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...