Cecelia Escobar is a senior majoring in Latina/Latino studies and political science. During summer 2026, she interned with the Illinois Department of Labor as an outreach intern through the Michael Curry Summer Internship Program.
Spotlights
Katherine Garcia is a junior double majoring in Latina/Latino studies and political science with a minor in business. During the summer of 2026, she interned in three Illinois legislative offices as part of the NextGen Scholars for Change Public Service Internship program.
Juju is a psychology and Latina/Latino studies major. After graduation they will take a gap year and gain experience teaching students in elementary school before pursuing a PhD in psychology or Chicana/o studies.
Bela Barragan is a Latina/Latino studies major with minors in Spanish and business. After graduation she plans to get an internship in a community/nonprofit organization that serves the Latino community.
Richard is a Latina/Latino studies and political science major with a minor in minoritarian aesthetics. After he graduates, he will do a summer research internship with McNair, and apply for Ph.D. programs in Latina/ Latino Studies or Chicana/Chicano Studies.
Elena Guzman is an Afro-Boricua documentary filmmaker, educator, and anthropologist. She is currently writing her book manuscript tentatively titled, "Chimera Geographies: Spiritual Borderland Performances of the Afro-Caribbean," which focuses on the way Black women and non-binary people throughout the African diaspora use ritual performance in African diaspora religions.
C. Lucio (BA, '17, Latina/Latino studies and anthropology) is the executive assistant to the general superintendent for participatory budgeting at the Chicago Park District. Their undergraduate degrees are the foundation of their community-centered approach to participatory budgeting. They said LLS and anthropology provided them with a critical lens and historical context to understand how power...
Jasmin Patrón-Vargas (BA, '15, Latina/Latino studies and gender and women's studies) is an assistant professor of teaching, learning, and culture at Texas A&M University. Her research examines how educational systems can better serve minoritized communities.
Gabriela G. Corona Valencia explores the bridge between 20th-century eugenic policy in the American Southwest and the contemporary sex education discourse disseminated to Chicana/Latina girls in K-12 public schools in East Los Angeles.
Angelly Sorto Licona is a senior majoring in Spanish with a double minor in business and Latina/Latino studies. During summer 2025 she interned with Hope Chicago.