Related Articles

• Hispanic Heritage Month: Vanessa Bravo communicates connection and belonging
• Hispanic Heritage Month: Lilliana Molina ’27 extends her hand for mentorship

“I’ve made my own family here at ������Ƶ.”

As president of ������Ƶ’s Latinx Hispanic Union (LHU), Edward Hernandez ’27 can easily describe the purpose he’s discovered in fostering community across campus and in the surrounding communities where he was raised.

“Whether it’s my LHU family, my El Centro team, or my Odyssey cohort, those connections feel like home,” said the double major in marketing and business analytics from Burlington, N.C. They’re also the foundation of a legacy he hopes to leave for future Hispanic and Latinx students.

Roots of Legacy

Hernandez’s legacy begins with the blending of two identities. As the son of a Mexican mother and Salvadoran father, he grew up surrounded by traditions that emphasized the value of family and community.

His most cherished memories are Christmas Eve gatherings with more than 60 relatives, opening presents at midnight and celebrating until morning.

“Every year, we’d drive down to Florida to see my grandparents. Christmas Eve was always the biggest gathering,” Hernandez said. “Those are some of my favorite memories, just being surrounded by family and celebrating together.”

These traditions shaped Hernandez’s understanding of belonging, a value he now carries with him through his college experience.

Cultivating Community at ������Ƶ

Hernandez was first introduced to ������Ƶ through the “It Takes a Village” Project, but it was ������Ƶ Academy, the university’s college access and success program for academically promising high school students from families with little or no history of college, that truly showed him college was within reach.

“������Ƶ Academy was the biggest help for me,” he said, “It showed me what college could be and [that it] was attainable.”

After choosing to attend ������Ƶ, the recipient of the Douglas and Edna Truitt Noiles ’44 Scholarship in the Odyssey Program found spaces like El Centro and LHU to celebrate his heritage. He progressed from visitor to student coordinator at El Centro, helping to host programs such as Perspectivas, where the Hispanic and Latinx community shared their experiences.

“Last year, my department hosted a panel on machismo,” he said. “It was powerful to hear how different people grew up with those cultural norms and how our generation is pushing to move away from them.”

His involvement with LHU grew just as quickly. By the spring of his first year, he was on the executive board, later serving as treasurer, vice president, and now president.

Inspiring the next generation

Mentorship has become one of the most meaningful ways Hernandez carries his values forward. Hernandez is both a College Access Success Team (CAT) mentor and summer mentor with ������Ƶ Academy, where he offers the same encouragement he once received as a scholar.

“The mentors I had there made such a difference in my life, and that’s why I now give back as a CAT mentor and summer mentor because the program gave me so much,” he said.

He also volunteers weekly with the Dream Center in Burlington, supporting primarily Hispanic and Latinx students through its SPIN program, which provides academic assistance, mentorship and community engagement.

“We act as mentors, but also as older siblings, playing games and helping out,” Hernandez said.

Together, these experiences reflect the core of his impact: inspiring younger students to lead, give back and see themselves as part of a thriving community.

Shaping the future

Hernandez sees his legacy not in recognition but in impact, a truth underscored when students he mentored through ������Ƶ Academy enrolled at ������Ƶ.

“It was really a full circle moment. The scholars that I mentored during the summer going into my sophomore year are now here at ������Ƶ,” he said. “Seeing them join and even ask me about LHU or El Centro shows me that my work is making a difference.”

Looking ahead, Hernandez hopes to carry his values of family and community into a career in marketing and business analytics, advocating for more inclusive practices and challenging stereotypes.

“A lot of the time, marketing uses very harsh stereotypes of people,” Hernandez said. “I think there can definitely be changes. Whenever people market or design campaigns, the voices of different cultures need to be in the room so communities aren’t stereotyped.”

More than a story

In the end, Hernandez’s vision of legacy is simple: giving back, community and family — both the one he was born into and the one he created at ������Ƶ. His story also reflects this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month theme, “Más Que Una Historia: Living Our Legacy,” as he honors the traditions that shaped him while inspiring future generations.

“It really feels good to see that I am making a difference,” he said. “My hope is that the students I’ve helped will do even more than I did at ������Ƶ and continue to make a difference here.”

