Celebrating our 2022 Minors and Graduates

Now that you have successfully navigated an extraordinary year, we want to wish you the best and join you in celebrating this significant life transition. We know that your recent life experiences have not vanquished you: on the contrary, they have proven your mettle. For that, you are to be commended. We also hope that we have played a role in your lives and helped prepare you for your encounter with a still uncertain, but more optimistic world, the better for having shouldered these times with fortitude. We hope that we have imbued in you a passion for learning, tolerance, intellectual curiosity, communalism, and joy for simply being alive. We know that our lives have been enriched in our interactions with you and hope that we have enhanced yours.

As is customarily declared at commencement ceremonies, welcome to the Latinx Studies community of scholars. Remember to live out your life with the expectation that your best days will always be ahead of you and keep in touch with us as you move forward into exciting futures.

Vilma Santiago-Irizarry, Director
Sofia Villenas, Interim Director, Spring 2022
Marti Dense, Program Administrator
Zucy Ortega, Events Coordinator/Program Assistant
Juliette Corazon, LSSO Advisor/Assistant Dean of Advising

AnnaBella Adragna

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

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: Short term, I plan to get my MPH in NYU studying Health Policy and Management. Long term, I plant to manage an entire hospital and creating better health initiatives for POC.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor has been a chance for me to own my Latino community.

Gerardo Aguilar

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

Honors and acknowledgments: I completed internships in COVID-19 Community Education & Empowerment Program and Cornell Farmworker Program.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: Short Term, I will spend a gap year pursuing lab and aquarium work. Long Term, I plan to  pursue a Dual Masters in Journalism and Public Health at UC Berkeley.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor was a personal ambition to learn more about myself and my culture as a Mexican-American.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: The plenty of smiles and laughs I had with the friends I made here.

Claudia Blanco Nunez

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Interdisciplinary Studies. Concentrations in Latine Studies, Environment & Sustainability, Visual Studies.  Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: After college, I plan to be a Program Assistant at an environmental advocacy organization focusing on the effects of pollution and climate change on marginalized communities in the Western Region of the U.S. In the far future, I hope to manage community outreach for frontline communities in the climate crisis and push for environmental justice efforts in environmental policy. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP concentration and minor have allowed me to take courses in topics personal to me and the communities I hope to work alongside in my career. Since the climate crisis negatively impacts frontline communities the most, learning about previous social justice activism, the history of oppression and resistance in the U.S., and the significance of a contemporary surge in media representation for the Latine community has equipped me with the information needed to represent and work with those in the community. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience:  I will definitely remember my freshman year at Cornell when I was also part of the Big Red Marching Band and had the chance to visit other schools on field trips with some of the first friends I made. 

Karen Cardona-Sanchez

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

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: I am planning on pursuing a career in publishing in the hopes to amplify Latinx voices in literature. In the future, I want to be a high school teacher in a Latinx community to advocate for students and support them as much as I possibly can. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor has provided me with a home away from home. All the work and readings were a joy, As I’ve never learned about myself and my community in an academic setting. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: The thing I will remember most about my time at Cornell is the value of a strong community. 

Samantha Magdalena Centeno

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

Jorge Alexander DeFendini

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

Honors and acknowledgments: Elected to the Ithaca Common Council serving the Fourth Ward which contains parts of Collegetown and West Campus. Started the term in January 2022.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: Staying in Ithaca to serve the residents of Collegetown on the Common Council. Long term, I plan to continue the fight for a better world wherever I find myself.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: It has meant learning who it is I really am. The studies I pursued in the LSP minor were more than academic, they were personal; they allowed to get in touch with myself and learn more about what my identity means to me, what it means to be a Boricua in the diaspora, to be a Latino. I will be enternally grateful to the minor for giving me something no ordinary government or history class could.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: I will remember the community. No other academic field at Cornell is at tight knit and connected as those in the LSP minor. There is a sense of familial bond present not just among fellow students but also faculty and staff. Whether, it was sharing in revelations about our history, finding similarities and distinctions between our cultures, or simply talking about classes together, the bond that tethers students of this minor is unique, and something I will never forget in all my years after graduation

Alexandra M. Eguiluz

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

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: I will be working as a Paralegal/Legal Assistant at White & Case LLP in New York City.  Long term, I'm planning on attending law school. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor has become an avenue for me to continue learning about different cultures and issues that have occurred (and continue to occur) within Latina/o history and with Latinx individuals. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: All the academic and financial opportunities that Cornell University and Cornell Law School has provided me with, as well as the access to meeting awesome and inspiring individuals! 

