Celebrating our 2020 Minors and Graduates

I write this note knowing that your senior year has been cut short, and this is not the graduation we planned for you. It comes during a moment of unprecedented challenge for the nation and the world, one that has already revealed itself as a critical juncture for anti-racist work. The Latina/o Studies program staff and faculty, like you, are working from home, and we reflect upon your accomplishments over the last years with the particular bittersweetness of this historical moment of forced isolation.  These are times in which our humanity has revealed its most beautiful as well as some of its ugliest faces.  We will go back outside, better for this time of forging, into a changed world, with new opportunities and new definitions of our relationships to each other and our work. We have every expectation that your studies and the relationships you developed here will serve you well as you become leaders in this new world. Take time to celebrate this tremendous achievement, and keep in touch with us as you move forward.

In celebration of the Latinx community at Cornell enjoy this photo gallery of memorable moments from students, staff and faculty, end of year fiesta video, CLAA salutatory video to the Class of 2020 (see video in Facebook here), and the Cornell University congratulatory messages honoring the Class of 2020!

Debra Castillo, Director
Marti Dense, Program Administrator
Zucy Ortega, Events Coordinator/Program Assistant
Juliette Corazon, LSSO Advisor/Assistant Dean of Advising

Honors: Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellow; Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellow; Provost Diversity Fellow; Co-Founder of Mi Comunidad/My Community.

LSP Concentration/Acknowledgements: The Latino Studies Program at Cornell University offered me a home away from home. I am deeply grateful for all the support and encouragement I received from students, staff, and faculty.

What You Expect to Remember Best from Your Cornell Experience: I expect to remember building Mi Comunidad with Franccesca Kazerooni and Erica Salinas.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in American Studies. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Biological Sciences. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Industrial and Labor Relations. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Honors and Acknowledgments: Order of Omega, Meinig scholar

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: Short term is to work in product management. Long term goal is to work in corporate strategy and work with other product managers to create a better pipeline to product management or development roles for students of color. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: As a Dominican American it gave me the chance to learn more about the Latinx experience across the U.S. and in Latin America.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: the cold; also the amazing people and how they encouraged me to learn and grow from any challenges, mistakes, or opportunities along the way.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Master in public Administration, with a concentration in Human Rights and Social Justice, Minor in Latina/o Studies. 

Honors and Acknowledgments: Fulbright Fellow; Cornell Institute for Public Affairs Fellow; CIPA grantee to intern at the Organization of American States; Engage Cornell and LSP research grant recipient to do research on the Southern Border. 

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: I am excited to go back to El Salvador to continue my advocacy in Human Rights, especially to work for the benefits of migrants and internally displaced people. In the long term, I except to create a sustainable social movement to promote public opinion and make changes in the public administration of my country. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: Being an immigrant and first-generation student, LSP was a space of belonging. It allowed me to connect with professors and students with similar experiences. I am grateful for the LSP research grant that allowed me to do research and present my work in academic spaces. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: I felt grateful for having supported migrant communities while studying for my masters. I was able to volunteer with Border Angels in San Diego, California, and Tijuana and as a paralegal with the El Paso Immigration Collaborative. I visited migrants at the Buffalo Detention Center, as part of a project with Justice for Migrant Families.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Double major in Spanish and Government. Minors in Latina/o Studies and Latin American Studies.

Honors and Acknowledgments: During my time at Cornell I was fortunate enough to participate in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship where I conducted research on how cultural archetypes affect female identity formation and consciousness.

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: After graduation I will be taking a gap year and applying to Ph.D. programs in either Spanish Language and Literature or Latinx Studies.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: Because my research focuses on figures from Mexico and relies heavily on decolonial research the LSP minor has allowed me to take classes that have helped me engage in these topics. I also feel that they allowed me to learn about my own identity in a way that academic environments had not previously provided.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: Cornell allowed me to find love and passion in research and my hopes are to eventually become a tenured professor at an R1 research university. With that being said I will always be thankful to Cornell for the people I’ve met and my personal growth.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Science and Technology. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major Sociology. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations:  Major in Biological Sciences with a minor in Latina/o Studies.

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: My goal is to go to medical school and eventually become a pediatric psychiatrist.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP Minor enlightened me. It taught me not only about my own history, but the unique history of diverse groups of Latinx people across the United States. The minor taught me how to question what is normally taught and gave me the skills to help Latinx people succeed in the future. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: What I expect to remember best are my classmates and their experiences. I have met many different people, all from around the world, coming from different backgrounds and experiences. I will remember their individual stories and perspectives when it came to discussing important topics.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Environmental and Sustainability, Concentration - Environmental Biology and Applied Ecology. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Honors and Acknowledgments: Chi Alpha Epsilon, McNair Scholar, P3, HEOP, Doris Duke Conservation Scholar.