������Ƶ honors Hispanic Heritage Month

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, ������Ƶ is sharing stories that celebrate the contributions, identities and experiences of students, faculty and staff. This month recognizes the rich histories and cultures of Hispanic and Latinx communities, while also honoring the ways these traditions connect with and inspire people of all backgrounds. This month provides a special opportunity to honor Hispanic and Latinx heritage, but it also serves as an invitation for all members of the university to engage, learn and celebrate together.

“I am an immigrant who left Mexico at a very young age and my identity keeps me tied there,” Miranda Tapia said. “My Latino identity means everything to me.”

Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month provides Miranda Tapia an opportunity to celebrate his culture and share it with others. Even outside of this annual celebration, Miranda Tapia is focused on creating spaces of belonging and support for Latinx/Hispanic people that allow them to bond over their shared experiences and lift up their culture more broadly.

“Coming from Mexico and not thinking that I would be able to go to college, but then being able to go to college and have this impact on my peers, my community and those around me,” said Miranda Tapia. “It makes me proud seeing the ripple effects of my contributions.”

A first-generation college student, Miranda Tapia arrived to begin his higher education journey at ������Ƶ through the Golden Door Scholarship program. This scholarship is provided to undocumented college students and he also received support from the Odyssey Program.

Throughout his educational journey, Miranda Tapia has placed an importance on community, mentorship and cultural pride, all aspects he said have contributed to his success. More resources are needed to allow younger members of the Latinx/Hispanic community to elevate and enrich their experiences, as well as maximize institutional support. Hispanic Heritage Month plays an important role in celebrating culture and educating younger generations, including his own siblings. He is the oldest of three siblings, and one of two to have been born in Mexico.

“It’s beautiful to see and pass down my culture to my siblings,” he said. “I love it when they begin to develop the awareness of their own culture and begin to take pride in it,” he said.

Miranda Tapia’s journey has not always been smooth. He credits The SMART Mentoring Program for keeping him at ������Ƶ during his first semester.

“I wanted to transfer from ������Ƶ because I didn’t feel like I belonged,” Miranda Tapia said.

The SMART Mentoring Program aims to connect first-year and transfer ALANAM (African-American/Black, Latinx/Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Alaskan Native and Multiracial) students to mentors on campus that will help provide peer support. He found himself in spaces where he was surrounded by the majority and many were from different socio-economic backgrounds.

“The SMART Mentoring Program was the first organization that I joined as a first-year student that provided me with a community,” he said. “The organization allowed me to stay and find my community.”

He also joined what, at the time, was called the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and is now the Latinx/Hispanic Union (LHU).

“I joined the organization my freshman year and to me it was important because it provided me an opportunity to be able to connect with my culture,” Miranda Tapia said.

LHU is an organization that aims to create unity in the Latinx/Hispanic community, foster diversity at ������Ƶ and advocate on issues. He served as president of the Latin American Student Organization and after graduating, Miranda Tapia helped create the Latinx Hispanic Alumni Network (ELHAN). ELHAN was established to unite and represent the interests of Latinx/Hispanic alumni. The organization helped students, faculty and staff to build connections at ������Ƶ and then continue to foster them once they leave.

“Having been born in Mexico and coming to the United States, it just filled my cup to be able to lead this organization,” said Miranda Tapia.

Miranda Tapia was also involved in ������Ƶ Academy, the university’s intensive, three-phase college access and success program for academically promising high school students in Alamance County who may have a financial need or no college history in their family. The program aims to strengthen leadership, college-going knowledge, family involvement and more. Through his work with ������Ƶ Academy, he was able to help first-generation students like himself who came from low-income backgrounds navigate the college application process and increase their access to the transformative experience of higher education.

“My job was to help them with the college application process, developing college going habits and making sure that they were doing what they needed to do inside and outside of the classroom,” said Miranda Tapia. “This program was significant because it provided me with a purpose. It provided me with an opportunity to be able to give back to the community that I come from and help similar students get into higher education.”

