Tomás Daniel Chávez Reuning (he/him/él) is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in English and minoring in Animal Science and Latina/o Studies. Originally from Miami, Florida, Tomás is currently enjoying his last semester in Ithaca accompanied by his pets: Lucky and Zuko, his dogs, and Qi’ra, his cat. This year has been a very busy one for Tomás. Currently, he is working on his English thesis, which focuses on self-making in queer diaspora poetry, and finishing his LSP minor and independent study about bilingual education programs and how they result in better educational outcomes for immigrant and ESL students. Tomás is very involved on campus. He is the editor for Marginalia -- the undergraduate poetry review, part of the Cornell Literary Society, and a worker/cook at Louie’s.
Beyond being an active student, however, Tomás is a leader and advocate for marginalized communities on campus; throughout his time at Cornell, he has been able to change students’ material reality for the better. As the LGBTQIA+ Liaison at Large in the Student Assembly, Tomás spearheaded the effort to allow students to have their chosen name on their diploma without the need for legal name changes. This was one of the goals he hoped to accomplish before graduating, and he was able to make it happen. The university registrar has changed its policy, now allowing current and future students to change their names if necessary. This is crucial, especially for trans and low-income students, as the legal name-changing process is lengthy and expensive.
Reflecting on his Cornell experience, Tomás says he has been able to grow and relearn his passions, especially when it comes to his major and discovering the Latina/o Studies Program. Additionally, his time as a Resident Assistant for the Latino Living Center and his role in the Student Assembly helped shape both his college experience and the way he sees the world. As an RA, Tomás was able to contribute directly to the community, provide mentorship to fellow students, and create community-building programs centered around the lived experience of marginalized communities. One of his favorite events as an RA was co-hosting a community Thanksgiving dinner alongside Ujamaa RAs for students who could not spend the holiday with their families.
Conversely, his intersecting identities as a first-generation, Latinx and trans student has impacted his academics, extracurriculars and the type of change he wishes to enact on campus. Tomás is very passionate about holding space for marginalized students: “I think a lot of the things I’m passionate about are about improving our experiences at Cornell, and building those communities so that we know there are other people like us on campus. Holding spaces where people can get together and vent was an important thing for me as an RA because sometimes it’s not about ‘How can we make things better?’ Sometimes people just want to complain, and that’s okay.”
During his free time, Tomás likes to watch TV (Fixer Upper has been his go-to lately), spend time with his pets, watch the sunset, and write poetry. For the remainder of the semester, Tomás is looking forward to finishing his thesis and potentially presenting it at a symposium in May. After graduating, Tomás will join McMaster Carr’s Management Development Program in Chicago. In the future, Tomás plans to obtain a J.D. and PhD in English. Tomás plans to practice LGBTQ+ rights law to help the community, especially trans, low-income folks.
