Mission: The Institute for Latino Studies advances understanding of the fastest-growing and youngest population in the United States and the U.S. Catholic Church.
Our Vision: To foster a deeper understanding of Latino communities to empower faculty, students, society - all of us - to make better strategic decisions as to what kind of country we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.
A video message from Professor Luis R. Fraga, ILS Director and Professor of Political Science
A video message from Professor Karen Richman, ILS Director of Undergraduate Studies
Congratulations ILS Graduates!
Though I only formally joined the program during the second semester of my junior year, it is safe to say that I found a home in the Institute for Latino Studies. I originally began my time at Notre Dame as a Spanish major, but quickly discovered my academic passions did not include Spanish literature. My participation in the Center for Social Concern’s International Summer Service Learning Program in Cochabamba, Bolivia during the summer of 2019 was what helped me realize my desire to learn more about Hispanic communities in the United States. After switching to Latino Studies, my only regret is having not joined the program sooner. Whether it be my “Introduction to Latino Studies,” “Race & Ethnicity,” or “Unequal America” course, I have truly loved being a part of ILS.
After graduation, I will begin medical school, where I hope to use both my Spanish skills and cultural knowledge to provide for underserved Hispanic communities in the United States. My goal as a physician is not just to treat broken bones and other tangible diseases, but also to compassionately and holistically serve my patients in hopes of diminishing existing health inequalities. While my time with ILS has come to a close, my job is far from over. Thank you to the amazing faculty who shared their wisdom with me over the past few years. I know ILS has given me the tools to be a positive agent for change in Latinx healthcare, and I cannot wait to begin this new journey. Thank you and go Irish! –Rachel Bartnett
I remember emailing Dr. Richman all the way back in the summer prior to coming to Notre Dame, and I am forever grateful I decided to join the Latino Studies community! Through the mentorship I’ve received, the incredible experience of participating in CCLP in Chicago, and all my coursework, I am sure that the cultural competency and language skills I’ve developed will be beneficial as I move forward to working in the health and science fields.
After graduation, I will be moving to Washington D.C. for a year of service through AmeriCorps, where I will be working with the Washington AIDS Partnership. This group seeks to promote HIV/AIDS education and testing to lower the prevalence of the disease in the district. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in public health to close the gap in health disparities that impact Latino/a populations in the U.S. I know that my time with ILS has prepared me well to continue pursuing this goal! I want to thank Dr. Richman and the rest of the Institute for equipping me with the skills and experiences that will inform my career long into the future. –Jacob Fries
The Institute for Latino Studies has provided me with a support system from the minute I stepped on campus. I’ve had the privilege to learn from incredible professors who are committed to fostering a deeper understanding of Latino communities. My Latino Studies coursework allowed me to explore my interests outside of science, such as education, literature, and immigration. The opportunities provided by ILS have furthered my understanding of Latino communities through experiences outside the classroom. I completed the Cross-Cultural Leadership Program in Los Angeles and had the opportunity to intern at a health clinic where I learned about the complexities of healthcare access, especially for underserved communities. During my sophomore year, I participated in the Border Immersion Seminar and traveled to the Arizona border to better understand the complexities of immigration. I studied abroad in Puebla, Mexico where I got to learn about the Mexican healthcare system and traditional medicine. Some of my most rewarding experiences arose from community-based learning courses during which I volunteered at La Casa de Amistad.
Not only have I furthered my understanding of Latino communities, I’ve also grown personally by deepening my understanding of my Mexican heritage. After graduation I will be serving as an ACE Teaching Fellow. I am excited to spend the next two years teaching 4th/5th grade in Dallas, Texas. I hope to work alongside the Latino community in my future endeavors and I know ILS has prepared me to do so. –Jisel Gomez
My identity as a Latina and first generation immigrant has always been at the forefront of who I am and how I carry myself. It was to my delight and luck that the first professor I had at the University of Notre Dame was a Latina professor, Dr. Sarah Quesada, associated with the Institute of Latino Studies. After expressing my struggles to adapt and form a sense of belonging, she walked me to the Institute of Latino Studies; that was the beginning of my relationship with ILS. I soon picked up the Latino Studies minor which easily became a supplemental major as I knew my current and future work would be with and for my Latinx communities. Through Latino Studies, I was able to academically validate my first-hand knowledge and experiences, and raise new questions from different interdisciplinary perspectives. The ILS faculty are not only passionate about the future of Latinx communities and the issues that affect our communities, but they are fully committed to enhancing our educational experience being it with transformative guest leaders, events, summer experiences, delicious food, study space, and/or never ending support.