After graduating from ������Ƶ, Miranda Tapia was selected for a Kenan Community Impact Fellowship, which is a partnership that pairs recent ������Ƶ graduates with Alamance County organizations for a year of service. He worked with for one year with a fellowship that was focused on kindergarten, early childhood development and education. Alamance Achieves is a partnership of leaders with various backgrounds from all over Alamance County. Following his year of service, Miranda Tapia headed to Harvard University to complete a master’s degree in higher education before returning in 2019 to his alma mater to support a new initiative.

Miranda Tapia was the first to lead First-Generation Student Support Services, which was a newly created program housed at the Center for Access and Success. The program is geared toward students that have similar backgrounds to Miranda Tapia, which made him feel grateful for coming back to ������Ƶ and serving in that same capacity for three years. Miranda Tapia said Esther Freeman, who was then the director of the Odyssey Program, took him under her wing.

“It was a full circle moment where I had the support and mentoring from the Odyssey program when I was in undergrad there,” said Miranda Tapia.

Miranda Tapia is now three years into his work toward a doctorate in educational leadership, policy and human development with a concentration in higher education opportunity, equity and justice from N.C. State University. He will soon be working on his dissertation and expects to graduate in May 2026.

“I realized I needed to strengthen my research skills to be able to make the change that I wanted to have,” Miranda Tapia said.

Miranda Tapia has continued to build connections through student organizations as he pursues his doctorate and is now a co-founder and co-president of the Latine Graduate Student Association at N.C. State University.

“When I arrived at N.C. State it was very much this feeling of, ‘Where is the Latino community?’ I know that we exist, but we’re navigating our graduate education in silos,” said Miranda Tapia.

The creation of this organization was a big accomplishment for Miranda Tapia and he gives credit to his peers who were with him through the process of making the organization happen.

“Being able to do this work is not just work, it’s something personal,” he said.

In 2023, Miranda Tapia co-authored “Connections Are Everything: A College Student’s Guide to Relationship Education” with President Emeritus Leo M. Lambert, Assistant Provost Peter Felten and Isis Artze-Vega, college provost and vice president for academic affairs at Valencia College. The book, published by Johns Hopkins University Press, results from more than 200 interviews with college students and makes the case for the role of relationships in student success. Miranda Tapia was also named a Top 10 Under 10 alumnus by ������Ƶ in 2024.

Miranda Tapia is currently working on a project looking at the experiences of undocumented college students as they transition into the workforce. He is examining what colleges and universities are doing or not doing to aid them in this transition, as well as uplift and highlight their experiences.

“It’s an opportunity to take the experiences that I’ve had as an undocumented individual and also the experiences of those that I’ve worked with and try to create some positive change to benefit this community,” said Miranda Tapia.

Miranda Tapia would like to be able to create a program that helps members of the Latinx/Hispanic community and those who have a similar background to him, similar to the “It Takes a Village” Project at ������Ƶ. He would like to do the necessary research into what’s affecting this population, build the case for a program and support individuals through program participation.

“To me, belonging means having a space that everyone can thrive in – an environment filled with connections to folks that look like you and have a similar background,” said Miranda Tapia. This is something Vice President Emeritus Jean Rattigan-Rohr, who was his supervisor in the Center for Access and Success, did during her career at ������Ƶ by launching the “It Takes a Village” Project, which has expanded its impact on local school children and their families. He wants to impact the Latinx/Hispanic community in a similar way.

“It was so inspiring to be able to see how she not only implemented the program, but backed it by research and used grants to fund and expand this program,” said Miranda Tapia.

The Latinx-Hispanic Union seeks to create unity in the Latinx-Hispanic community and foster diversity at ������Ƶ. The organization advocates on issues that impact Latinx-Hispanic communities.

In the video, Gomez Lopez shares about the goals of LHU and how the organization works toward promoting inclusive excellence.

“We are mainly here to serve our Latinx-Hispanic community which is a population that is not represented well at ������Ƶ,” said Gomez Lopez. “Our organization is a place where we can all gather around together.”

LHU promotes and creates community involvement opportunities in Alamance County to empower their community. Their goal is to be the voice for their community at ������Ƶ and be a place where Latinx-Hispanic students can feel like they belong. For more information about events LHU can be found on .

