Dear Latina/o Studies Minors,
As we complete a semester filled with both unprecedented challenges and creative collaborations in response to those challenges, we are writing to update you with news from the University of Iowa Latina/o Studies Program.
Congratulations!
There are currently 82 declared Latina/o Studies minors, and 14 of you are planning a spring 2020 graduation! Congrats to you all! We are proud of you, and can't wait to hear about your journeys. Please keep in touch!
All of our students—whether graduating or returning—deserve a round of applause for your resiliency during this past semester. We know it was difficult to be away from campus, and we thank you for your commitment to your academic work in the face of such adversity!
Senior Highlights
Isabela Flores won the 2019 Maria Cano Martinez Service Award.
Naomi Marroquin’s research on Latinx immigrant health was selected for the spring 2020 “Dare to Discover” campaign.
Ashley Morrow was awarded the 2020 Adah Jonson/ Otilia Maria Fernandez Scholarship.
We're Changing Our Name
Starting in Fall 2020, the Latina/o Studies Program will be renamed the Latina/o/x Studies Program.
To help spread the word about our program to new students, the Latina/o/x Studies Program will offer a First-Year Seminar, “Exploring Latina/o/x Studies,” for residents of the new Living Learning Community, Unidos. Unidos was proposed by students with the goal of supporting, empowering, and advocating for Latinx students on campus. We're excited for the opportunity to connect with these new Hawkeyes.
Faculty Achievements
Latina/o/x Studies faculty Rene Rocha, Ariana Ruiz, and Darrel Wanzer-Serrano led a successful first year of the Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar “Imagining Latinidades: Articulations of National Belonging.”
- Rene Rocha will serve as the 2020-21 Faculty Director for the University of Iowa Latina/o/x Studies Program.
- Ariana Ruiz has accepted a faculty position at the University of California San Diego.
- Darrel Wanzer-Serrano has accepted a faculty position at the Texas A&M Communication Department.
We thank Dr. Ruiz and Dr. Wanzer-Serrano for their excellence in Latinx education, and wish them the best!
Welcome to Our New Faculty
Welcome to our new 2020-21 Latina/o/x Studies faculty members:
Eric Vázquez joins Latina/o/x Studies & American Studies and will teach a new course in spring 2021, “Undocumented America.”
Lisa Ortiz was chosen as a 2020-21 Provost Postdoctoral Faculty Fellow and will teach for the Latina/o/x Program in spring 2021.
Andrew Bribriesco is a practicing attorney in the Quad Cities who will be teaching a new course that he created, “Latina, Latinos, Latinx, and the Law.”
We hope you have a wonderful summer!
With all best wishes,
The faculty and staff of the UI Latina/o/x Studies Program