My senior thesis focused on the schooling experience of Latinx students in rural public education, as it pertained to the concepts of educación and familia. With this research, I was fortunate enough to incorporate my background in psychology and identity formation, with my Latino studies knowledge and my understanding of the education system to work on something I am passionate and proud about. It was a culmination of who I am, where I come from, and where I want to go. After graduation, I will be teaching 5th grade in Seattle, Washington under the Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education as I pursue my Masters of Arts in Teaching. –Odalis Gonzalez Reyes
A message from Professor Timothy Matovina, Chair of the Theology Department and ILS Faculty Fellow
I decided to join the Latino Studies program after studying abroad in Puebla, Mexico in the fall of my junior year. During the incredible few months that I spent in Mexico, I fell in love with the culture, the history, and the people. Because of this, I knew I wanted to continue learning about Latino cultures and the Latino experience in the US. Thanks to the incredible professors and opportunities provided by ILS, I have been able to do exactly that. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to discuss and learn about the complex histories of Latinx populations in the U.S., as well as the important topics facing these communities today.
Upon graduation, I will be a Teaching Fellow with the Alliance for Catholic Education, teaching middle school math and science in Mission, Texas. The community in which I will live and work is located next to the US-Mexico border, and my students will be almost entirely Latinx. My experience with ILS has been crucial in deepening my understanding of the inequalities and challenges faced by Latinx students, and I am eager to use this knowledge to help my future students succeed. ILS has given me the tools I need to help make a difference in Latinx communities. Thank you to all the professors and advisors in ILS who have helped us get here! –Jack Harness
My Notre Dame career would not be complete without the addition of knowledge and experiences provided to me through the ILS community and curriculum here on campus. I knew from my first Latino Studies class— a University Seminar concerning banned Latinx literature in the US, led by my favorite professor, Professor Moreno — that the students and professors in ILS are some of the greatest minds on campus. Joining this community after meeting Professor Richman my sophomore year was the best decision I could have made in my undergraduate career. I found the discussions and pedagogies of the ILS classes to starkly contrast those of my science courses, and also found greater support in my growth for both my academic and personal mindset. The ideas, challenges, and intellectual pursuits I faced in these classes always demanded me to test myself and to develop a broader and more diverse perspective that I will take with me long after my departure from the Dome.
My work in every ILS course from these past years and in the recent completion of my own personal project of my senior thesis has been fruitful with the support of my ILS professors and peers. They all make such an uplifting community where the progress and growth of each other is a shared goal. I was able to prosper in this community of scholarship, especially when working with Professor Richman on the year-long research project of my thesis. She acted as a mentor whose guidance did not stop at the confines of my thesis work. She connected me with alumni and also any and every opportunity that related to my intellectual interests and aspirations. Through Professor Richman and the greater ILS community, I was able to enrich myself not only as a student of the Latino Studies program, but also as a future doctor with a passion for public health and social justice. ILS has taught me the skills and capabilities I have in doing the work of social justice in medicine and creating my own future community of a similar ideology of shared prosperity. –Ocran Holloway
As I think about my past four years at Notre Dame, I am so grateful for all of the wonderful people I have learned from. I came to Notre Dame planning on participating in the Spanish supplementary major as I have always loved learning the language. However, after participating in an Urban Plunge in Houston during my junior year, I knew that I wanted to use the rest of my time at Notre Dame to learn more about the Latinx experience within the U.S. The Latino Studies program has allowed me to discover parts of my own identity that I will be forever grateful for. Discussing topics of immigration, race, identity, and latinidad have allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of who I am and how my own experience relates to so many others.