If someone would still like to stay connected with LHU after they graduate, there is an alumni group. The group is called Latinx Hispanic Alumni Network (ELHAN). This group is as an official affinity network of ������Ƶ where alumni can unite and represent the interests of Latinx-Hispanic alumni, students, faculty and staff.

Feature Phoenix is a great way to learn about the clubs and organizations that ������Ƶ has to offer and how inclusive excellence is engrained on the campus. The series highlights clubs and organizations of different sizes that bring together people around a range of topics. Find the newest video on the Inclusive Excellence website and visit the  to find past videos.

President Connie Ledoux Book said that the event offered an opportunity for education as well as celebration.

“I wanted to understand more about the presence and indigenous associations here in the area,” Book said. “The places that we can learn, the connections we could make.”

At various tables set up around the room, participants could explore indigeneity, intersections and identification by engaging with members of different communities and organizations and gathering information to take with them.

Members of the Black Student Union offered insight into the connections between Native Americans and formerly enslaved people at their table. “Most of the slaves were brought here and didn’t have any space to go to after they got free or found their freedom by running away. So, a lot of them were accepted by Native Americans because they were being treated the same respectively,” said Steven Mmari ‘24.

Other tables represented groups including the Asian-Pacific Student Association, Latinx-Hispanic Union and the Gender & LGBTQIA Center (GLC). Representatives at the GLC table offered participants the opportunity to learn about the gender concept of Two Spirit.

“Spirit is really an umbrella term for someone that is native and carries both masculine and feminine energies and masculine/feminine roles as described by their tribe,” said Jayla Martin-Beasley ’25.

The term Two Sprit was brought back from the 1990s. “LGBTQIA native people wanted to bring back identity that had been crushed by colonization,” said Martin-Beasley.

Vickie Jeffries, tribal administrator for the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, provided information about crafts, herbs and her community at her table. “Native American Heritage Month brings a lot of awareness to indigenous people. It’s honoring our traditions, our cultures, and all the native people,” said Vickie Jeffries, Tribal Administrator for Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation.

Jeffries is a beader, basket weaver and an indigenous herbalist. She has an online store named , which translates to “Woman Who,” where she sells some of her bead work.

“We believe that the beads have a spirit, so you treat them with respect when you’re beading. When I’m beading, it’s very calming. You know how people do meditation? This is my meditation,” said Jeffries.

Jorah Midgette ’25 is a member of the Lumbee tribe and said the month is particularly important to her.

“Native American Heritage Month is a time of resilience and strength for Native American voices and indigenous voices,” said Midgette, who is president of the Native American Student Association at ������Ƶ.

The kickoff event was an opportunity for everyone to learn about Native American Heritage Month and all it touches. Organizations, influential people, books, movies and more. The kickoff event was just the start of what will be happening for NAHM, with some much more in store during the month of November.

“I like the fact that we’re teaching,” Book said. “It’s a learning environment as well as celebrating the culture, the artwork, the creativity, and even learning how the tribes are recognized in North Carolina.”

More than a hundred students, faculty and staff were welcomed by Sylvia Muñoz, newly appointed assistant dean of students and director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE), as they gathered to honor the academic achievements and stellar service of the Latinx/Hispanic community on campus.

Gala Latina honors several inspiring role models within the Latinx/Hispanic community on campus. “You are thoughtful leaders within your organizations, you are incredible scholars, you are talented athletes, artists and activists but, most importantly, you are individuals who continue to show how proud you are of your roots, and who continue to show the strength, resilience, work ethics, and values of your ancestors,” Muñoz said.

The Latinx/Hispanic Academic Excellence awards, which recognize the student with the strongest GPA in each class, went to sophomore Kevin García-Reyes ’24, junior Eduardo Sánchez ’23 and senior María Mendoza ’22, who took home the same award last year.

The Latinx/Hispanic Honor Award and the Latinx/Hispanic Excellence Award both honor students for their great dedication, passion and awareness around Latinx/Hispanic identities or topics at ������Ƶ. Receiving the Honor Award, which goes to a junior or senior, this year was Sophia Robinson ’22. The Excellence Award, given each year to a first-year or sophomore student, was awarded to Manny Sánchez ’24.

