Latin American Studies M.A.

OUR STUDENTS

1st Year Students

Andrew Edwards

BS in Sociology with Spanish minor, Portland State University; MA in Gender Studies, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Hometown: Salem, OR
Andrew focuses on Latin American intellectual history, especially that of feminism and class struggle. He is also interested in populism, migration, and empire as they play out within Latin America and across the Western Hemisphere.

Fatima Gonzalez Gomez

BS in Latin America and Latino Studies/Politics, University of California, Santa Cruz
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Fatima is interested in examining how Salvadoran political identities are passed down through generations and are tied to Salvadoran migration patterns in the larger Bay Area in the post Civil War-era. Her hope is to find how generational divides help shape ideas and how diasporic communities transform experiences across space and time.

Cesar Ovando

California State University, Dominguez Hills, B.A in History (with a minor in Anthropology and Indigenous Peoples of the America
Hometown: Riverside, California
Cesar is interested in researching the mechanisms of cultural resistance and adaptations that the Highland Guatemala Maya communities persisted against Spanish colonialism during the 16th-18th century. He intends to approach his research through an interdisciplinary lens by incorporating historical, archaeological, ethnographic, gender/sexuality studies, and comparative literature methods.

Cristian Reyes

B.A. in History, UC Irvine, JD/MBA, Southwestern Law School
Hometown:  La Verne, California
Cristian is interested in studying the experiences of early modern Afro-descendant peoples living within the Spanish Atlantic World. Utilizing methods from anthropology and literary studies, he hopes to explore the ways in which Afro-Latin Americans deployed multiple, overlapping identities to carve out spaces of freedom within the confines of Spanish colonial rule.

Alejandra Rios Gutierrez

B.S. in International Studies & Business Administration (International Business & Economics), Saint Louis University
Hometown:  Guadalajara, MX and Aurora, IL
Alejandra is interested in exploring social and spatial justice issues in Latin American cities. As part of the dual degree program, she is also completing a degree in Urban Planning where she focuses on transportation planning. Alejandra hopes to combine her interests by engaging in comparative urban planning to learn better strategies for planning equitable and just cities.

Christina Rodriguez

University of California, Riverside B.A. in Psychology; University of California, Los Angeles M.S.S.
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Christina's research interests are the mental health and well-being of Indigenous Mayan women in Guatemala and how culture and traditions can help or influence these outcomes.

Juan Venegas

CSU Dominguez Hills, Chicana/o/x Studies
Hometown: East Side San Jose, California
Juan's research interests are Afro-Mexican History and lived experiences. In addition, exploring the overwhelming amount of Black and Brown coalitions such as the Mexican Underground Railroad and how it can conspire racial solidarity.

Continuing Students

 Diana Blanco

B.S. Marketing and B.A. Arts Administration with concentration in Studio and Graphic Arts
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Diana's research concentrates on Latin American and Latinx centered cultural production across disciplines of film, media, art, architecture, and digital humanities, with a focus on the relationship between art and social movements, activism, and human rights. Her Digital Humanities certificate research focuses on Land and Environmental Defenders in Colombia and her recent field work includes time spent in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia with Wiwa and Arhuaco filmmakers and audiovisual collectives. Her goal is to become an advocate for Latin American and Latinx indigenous and gender minorities through art and culture. In her free time, Diana enjoys music, dancing, films, and traveling.

 Dylan Dornfelds

International Studies Major, University of Oregon
Hometown: Salem, OR
Dylan's research focuses on communal governing practices in the Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca, denominated "usos y costumbres" by the Mexican state. He is interested in exploring the ways in which indigenous communal governance reinforces cultural identity, connection to the land and the protection of natural resources.

  Theresa Edwards

B.A. in Diplomacy & World Affairs and Spanish, Occidental College
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Theresa is interested in human rights, migration, and socio-environmental conflicts in Latin America. Specifically, she is interested in indigenous-led resistance to natural resource extraction and infrastructure projects, as well as the experiences of indigenous migrants within the U.S. immigration system.

  Mia Giordano

Undergraduate major: Public Health & Spanish, Temple University
Home state/city: Coopersburg, PA
Mia's research interests intersect public health and Latin American Studies, and include immigrant health, human rights, historical memory, and the long-term health outcomes in families affected by political violence in Latin America. In this interview article, Mia talks about her fieldwork in Guatemala as a M.P.H. and LAS M.A. student.

 Amanda Gormsen

B.A. in Environmental Policy and B.B.A in Finance, William & Mary
Hometown: Washington, DC
Amanda is interested in environmental studies and urban planning in Latin America with a focus on climate change mitigation/adaptation and environmental justice. She is part of the dual degree program with Urban Planning.

 Dayra Lopez Magana

BA in English, minor in Portuguese - University of California, Los Angeles
Hometown: Ontario, CA
Dayra is highly interested in researching transnational migration between Latin American countries and the United States. More specifically, she hopes to learn about how these physical movements across borders create social movements that influence racial, ethnic, gender, and sexuality discourses.

 Emely Rauda

B.A. in Chicana/o Studies and double minor in Global Health and Labor & Workplace Studies, UCLA
Hometown: Palmdale, CA
Emely is interested in the intersection of health and culture through a public health lens, among other topics such as traditional & holistic medicine, community-based participatory research, and evidence-based program and intervention development. By integrating her studies of Community Health Sciences and Latin American studies, Emely's hope is to be a well-rounded public health professional applying the knowledge she has gained to research, and programs that work and collaborate with rural and indigenous communities to diminish inequalities and improve health within communities throughout Latin America.