This past summer I was given the opportunity to interview LLS alum Celina Villanueva (BA, ’08, Latina/Latino studies) who represents Illinois' 12th District in the Illinois State Senate. Sen. Villanueva represents much of the southwest side of Chicago, including her home neighborhood of Little Village and other neighborhoods such as Pilsen, Bridgeport, and Brighton Park. She began...
Nancy Cambron Perez earned her BA in Latina/Latino Studies and Sociology from UIUC in 2012. Reflecting on her decision to major in Latina/Latino Studies, she explained, “I was passionate about understanding the diverse history, culture, and experiences of the Latinx community.” She also credits her interaction with LLS faculty in shaping her decision to major in Latina/Latino Studies, noting, “...
Juan Mora, PhD, earned his BA in History and Latina/Latino Studies in 2013. He arrived at UIUC as an undergraduate majoring in History. For his first two years at Illinois, he struggled to find the specific areas of studying history that could encourage him to succeed. As he explained, “It was when I combined Latina/o Studies with History that I was able to thrive.” Courses with Dr. Adrian Burgos...
Andrea Barron graduated with a double major in LLS and History from the U of I in 2014. As a student, Andrea was heavily involved with social justice organizations, volunteering in the community, and supporting programming at La Casa. After graduating, she returned to the La Villita where she worked for ENLACE supporting first generation students apply to college. This inspired her to pursue and...
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...
The Latinx/a/o Studies Department, that I once knew was revolutionary at the minimum and the reason for that was their mighty tenderness and willingness to support students at the student's convenience. They (Alicia Rodriquez, dear Laura, Professor Sandra Ruiz, and Professor Lisa Cacho) deeply believed in our success by any means necessary. While organizing around Affordable Housing to working...
Carlos Saucedo graduated with a double major in LLS and Sociology in 2015. Carlos manages the Little Village Education Collaborative's Postsecondary Team through Enlace Chicago. Before this, he worked at Upward Bound at Roosevelt University, supporting postsecondary planning for historically underrepresented youth in La Villita. While at UIUC, Carlos was president of Alpha Psi Lambda - Beta...
Without a doubt, I credit who I am as a leader and professional in large part to my undergraduate education in Latina/Latino Studies. As a Policy Analyst at Health & Medicine Policy Research Group with master’s degrees in social work and public health, I research and advocate for policies that prevent and mitigate the systemic root causes of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in...
Samantha M. Contreras is an Illinois native, having grown up in Kankakee, Illinois, about an hour north of Urbana-Champaign. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences in the department of Latina/Latino Studies with high distinction and Communications. For her Senior Honor’s Thesis, she explored the effects of an ICE Detention Center in her hometown in a paper titled, “So...