Sánchez, as one nominator wrote, “works with Latinx organizations on and off campus to create a better sense of community.” Among other things, Sánchez, who is majoring in finance, worked this past summer as an ������Ƶ Academy mentor and participated in the 2021 Belk Freshman Diversity Program.

Sophia Robinson “puts hard work, time and dedication into each project she is assigned. She also makes the extra effort to be personable and help the younger students feel more comfortable and included,” one nominator said. Robinson, a major in International & Global Studies and in Political Science with a minor in Spanish, works at El Centro and recently helped lead Hispanic Heritage Month events.

This year the Latinx-Hispanic Union (LHU) Faculty/Staff Service awards went to staff members Delio Estrada Palacios and Oscar Miranda, and to faculty member Nina Namaste.

Earning the loudest, warmest and longest applause of the night, Delio Estrada Palacios, who works in ������Ƶ’s Environmental Services as a custodian, received his award for his “dedication and constant support to our community’s students, faculty, and staff … and for making sure all ������Ƶ students live and thrive in a clean environment.”

Student Karen Cruz ’22 from the Latinx Hispanic Union, said about Delio Estrada Palacios: “We often see him as we walk through Moseley and he never hesitates to say, ‘Hola!’ followed by a ‘Que tengas un buen día.’ Although this may seem like a normal gesture, it makes the entire difference in the lives of us students.”

A student who nominated Delio said, “I see how devoted he is to ensure we study in an environment that is up to standards, and I want him to know that he is a valuable piece of what keeps this University going.”

Oscar Miranda, assistant director of Access and Student Support, was also recognized with a Staff Service award for ensuring that the voices of the Latinx/Hispanic community are heard at ������Ƶ.

Student Andy Torres ’22, who announced Miranda’s award, said, “This year’s awardee is not only a staff member but also an ������Ƶ alum. As an ������Ƶ student he was the president of what is now known as the Latinx/Hispanic Union and was one of the student leaders who pushed for the creation of the Latinx/Hispanic Working Group. He graduated from ������Ƶ with a degree in Psychology and later got a Master’s Degree in Higher Education from Harvard. We would love to recognize the loyal, devoted and kind Oscar Miranda.”

Professor of Spanish Nina Namaste was distinguished as well with a Faculty Service Award for consistently showing up at different Latinx/Hispanic events, checking in with students during class and even living among students, as a faculty-in-residence on campus.

At the end of the event, before the participants enjoyed eating dessert and taking pictures with each other, the students themselves voted online to elect the winners of the “Superlatives” Awards: most likely to know everyone, most likely to brighten your day, most creative ideas and most willing to push to change the world. The winners of those informal awards were, respectively, Andy Torres, Valentina Echavarría, Nico Gaspar and Héctor González.

The event finished with the charge to students by Nico Gaspar’ 22 and with closing remarks by Maity Interiano ’07, an ������Ƶ journalism graduate who today is one of the most recognized faces of the show Despierta América, in Univision Miami. Jon Dooley, vice president for student life, represented ������Ƶ’s senior administration during the ceremony.

The implementation team stems from the work of the university’s Latinx/Hispanic Working Group, which presented 46 recommendations to the university in its final report in 2018. The working group was operating under the charge “to make recommendations about ������Ƶ’s policies and practices in order to make the university community a more supportive academic, work, and residential environment for Latinx/Hispanic students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

This charge guided both the data-collection process, through secondary and primary research, and the final report. These 46 recommendations span all departments on campus, including academic affairs and student affairs, and they touch on areas such as admissions, orientation, student activities, alumni engagement, and employment of Latinx faculty and staff.

Sylvia Muñoz, interim director for the CREDE/director of El Centro, and Vanessa Bravo, associate professor of strategic communications, chaired the Latinx/Hispanic Working Group comprised of eight faculty, staff and students.  They also presented the final report to the university’s Senior Staff before the creation of an implementation team to monitor the next process: making the recommendations a reality.

Since spring 2019, the Latinx/Hispanic Implementation Team of about 10 faculty and staff members from across the university and co-chaired by Bravo and Joan Ruelle, dean of the Carol Grotnes Belk Library, has been working to connect recommendations to campus offices that are closest to the work. The team’s work is to support colleagues in prioritizing the implementation of these recommendations.

