On April 18, 2019 several Latina/Latino Studies students presented their research at the Illinois Undergraduate Research Symposium during the twelfth annual Undergraduate Research Week (April 14-20). The week is a celebration of student innovation and excellence in research across campus.

Latina/Latino Studies major Bianca Rodriguez presented a poster titled, “Five a Day or Miles Away: Exploring Neighborhood Environment and Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Hispanic Adults.” Bianca’s project came out of her work as a research assistant for Abriendo Caminos, a culturally-tailored, family-based intervention program aimed at obesity prevention within Latina/o communities that is led by Prof. Margarita Teran-Garcia of the Division of Nutritional Sciences. Bianca’s project centered on understanding the fruit and vegetable intake of Latina and Hispanic mothers in the Champaign-Urbana area. The focus of analysis was how distance to supermarkets and/or convenience stores impacted daily fruit and vegetable intake. The proper accessibility to healthier foods, including fruits and vegetables, promotes healthier living and eating habits, while decreasing the risk of obesity and diet-related chronic illness. Bianca plans on continuing research in health promotion and wellness as well as serving the Latino and Hispanic community.

Latina/Latino Studies major Daniel Reyes and his research partner Santiago Duran presented a poster where they discussed the eating habits around the family dinner table from the perspectives of Hispanic mothers. Their research, titled “Negotiating Healthy Habits Around the Dinner Table: Perspectives from Hispanic Mothers,” was conducted during the Spring semester and involved transcribing conversations that were held in San Luis Potosi (Mexico), Fresno (California), and Champaign. They recorded conversations concerning the roles of all members of the household, their meals, and the accessibility of foods in their neighborhoods. They found that within family structures the roles of mothers centered on decision making, food prep work, and cooking during family mealtimes. Family practices included the mother’s attempt to purchase traditional ethnic foods in U.S. grocery stores. The mothers also attempted to make their traditional Mexican foods healthier by not cooking with a lot of oil, changing the fats in their foods, or simply including more vegetables.

Marisol Jimenez, a Latina/Latino Studies minor, presented a paper based on research on the reform acts in Chicago from 1980 to 2004 and the push for the standardization and accountability movement. The project–“The Effects of Education Reform on the Landscape of Public Education in Chicago” –explored how the accountability movement and Renaissance 2010 have moved the Chicago public education system towards a neoliberal moment that has opened private markets for schools. Lastly, Marisol’s research examined the charter expansion movement throughout the city and its role in the gentrification of black and brown communities.