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: In the short term, I hope to continue being involved in conservation research across the country and maybe even in Latin America through research field technician jobs. Long-term, I hope to achieve a Ph.D. in Conservation Ecology focusing on working with underrepresented communities. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor has opened me up to an entire part of my identity. It has helped me understand my culture and be more appreciative of the people within the Latinx community. In my predominantly white high school, I felt the need to hide my culture and LSP taught me how beautiful it really is. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: What I expect to remember best from my Cornell experience are all the Latinx community events, like the LLC bbq and Unity Dinners. I found a family here within the Latinx community.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Development Sociology. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Honors and Acknowledgments: pre-law student applying for Fall 2020 pursuing public interest law.

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: Currently working as an AmeriCorp Paralegal at LawNY.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor was an anchor throughout my time at Cornell. The course studies informed my sociopolitical identity as a Latinx student. I deeply and sincerely appreciate the cadre of LSP faculty for their dedication to fostering a mind and heart program that sustained and uplifted me as a person.  

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: The take-aways from my experience at Cornell that I expect to remember best are the hard learned lessons not to be afraid of failure and not to go at it alone.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Biological Sciences with concentration in Animal Physiology. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: Attending Medical School (long term plans)

What the LSP minor has meant to you: Through the LSP minor, I've seriously improved my Spanish speaking, reading, and writing. I got to interact with the University of Puerto Rico students who came to Cornell after Hurricane Maria. I not only studied the work of Latinx heroes but also got to meet them as well like Helena Maria Viramontes. Under the instruction of Professor Ella Diaz, I got to discover beautiful books, films, music, and art movements created by people that share in my narrative and culture. Ultimately, all these lessons and experiences that the minor exposed me to were critical in shaping how I define my own Latinx identity.  

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: As cliched as it sounds, I will remember all the late nights laughing and dancing with my Sabor Latino Dance Ensemble family. I'll also always appreciate living in the Latino Living Center and knowing that all my best friends were just a few footsteps away. Lastly, Cornell is a breathtakingly beautiful place and I am extremely grateful I got to see all the landscapes, libraries, architecture, art and people it had to offer with my own two eyes.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Applied Economics & Management. Minor in Latina/o Studies.
Honors and Acknowledgments: Founder of the Business Students of Color Coalition (used to be Dyson Students of Color Coalition) - held pop up shops for free professional clothing and winter clothing in WSH, petitioned with Dyson administration to get a safe space in Warren Hall (we did! B42), won organization of the year in our first year 2018.
Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: Get a job.
What the LSP minor has meant to you: LSP minor has meant learning about myself and my community through classes that I am actually interested in. I have had my best classes of my Cornell career from the LSP minor and have been exposed to some amazing professors that inspire me and give me hope.  
What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: My classes with Shawn McDaniel and Karen Jaime, wow. Truly brought me back to my elementary days when I was excited to go to class because of the teachers' passion. These two professors have made such an impact on me and I am forever grateful.

Degree and Concentration: Ph.D. in Anthropology. Minor in Latina/o Studies.
Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: Continue to do research on migration and im/migrant incarceration and work in academia.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: I have appreciated getting to know and work with faculty and other students associated with the minor over the years. I have sincerely enjoyed attending various events and colloquia and always felt welcome in the program.
What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: The friendships I’ve made with other graduate students across various disciplines; the opportunities that Cornell afforded me in getting to study the sorts of issues and groups I cared about; and the many opportunities to teach, working alongside the university’s diverse and thoughtful undergrad students.

Major, Minors and Concentrations: Major in Sociology. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Information Science, concentration in User Experience. Minors in Business and Latina/o Studies.

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans:  I'll be moving to Boston to pursue the Technology Associate Program at Wellington Management.

Long Term: I hope to return to school for either an MBA or a Master's in Information Science/Human-Computer Interaction.
What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor gave me the opportunity at Cornell to explore the rich history and contemporary life of Latinx culture through music, literature, and language. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: I expect to remember best all the close friends I made during my Cornell experience, especially those that I've met at Cafe con Leches at the Latino Living Center and from the LSP luncheons on Fridays.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Linguistics. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Degree and Concentration: Ph.D. in Hispanic Literature. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Honors and Acknowledgments: Grant for Doctoral Research in Sustainability and the Humanities. Cornell University, Society for the Humanities, 2018-2019. Latina/o Studies Research Grant. Cornell University 2018. Mellon Urbanism Fellowship. 