The process towards fully implementing the recommendations has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with its social, operational and financial implications. However, even with the pandemic disruption, there have been some advancements toward these goals.

Accomplishments to Date

The following list reflects some of the main outcomes accomplished by colleagues all across campus over the last two years. Organized by area, these accomplishments support the goal of creating a positive environment for Latinx students, faculty and staff at ������Ƶ.

Welcome to ������Ƶ and success while at ������Ƶ

• ������Ƶ hired a new assistant director of admissions for diversity and access. In this role, Kimberly Romero who focuses strongly on prospective Latinx students and their families.
• ������Ƶ is in a search process to hire an associate dean of admissions for diversity and access to recruit historically underrepresented students in our campus.
• In her role as assistant director of admissions for diversity and access, Romero led colleagues in the implementation of a bilingual enrollment program called “Viva ������Ƶ!” With online open houses in fall 2020, and spring 2021, this effort aims to offer prospective students the opportunity to speak with Latinx/Hispanic faculty, staff and students about ������Ƶ.
• Office of ������Ƶ and Financial Aid staff participated in inclusive excellence training.
• Campus tours are now available in Spanish upon request.
• New Student and Transition Programs, the Center for Access and Success and the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education partnered to create a bilingual session for families during Move-In weekend.
• There is more visibility of Spanish-speaking staff and volunteers during Move-In Day with “Yo Hablo Español” buttons that identify them.
• “Conexiones,” a pen pal program created by the Office of ������Ƶ and El Centro, creates connections between accepted and current ������Ƶ students.
• ������Ƶ has a section of its website in Spanish. The webpage is called Información sobre ������Ƶ (Information about ������Ƶ), and it contains information in Spanish about the university, its accreditations, campus, admissions process, financial aid and scholarship opportunities, majors and minors and important contact information. This webpage can be found at /u/admissions/undergraduate/international-admissions/quienes-somos/

Organizations, spaces, experiences and resources

• El Centro is going through a transformation from a language center into a Latinx/Hispanic Center. It has a new mission and vision and three main areas of focus: Mi Gente (My People), Mi Educación (My Education), and Mi Comunidad (My Community). A newly redesigned website at www.elon.edu/elcentro is reflective of this change. The Spanish version of the website will soon be launched.
• Two new Latinx/Hispanic-serving organizations exist now at ������Ƶ: Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc. and Chi Upsilon Sigma sorority.
• ������Ƶ created a Latinx/Hispanic Employee Resource Group that meets once a month. This group is co-chaired by Bravo and Interim Vice President for Communications and Marketing Keren Rivas.

Curriculum and campus climate

• ������Ƶ created the position of coordinator of core forums and diversity in the Core Curriculum. Recently, one of the “common reading” books at ������Ƶ was written by a Latinx author about her lived experience as one of the few Latinx students at a private university.
• The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning is collecting information to help establish a mentoring system for Latinx faculty, and it is also continuing its diversity & inclusion grants.
• A working group was formed to evaluate and update the Bias Response System.
• A new online training for faculty and staff called Preventing Harassment and Discrimination was implemented by Human Resources.
• Latinx faculty and staff have actively sought to have a presence in groups recently created at ������Ƶ that are making a strong impact on policies and practices and in the institution. They now have a presence on PACIE (the President’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Excellence) and its subcommittees, on the American Council of Education Learner Success Lab committee at ������Ƶ, which is focusing specifically on mentoring, and they were part of the Spring 2021 DEI Working Group on Curriculum and the Spring 2021 DEI Working Group on Professional Development/Faculty Evaluation.

Room for improvement: Representation

Some of the working group’s recommendations are still in initial stages or pending, and some will require more time to be implemented. Perhaps the most salient is the need to attract and retain more Latinx faculty and staff.

In the United States, Latinx people comprise about 20 percent of the population, but that is not reflected at ������Ƶ. While the numbers of faculty members of other underrepresented groups also fall short in comparison to the U.S. demographics, there has been growth in the last 10 years, in the number of Asian/Asian-American professors at ������Ƶ (100 percent increase) and of Black professors at ������Ƶ (30 percent increase).

