Working in social services can be overwhelming and draining. And while I can attribute my self-care and dedication to the work on my Social Work degrees from Illinois and University of Chicago, a monumental component for me is my LLS background. Learning about race, policy, social determinants of...
Alumni Spotlight
What might it mean for a comedically-sound, theatrical, MexiRican Chicagoan first-generation college student to know how to think and create while only scratching the surface? Initially, only studying Theatre, my happenstance, my serendipitous moment of ending up in my first LLS course:...
Dr. Miguel A. Saucedo is a native from Chicago’s Little Village community. He earned his doctorate from the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Latina/Latino Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His dissertation focused on the academic achievement, suspension and...
My very first LLS class drew me into the major because for the first time in my education, I was provided with a history of Latina/o experiences and was given reading assignments that were written by Latina/os. The LLS program provided me with a foundation to better understand the structural...
My academic preparation through the department of Latina/Latino Studies has been critical to my success in the field of public health. Currently, I serve as the Assistant Director of the Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health, a HRSA-funded training center for graduate students at the...
As a critical and interdisciplinary scholar who is committed to social justice work, especially in the realm of education, Latina/o Studies provided me with an excellent education and foundation for my career in Higher Education. Although I did not declare a major as an incoming undergraduate...
When I reflect on my role as an educator, researcher, and community member during the last decade, I return to my time as a Latina/o Studies minor at Illinois. LLS offered me the space and resources to critically engage as a student, but more importantly to also connect my academic life with the...