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: I will be joining the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UC Davis as an Assistant Professor this fall.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: This minor allowed me to meet people who not only enriched the scope of my research but who also became good friends and colleagues. I found amazing mentors and role models, whose interdisciplinary and engaged work inspired me. The LSP minor gave me the opportunity to collaborate in community-based and socially-oriented projects with a diverse and vibrant body of faculty and students. It was through this minor that I was able to develop a syllabus focused on my research interests and to implement it at Cornell. Overall, the LSP minor has encouraged and helped me to become a better teacher and scholar. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: The support I received from the members of my dissertation committee, Debra Castillo, my advisor,  Anindita Banerjee, and Edmundo Paz Soldán. Also, the incredible students I had the privilege to work with through Romance Studies, the Latina/o Studies Program, the Cornell Prison Education Program, and the Language Learning Center. I will also remember the many conversations I had with my Spanish cohort, and my first winter in Ithaca.

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Major in Biology and Society.  Minor: Latina/o Studies.

Honors and Acknowledgments: I participated in the Global Sustainability Program for community-based research and worked as a translator for the Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic.

Short and Long-term Post-graduation/Career Plans: After graduation I intend to start applying to jobs, continue instructing fitness classes online, and pursue an MPA program in the near future. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: During my time at Cornell, the LSP minor has taught me so much about my cultural identity and Latinx history. What makes this minor so valuable is that it forges critical thinking about our place in the world, contextualizes colonialism, and helps us deconstruct/identify the larger institutional forces that shape our society.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: I think some of the most fond memories I have of Cornell is attending Fridays with Faculty at LSP, teaching HIIT in Cornell Fitness Centers, and spending time with my friends on the slope when the weather was nice.

This year's recipient(s) of the senior award for outstanding work in the Latina/o Studies undergraduate minor, community engagement and academic achievement was awarded to:

Tania Peñafort: "What I want to say in summary about Tania is to highlight her passion for her studies and for her community, her dedication to Latinx issues and her support for Latinx people, especially the most vulnerable members of our community."

Lizeth Arzate: "Lizeth is a natural leader. She took every opportunity offered at Cornell to grow personally and sharpen her leadership qualiities through work and volunteering. She has had people under her supervision which has included assessing their performance and guiding them through training programs. Lizeth is president of Students Onto Scholars and the Cornell DREAM Team; she is also a member of the National Honor Society and an active member of other student organizations."

The Latinx Student Success Office is proud to award our certificate of appreciation recognizing outstanding dedication and service to Cornell's Latinx student community to Patricia Gonzalez, the Assistant Director for Student Development Diversity Initiatives (SDDI).

Patricia, a first-generation college graduate, demonstrates a passionate commitment to using social justice as her platform to bring equity to college campuses, uplifting and empowering students beyond their circumstances, and maximizing individual student performance. Her efforts to increase persistence toward achieving their goals, instilling self-worth and a sense of belonging among all students makes a difference on our campus. Thank you, Patricia!

Information Science & Urban and Regional Studies
San Antonio, TX

What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you?

Since my first semester at Cornell University, I have been a part of Sabor Latino Dance Ensemble and I am happy to say it is still a part of my life even as I prepare to graduate. With the team, I have improved my dance skills, made lifelong friends, and performed all around campus. Every year during the fall semester we create choreography, teach it, then practice it in preparation for our annual concert at Bailey Hall. After the concert, we realize how much of a great team we are… more so a family. Read full story.

Economics
Union City, NJ

Why did you choose Cornell?

It is gorge(ou)s! As a first-generation student, having a traditional on-campus undergraduate experience was one of my top priorities. The tree-covered, picturesque Arts Quad further complemented by the Greek-inspired pillars supporting Goldwin Smith Hall felt like a movie scene – one I wanted a role in! Of course... the academics also drew me in. Read full story.

Economics & History
Nacogdoches, Texas

What are the most valuable skills you gained from your Arts & Sciences education?

Time management and self-evaluation. Being an A&S student makes it easy to be very busy all of the time. Whether it's because of extracurricular activities or because there are so many different interesting classes to take, if you don't manage your time wisely you can become overwhelmed by your own curiosity. In order to do well you must be able to prioritize tasks and develop a schedule. Self-evaluation is also another important skill that I gained over the past several years. Because of the rigor of the College, it's important to be able to honestly evaluate yourself in order to improve. If you're not able to self-evaluate, you run the risk of becoming complacent and not performing as well as you could be. Read full story.