When it comes to Latinx faculty, however, the need for improvement is especially noticeable: In 2013, there were 10 Latinx faculty members at ������Ƶ. In 2020, there were 9. Through the last 10 years, the percentage of Latinx professors at ������Ƶ has always remained close to 2 percent.

This is far from the 19 percent Latinx representation in U.S. demographics and also far from the percentage of college professors of Latinx origin in the United States, which was 6 percent in 2018, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. When it comes to Latinx staff members, the percentage at ������Ƶ is about 3 percent. In both cases, the numbers are still far from where ������Ƶ aspires to be.

In the near future, there could be improvements in this area as ������Ƶ implements some intentional steps, coordinated by Human Resources, to increase the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff of color. ������Ƶ has also hired several people of Latinx origin in key positions on campus in the last couple of years, including new hires in the Center for Access and Success, Counseling Services, El Centro and among the faculty.

Looking forward, the Latinx Implementation Team will continue to work in collaboration with different areas at ������Ƶ, and supported now by the Division of Inclusive Excellence, led by Randy Williams, vice president and associate provost of Inclusive Excellence.

If any member of our ������Ƶ community wants to obtain more information or contact the members of the Implementation Team, please feel free to reach out to them. Currently, the Implementation Team is formed by Vanessa Bravo, Joan Ruelle, Sylvia Muñoz, Federico Pous, Oscar Miranda, Aliana Harrison, Nina Namaste, Matt Buckmaster and Kelli Shuman.

Sponsored by the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, Gala Latina celebrates the accomplishments of Latinx/Hispanic students in the ������Ƶ community. Sylvia Muñoz, associate director of the CREDE and director of the Spanish Center, said the event’s goal is to acknowledge, empower and honor the outstanding students, faculty and staff within the ������Ƶ Latinx/Hispanic community.

During her opening remarks, Muñoz said this community represents a heterogeneous group of different national and ethnic origins, social identities, backgrounds and life-histories. “Being Latinx at ������Ƶ means being a student leader, a scholar, an athlete, an activist,” she said. “It means being proud of our roots, being strong, resilient and forgiving. It means family, relationships and community. Gala Latina provides an opportunity for us to gather as a community.”

In the past, the event has been held in the spring. Muñoz said organizers moved it to the fall to coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month and to also welcome first-year students. “It is important for them to know that there is a community here for them to support and embrace them,” she added.

The event kicked off with two Latinx/Hispanic students performing original works that dealt with their experiences as Hispanic Americans. Isabel Martinez ’22 performed a spoken word poem, “The Reality Is…” that poignantly described some of the challenges faced by Latinx in the U.S. Imanol Yepez-Frias performed a stand-up routine about his experiences growing up bilingual and bi-cultural. The event also featured an address by senior Maria José Ramírez Uribe ’20, a passionate social justice advocate for all Latinx/Hispanic peers.

Recognized during the event were:

Academic Excellence Awards

This award was presented to students with the highest cumulative GPA in their respective classes.

• Emily Ford ’20
• Mackenzie Martinez ’21
• Lilly Santiago ’22

Students of the Year Awards

This award is for a junior or senior who has shown great dedication, passion or awareness around Latinx/Hispanic identities or topics at ������Ƶ.

• Mackenzie Martinez ’21
• Lucia Safie ’20
• Carolina Ferreyros ’20

Breakout Students of the Year

A first-year or sophomore student who has shown great dedication, passion or awareness around Latinx/Hispanic identities or topics at ������Ƶ.

• Andy Torres ’22
• Bella Martinez ’22
• Nico Gaspar ’22

Latinx/Hispanic Honor Award

This award recognizes a Latinx/Hispanic student’s commitment to the community. This individual has gone above and beyond to create a more inclusive and representative campus for all Latinx/Hispanic students.

• Kevin Alvarado ’21

Outstanding Senior Award

This award recognizes the leadership, involvement and mentorship exhibited by a Latinx/Hispanic senior throughout their time at ������Ƶ.

• Maria José Ramírez Uribe ’20

Latinx/Hispanic Service Awards

This award recognizes members of ������Ƶ’s faculty and staff who offer constant support to the Latinx/Hispanic community.