While studying abroad in Puebla, Mexico, I more fully realized my dream of contributing to the field of public health, specifically the area of oral health care. In the future, I plan on attending dental school and hope that I may use what I have learned from Latino Studies in the dental practice. I am particularly interested in oral health education and leveling the higher prevalence of dental disease that exists among different racial groups. I hope to return to my home state of Texas to practice dentistry and to one day relate to all patients with empathy and understanding. I am so grateful for the Latino Studies program in providing me with the opportunity to do this! –Isabelle Hornung
The moment I came to Notre Dame, I was searching for purpose. I didn’t quite understand this at the time, but ILS has helped shine a light on this purpose. Initially when I came to Notre Dame, I intended to be a Spanish major in order to expand my knowledge of the language. I learned about Latino Studies thinking that it was a Spanish major, but I’m so thankful it was much more than that. ILS is about love, family, peace, and understanding. I’ve learned plenty about my own Hispanic roots, the history of the U.S. through these eyes, and world history and culture as a whole. Latino Studies taught me to embrace who I am, and always seek to keep growing myself every day. Perhaps the most important moments I had in ILS were with the people, from Professor Karen Richman to Maribel Rodriguez to everyone who has helped me in my journey at Notre Dame. These moments of conversation and love I had the privilege of sharing with the people of ILS meant everything to me throughout the years, and it’s what defines me moving forward.
I want to share the gift of life with others the same way ILS did for me. I want to serve people, and share smiles. I want to travel the world, and learn from others. Most importantly, I want to feel alive in these moments, and although they may not be perfect, they will all form part of one heck of a ride. I have so much appreciation to ILS for helping me discover that my purpose has been breathing inside me every day. –Estefan Linares
As I finished my junior year at Notre Dame and completed a semester abroad in Puebla, Mexico, I felt that my undergraduate journey was missing something. I wanted to take the lessons I learned abroad and expand upon them, while also taking a deeper look at my own identity as a child of Cuban immigrants. Through my time in the Institute for Latino Studies, I feel that I have learned so much about what it means to be Latinx and the struggles of the Latinx community, especially when it comes to healthcare. Additionally, the ILS faculty have been extremely welcoming and have made my experience in pursuing this minor so incredible!
When I came to Notre Dame, I knew that I wanted to improve my Spanish. However, after attending the Latino Freshman Retreat, I soon realized that I had found a place where I could not only immerse myself in my own culture but also make some of my closest friends while doing so. During my spring semester, I had the opportunity to take a class on Latino Literature with Professor Marisel Moreno. Although I am from Texas, I had never seen myself or people like me represented in academia or literature. This class gave me the knowledge and confidence to pursue further research into Latino studies as I realized just how diverse the Latino culture truly is.
Since then, I have been on medical brigades to Panama and Ecuador during which I have gained medical experience while learning more about Latin America. My ILS and Spanish classes have taught me just how multifaceted and beautiful my own culture is, and I am forever grateful that ILS gave me such rich learning experiences. I am also grateful to the professors and friends I have met through the program, as their guidance and advice has helped me immensely. Wherever I am in the future, I hope to use the knowledge I gained through ILS to uplift the Latino community. –Alexandra Martinez
My time at Notre Dame has been marked by many wonderful experiences, but perhaps it would not have been as personally fulfilling without the Institute for Latino Studies. Coming from the San Diego area, I have grown up at an important intersection for many of the Latinx community. Back home, I’ve had the opportunity to work with an organization that provided food primarily to the Latinx, migrant, and Spanish speaking communities. So, when I arrived here at Notre Dame, I knew I wanted to better understand the communities I served and the role that someone like me played. Through ILS, I have been given the chance to expand my knowledge of the relationships and the social structures that have very real impacts on the lives of people of color and the Latinx community.
