Find your path in Latina/Latino Studies
Community Resources
- In 2026, we will celebrate 30 years at the University of Illinois. We owe our history to the 1992 student movement for Latina/o rights on campus. The courageous activism and dedication of Latina/o students, faculty, and staff led to the creation of a Program in Latina/Latino Studies in 1996. In 2010, we became the first Department of Latina/Latino Studies in the country. As we near the 30 year milestone, we're looking back at our history, and... Read full story Honoring our history: Celebrating 30 years of the Department of Latina/Latino Studies at Illinois
- Second-year student Cecelia Escobar, who is double majoring in political science and Latina/Latino studies, was selected for the three-week Understanding Northern Ireland” summer program at Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland. Read full story Latina/Latino studies major Cecelia Escobar selected for Fulbright's Summer Institute
- Congratulations to the class of 2025! Read full story Congratulations to our 2025 graduates and award winners!
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Why Study Latina/Latino Studies?
Professor Mirelsie Velázquez shares the value of the major, favorite spots in Champaign-Urbana, and why the Latina/Latino studies department is the best kept secret on campus in an interview with the College of LAS.
Upcoming events

Alumni spotlight: Antonio Ortega ’14 – Instructional Technologist, School of Professional Studies, Northwestern University
Being a first-generation college student, I remember electing Latina/Latino Studies 100 as one of my initial courses during my first fall semester at the University of Illinois. I was so enthralled by what I was learning. The history of the Latino/Latina population in the United States. Subjects and topics that were never discussed in my elementary and high school history classes. The history of “mi gente.” I was so fascinated that I chose Latino/Latina Studies as my second major to go along with my History major. I became an elementary school teacher in the South side of Chicago and took...

Faculty spotlight: Natalie Lira
Natalie Lira is an interdisciplinary scholar who examines the politics of reproduction and histories of medicine in the United States. Her research interests include the politics of reproduction, histories of medicine, and the ways that struggles for racial and reproductive justice intersect.