• Michael Matthews, associated professor of history
• Randy Williams, associate vice president for inclusive excellence and assistant professor of education

In order to meet these goals, various departments and student organizations teaming up with ​tilde ​Language Justice Cooperative, a language-service collective that provides high-quality interpretation and translation services along with training and capacity building in the areas of language justice and multilingual spaces. As a leader in these efforts, Durham, N.C-based tilde is well-positioned to support ������Ƶ leaders seeking to foment greater commitment to and capacity in these important areas. The one-day Language Justice Training was aimed primarily at ������Ƶ students but ������Ƶ alumni, faculty, staff and community partners are welcome to join.

The 20 participants in this Language Justice workshop included students, faculty and community partners from within the Triangle area. The workshop used a wide variety of techniques for language interpretation, including memory jog exercises, stories of interpretation, recovery techniques, chain exercises and practices of consecutive interpretation.

Participants engaged in the discussion of case studies offered by trainers or participants, simulating interpretation in cross-cultural events when interactions with law enforcement could place, and in situations of domestic violence when interpreters are used in case investigation, among others. Participants engaged in a discussion regarding interpretation for social justice, issues of access to language justice, how to communicate across languages, and the role of professional interpreters.

The Forum on the Nicaragua Crisis was held during class on Nov. 9, 2018, at the Global Commons Media Room. The event was sponsored by the Department of Human Service Studies, the Peace and Conflict Studies minor, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, El Centro and the Latinx Hispanic Union. About 50 students and faculty attended the forum, which was possible with funding from the Living and Learning Community and Department of World Languages and Cultures. 

Among the speakers was Ronald Garcia, a Nicaraguan-American, who presented on the history of violence and corruption in Nicaragua. He provided an overview of the long-term impacts of the country's 1980s civil war, and how Nicaragua has become a corridor to drug cartels operating in the Americas. He explained the why and how of the current civic uprising, and the government violation of the human rights against the protesters that captured the world news, which both national human rights organizations, as well as the United Nations and the Organization of American States, have strongly condemned.

Joining Garcia was Nitza Segui Albino, a Puerto Rican who has lived in Costa Rica for the last 3 years and works with the International Organization of Migration, Enlaces Nicaragüenses and the Solidarity Center. Based on her 20 years of work experience on migration concerns, she talked about the history of forced migration within and outside Nicaragua during the civil war and recently after the civic uprising that has produced a new wave of refugees into Costa Rica. She also discussed the protection challenges faced with the increased number of refugee applicants and asylum seekers from Nicaragua in other nations of the Americas.

The panel also included Junie Vargas, an ������Ƶ student who is originally from Nicaragua and a member of the Latinx Hispanic Union. She shared her personal story about being a Nicaraguan, now a Nicaraguan-American and how that conflict impacted her personally and as part of the growing diaspora. Carmen Monico, assistant professor of human service studies, organized the forum, confirmed the speakers, facilitated the forum discussion and made arrangements for the video recording of the forum is now available on Learning on Demand: .

Due to Hurricane Florence, this kick-off event has been postponed to a later date.

​—

Celebrate the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month with music, food trucks and performances from different Latin American cultures. Music will be provided by the fabulous DJ Alexis.

Performances: N.C. Brazilian Arts Project and Triangle Dancers will perform Rio de Janeiro – style samba, a Brazilian dance best known for Carnival from Afro Roots. They will be also teaching traditional Latin style dance lessons.

Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano is proud to represent its Mexican culture and tradition through the art of dance and music. It was formed in 2006 because of the celebration of “Virgen de Guadalupe”. They will perform traditional dances from the states of: Chihuahua, Chiapas and Jalisco. Their traditional music and clothing makes them unique in North Carolina.

This event is free and open to the ������Ƶ community. All guests will be able to sample food from Spanish-speaking countries, dance and have fun!

Sponsored by: El Centro/CREDE, ������Ƶ Dining, Global Neighborhood, ������Ƶ African Society, ������Ƶ Ballroom Dance Club, ������Ƶ Caribbean Society, Latinx/Hispanic Union.