Academics

Senior Honors Thesis Instructions/Guidelines

Senior Honors Thesis Agreement Form

Previous Honors Theses

2025

StudentTitleAdvisor
Stephany Barrios Hernandez"Violence Against Latinx Women in Borderlands: The Impact of Economic Policies and Transnationalism in the U.S. Mexico Relationship"Mirelsie Velázquez 
Ana Escobar Gonzalez"Achieving Reproductive Justice for Latinos in Illinois"Randy Rodriguez 
Kailey Reyes"The Cause Behind Poor English Proficiency Among Latina/o Immigrant Parents"Gilberto Rosas
Alexa Rodriguez"Chicana/Latina Aesthetics in Professional Spaces: Cultural Expression and Workplace Norms"Mirelsie Velázquez
Jazmine Romo"'We all know that it's like better for your mental health'": Understanding the Role of Competence and Humility in Therapy for Latine Students at a PWI"Nic Flores
Jalixa Sanchez"Excesses of the Human: On the Otherwise, or Wise Other"Emma Velez
Adriana Serrano Matsumoto"Vicks VapoRub and its Role in Latino Communities: A Closer Look at the Cultural Significance Surrounding Self-Care Remedies and Challenges in Accessing Adequate Healthcare"Isabel Molina-Guzman
Zion Anthony Trinidad"Bilingual Latino/a Writing Experiences"José da la Garza Valenzuela 

2024

StudentTitleFaculty Advisor
De Giulio, Anissa
"Latinidad and Latin-esque Representations in the Music Industry"
José de la Garza Valenzuela

 

2023

StudentTitleFaculty Advisor
Garcia, Samantha
"Mental Health Reflections of Latina Youth"
Mónica González Ybarra
Garcia Barrón, Valerie
"Negating the Aesthetics of Latinidad: A Critique on Latino Identity and Visual Representation"
Emma Velez
Santillan, Estela Andrea
"Existence of Fatphobia: The Intersectional Barriers of Fat Latina Women/Femmes"
Emma Velez

 

2022

StudentTitleFaculty Advisor
Carteño, Lourdes
"The Worth of Multicultural Programming in Latinx Alumni Professional Development"
Damian Vergara Bracamontes
Gonzalez, Erica
"COVID-19 Vaccination in Urbana-Champaign: An Exploration of 20th Century Latinx Public Health Efforts"
Yuri Ramírez
Herrera, Zulema
"Art in Action: Latinx Student Activism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"
Angharad N. Valdivia
Roman, Diana Carolina
"Undocumented/DACAmented Student Support at the University of Illinois: A History of Advocacy and an Evaluation of Inclusion"
Damian Vergara Bracamontes
Santos, Marlene
"The Precarity of K-12 Latinx STUDIES Pedagogies in an 'Anti-CRT' Era"
Mónica González Ybarra

 

2021

StudentTitleFaculty Advisor
Bucio, Karen
"Barriers to Access Healthcare Among Undocumented Immigrants"
Jonathan X. Inda
Contreras, Melody
"Fornésian Dreamscapes: Navigating Queer World-Making"
Sandra Ruiz
Márquez, Isabella Rose
"Reggaeton's Resistance: Bad Bunny & the Aesthetics & Politics of Perreo"
Sandra Ruiz
Socorro Alvarez, Lydia
"El Acción de Gentrificación: Exploring the Contradictions of Community Organizing, Art, and Social Media in the Pilsen Neighborhood of Chicago"
Nic Flores

 

2020

StudentTitleFaculty Advisor
Romo, Michelle
"Selling Out: Understanding the Neighborhood Impacts of Factories in La Villita"
Julie A. Dowling

 

2019

StudentTitleFaculty Advisor
Acosta, Ezekiel
"Hombres Sin chile Tambien Pican: A Testimony of Transmen in Guatemala"
Lisa M. Cacho
Contreras, Samantha
"'So Many Arms of the State': The Presence of an ICE Detention Center in a Midwestern Town and Latina/o Sense of Well-Being"
Edna A. Viruell-Fuentes; Lisa M. Cacho
Hernandez, Iris
"Intertwined Like a Helix: A Theory of Love and Mourning in Felix Gonzalez-Torres's Artwork"
Sandra Ruiz
Perez, Bianca Rosa
"La Panza and Other Problems: The Effects of Family, Peers, and Media on Latina Women's Body Image Constructions"
Julie A. Dowling
Rodriguez, Sandra
"'Lo Natural Sirve Igual Que lo Professional': Access to Complementary Healthcare at a Botánica in Chicago" 
Natalie Lira; Edna A. Viruell-Fuentes
Ruizesparza, Stephanie
"Invisible Women: Sex Trafficking of Latinas in Chicago"
Julie A. Dowling

 

2018

StudentTitleFaculty Advisor
Alvarez, Monica I. 
"No Quiero Llorar"
W. D. Coyoca
Robledo, Jocelyne
"La Fuerza Estudiantil: MEChA de UIUC 2005-2018"
Rolando J. Romero

 

2017

StudentTitleAdvisor
Anonales, Mariserg
"An Analysis of the Violence Against Women Act: How it Functions at a Local and National Levels"
Edna A. Viruell-Fuentes

 

2016

StudentTitleAdvisor
Carbajal, Carla
"The American Dream & Cultural Collectivity: Space and Community Development from Las Vuelas, MX to Woodstock, IL"
Lisa M. Cacho

 

2013

StudentTitleAdvisor
Gonzalez, Mercedes Guadalupe
"In the Era of Colorblindness: How CPS Discipline Policies funnel Youth of Color into America's Prisons"
Lisa M. Cacho
Herrera, Andrea
"Si Pero No: A Critique of the Eugenicist Underpinnings of Mestizaje" 
Richard T. Rodriguez
Mora, Juan
"Becoming the Young Lords: The Struggle for Puerto Rican Liberation and Politicization in 1960s and 1970s Chicago"
Adrian Burgos, Jr.
Wagener-sobrero, Gabriela
"Mi Casa Es Su Casa?: How Public Transit Fosters Gentrification in Pilsen, Chicago"
Lisa M. Cacho

 

2012

StudentTitleAdvisor
Briones, Victoria F. 
"Unpacking the Continued Devaluation of Women in Ciudad Juárez"
Alejandro Lugo
Brito, Jonathan
"Youth Leadership and Community Empowerment: The Young Lords Organization"
Julie A. Dowling

 

2011

StudentTitleAdvisor
Ledesma, Cynthia 
"Performing Citizenship as a Political Strategy: Deconstructing Normalizing Discourses in the Dream Act" 
Lisa M. Cacho
Rosales Sierra, Andrea Guadalupe
"Imagining the Impossible By Subverting 'Illegality'" 
Lisa M. Cacho