker are intertwined. He draws on academic literature, educational settings, and personal interactions to report, record, reveal, and amplify lived experiences, aiming to foster radical imagination.

His significant contributions to the field have been acknowledged through numerous awards and fellowships, including the Inaugural 2023-2024 Imagine Just Fellow, the 2023-2024 NALAC Catalyst for Change Fellow,  was named “The People’s Art Teacher” in The Reader’s People Issue 2023, a 2024-2025 cohort member for the Mural Arts Initiative’s Strength Through Solidarity Initiative, a recipient of the 2024 3Arts Next Level Award, was the subject for the Mobile Street At Cart Project-Localish which won a 2025 Emmy Award, is a 2026 Shedd Aquarium Artist In Residence and various other awards.

Estrada's current research focuses on developing community-based, culturally relevant projects that critically examine power structures related to race, the economy, and cultural access in contested spaces. He aspires to envision and work toward a more equitable collective future through intentional, sustained collaborations with individuals in their communities.