Dulce Maria Estrada

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Government. Minor in Latina/o Studies (December 2021 graduate)

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: After graduation, I will be working at Deloitte in their Government and Public Services practice. I will be moving to Washington D.C.!

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience:  I expect to remember the wonderful friends and mentors I've met along the way! Everyone has imparted valuable messages and support that I will always treasure.

Samantha Feliz

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

Honors and acknowledgments: Dean's List Spring and Fall 2021.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: Short-term, I will work as an RA in the Department of Geriatric Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine for 2 years. Long-term, I plan to attend graduate school and pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: To me, the LSP minor has given me an opportunity to learn more about my culture and has provided me the chance to stay in touch with my roots in the Dominican Republic throughout my time here at Cornell. It has given me the chance to learn about and embrace histories that are often omitted time after time. The professors here are so passionate about what they teach and are so supportive and engaging with all their students; this has made the experience that much better!

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: The friends and the professors that I have met through the LSP minor have been nothing short of life-changing. The people in this community are so supportive and encouraging. In a community like Cornell, it is sometimes hard to feel at home, but through all the friends and professes, I have found a home in LSP and I will forever be grateful for that.

Samantha Granja

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

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: After graduating, I am pursuing a Masters in Health Administration (MHA) in South Florida. Upon completion of the MHA, I want to focus on preventative care and rehabilitation efforts to restore agency in older communities.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: I am proud to have completed a minor in Latina/o studies, a discipline that has both challenged me and exposed me to the dynamics of Latina/o cultures and histories. This minor deepened my knowledge for my own Cuban culture and, by understanding the intricacies of what Latinidad means, I further understood the role of Latinos in the larger narrative of the United States. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: As I move forward, I will remember supportive and encouraging community I found within the LSP minor, from faculty and peers that I worked with at the LSP office to professors that taught my favorite courses. 

Alexis Maria Martin Fintland

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Industrial & Labor Relations.  Minors in Latina/o Studies, Migration Studies, and Law & Society.

Honors and acknowledgments:  Seidman Prize in ILR for the best senior honor's thesis. Clem Miller Scholarship, graduation with Honors.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: After graduation, I plan to work in government in Washington D.C. for 1-2 years before enrolling in a joint JD/M.P.P. program. My career goal is to work in immigration law and policy, focusing specifically on expanding labor protections for undocumented workers. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The best classes I have taken at Cornell have been through the LSP minor. Being able to connect with my own identity, as well as other students who share that identity, has been very meaningful for me. The LSP has further developed my passion for addressing the pressing issues impacting the Latino community today. Moreover, my LSP classes have helped me understand just how multifaceted and complex these issues are. Also, shout out to the LSP office's corner couch for providing me with a comfortable and safe space to work on my senior honors thesis! The teddy bear wearing graduation robes in the corner has been an extra source of motivation throughout my last semester.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience:  The amazing mentorship that I have received from three incredible LSP faculty: Professor Maria Cristina Garcia, Professor Garcia-Rios, and Professor Gleeson. These three professors have shaped my Cornell experience more than they know. I feel very prepared to enter the professional world knowing what I am passionate about, why I am passionate about it, and how I plan to put my ideas into action. Gracias por todo.

Roland Molina

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Government. Minors in Latina/o Studies and Latin American/Caribbean Studies

Honors and acknowledgments: As a student at Cornell and president of the Cornell Undergraduate Veterans Association (CUVA), Roland, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, has dedicated himself to advocating for student veterans and strengthening the veteran community on campus. He is the founding president of the Cornell Veterans House, which opened in August of 2021, and provides an affordable housing option and community space for student veterans to live, gather and connect – the first dedicated housing for student veterans in the Ivy league. He has also strengthened connections to the veteran alumni community and worked with the administration to increase recruitment of veterans. He was one of 10 finalists for the Student Veteran of the Year award conferred by Student Veterans of America, a non-profit organization with 1,500 chapters representing 750,000 student veterans. This honor was a testament, Roland said, to Cornell’s progress.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: Roland is graduating with a B.A. in Government and minors in both Latino/a Studies and Latin American/Caribbean Studies. He has chosen to forego a full time offer in the Washington D.C. Headquarters of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) so that he may join his wife, Mikala, an active-duty Naval officer and Masters candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in Boston. Following what he hopes to be a successful experience in consulting, he plans to pursue an advanced degree of his own and a career in politics. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: It has meant being able to learn about the  diversity within Latino culture while maintaining the connection to his own. The son of immigrants––a Mexican mother and Salvadoran father––there were many different Latino cultures that Roland was not exposed to, despite growing up in the very diverse city of Stockton, California.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: The cliche but honest answer is the great group of people that make up the Cornell community. Roland considers representing and advocating for the Cornell student veteran community as one of the most formative experiences of his life and has motivated him to continue to pursue public service.

Jackson Monge

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

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans:  Short term, pursue an internship in food R&D, and long term, attend culinary or grad school and further work in R&D or recipe development.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: It has helped me feel less doubtful of my own identities, and given me a really deep insight into art and culture that I never understood before.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience:  I think the kindness and support from the professors. They really are fantastic people.

Jessica Morales

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

Honors and Acknowledgments: Dean’s List, President of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America Career Fellow, XAE Honor Society Member.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: After graduation I will be pursuing a Master’s of Public Affairs at the University of Texas- Austin. I plan on focusing on immigration and education policy in order to help underprivileged children and families in Texas. From there I hope to attend law school in order to work as an immigration lawyer before pursuing a career in politics. 

What the LSP minor has meant to you: This minor has allowed me research, learn and connect to my culture. Through the courses I took, I was able to do research on my hometown in Texas and see how I can give back. This minor has meant that I could still have an impact on my home as I continue my education far away. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: One thing Cornell has given me is the support. I will never forget the support my advisors, friends, professors, and Multicultural Greek Life has given me. Each reminds me of why I came to this institution and how accomplished I have and will become. I will remember all the countless conversations, and events because these are my greatest memories. 

Javier Ramirez

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Economics. Minor in Latina/o Studies.(December 2022 graduate)

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: My short-term career plans are to return to J.P. Morgan full time where I will be working in the Private Banking division and hope to learn more about finance and business to then transition into my own entrepreneurial endeavors.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: Being an economics major, my LSP classes have always been the ones where I can flex my creative muscle and gain perspectives outside of the quantitative ones I find in economics. It has provided me with balance in the things that I've learned and the knowledge I've gained.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: My senior year and the people I've been able to share it with.

Luis Tamayo

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Sociology and Spanish. Minors in Latina/o Studies, Business, and European Studies.

Honors and acknowledgments: Humanities Scholar, HSF Scholar.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: After graduation, I will work in a Management Development program for an insurance company as part of my gap year before applying to law school. My career plan is to become an immigration attorney and support migrant communities both in the United States and in Mexico.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: LSP has allowed me to integrate my Latino identity into my studies, an experience that provided me with opportunities to connect with others who share background and passion with me.

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: I will always remember the academic rigor and overall challenges that I experienced throughout my time at Cornell. In the end, I made life-long friends and learned so much from the challenges.

Alanis Villanueva

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: Biological Sciences, concentration in Molecular and Cell Biology. Minor in Latina/o Studies.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: My post graduation plans include attending medical school following a 14-month medical assistant position at Kuchnir Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor allowed me to merge my passion for medicine as well as my desire to support underrepresented minorities. Through the rich curriculum, I was able to critically think about the current issues that the Latinx community faces within the US healthcare system and find ways in which I can help close this inequality gap through my profession as a physician. Personally, I was able to learn more about my roots through a different perspective and come to love my heritage even more. 

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: I expect to remember the community I found at Cornell and specifically within the LSP minor. I would not be the person I am today without the motivation and support of friends and advisors who looked out for me throughout my undergraduate career. 

Sarah Zaragoza-Smith

Major, Minors, and Concentrations: American Studies. Concentrations in Institutional Inequality, Environment and Sustainability, Environmental Policy and Governance. Minors in Latina/o Studies, Spanish, Climate Change, and History. 

Honors and Acknowledgments: Honorable Mention: Johnson Award for excellence in writing.

Short and long-term post-graduation/career plans: Archival curation.

What the LSP minor has meant to you: The LSP minor help me connect with a heritage that assimilation stole from me, learning and expanding my perspectives, and taking the most interesting classes from the most incredible professors at this institution

What you expect to remember best from your Cornell experience: The people I've come to consider my second family.