Paired with my Psychology major, I expect that what I have gained through ILS will help me in my journey of serving my community better. My hopes are that I will be able to implement the values of Notre Dame and ILS in my career of improving the lives and mental health of the Latinx community, a topic that I feel is severely ignored. I never would have imagined how much ILS has shaped my future goals. ILS has been one of the main reasons for me feeling at home here at Notre Dame and has allowed me to maintain a really important connection to my Mexican heritage. I am forever grateful for the opportunities that ILS has given me, as well as for the warm welcome. Thank you to everyone at ILS for the support. I will cherish my experiences here for years to come. –Aolanni Mitchell
As a Mexican-American from Santa Ana, California, I found my home at the Institute for Latino Studies. I first heard about the Institute a few weeks into my freshman year when I met Professor Fraga. After learning about the Latino Studies minor, I knew I wanted to take classes where I could learn and have discussions about social justice, diversity, migration and identity. The summer after my freshman year, I stayed on campus to do research and during my free time I worked at ILS. One day, as I was organizing a cabinet I came across a flyer that read “Study Latino Studies. Do anything.” I turned the flyer around and it read, "Latino Studies being Pre-Med”. Taking all the science and pre-med requirements was interesting, but I knew I was missing something. The Latino Studies classes fueled my interest in learning more about my own culture and the Latinx community overall.
The ILS staff and the faculty introduced me to many opportunities. One of them was the Cross Cultural Leadership Program. The summer of 2019, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Puerto Rico, where I worked at ENLACE to develop a research proposal, learn about Puerto Rican culture and take a three week course. During my sophomore year, I took a class, Language, Culture and Community, which was one of my favorite courses because it was a community based class. I had the opportunity to volunteer at La Casa de Amistad and serve as a mentor for the students. ILS also connected me to organizations such as the Northern Indiana Hispanic Health Coalition and the League of United Latin American Citizens. Overall, Latino Studies was the perfect minor to supplement my major and guide my future career goals of becoming a transformative healthcare leader for Latinx communities and other underrepresented communities. –Alejandra Osorio
A video message from Professor Francisco Aragon, Director of Letras Latinas at ILS
I started off freshman year thinking I would want to be a math professor, and soon came to realize that was not for me. The classes I was able to take through Latino Studies showed me that my true passion and drive was directed towards helping our immigrants in the U.S. regardless of their documentation status. As an intern with the United Farm Workers Foundation with CCLP, I learned so much about the issues our undocumented farm workers face, as well as was able to research and contact many different representatives to help them try to pass a bill that would create a pathway to citizenship for migrant workers. Through our pilgrimage to El Paso, I was inspired to continue to fight for the rights of our immigrants through the work we were seeing be done right on the border by activists and the determination these immigrants had to get to the United States. It has been such an honor to be able to be a part of this institute. I am so grateful for the amazing professors I have had who always pushed me to give my all, and for all the opportunities that I have been able to have because of Latino studies.
After graduation, I plan on taking some time off to continue to work with our immigrant communities at a non-profit organization and then I want to go to law school. As the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, my dream is to practice immigration law for the community that has shaped me into the person I am today. –Kassandra Perez
Growing up thirty minutes away from the University of Notre Dame, I never imagined the difficulty involved in the transition to becoming a member of this university community. Being raised in a predominantly Latino neighborhood for most of my life, I was not prepared to be surrounded by individuals from completely different backgrounds. The one thing that kept me determined during my early college experience was my goal of helping turn the American Dream into a reality for individuals from marginalized communities. This goal inspired me to become a Latino Studies minor and soon the ILS faculty gave me a home away from home. Through my time as a Latino Studies minor, I was able to take courses that dived right into issues that were impacting the Latino community in the United States and that offered solutions for said issues. ILS gave me a community I could find comfort in throughout the years.
After graduation, I am going to be teaching Social Studies and Catechism at a middle school in Denver, Colorado, as a member of the Alliance for Catholic Education program. This opportunity allows me to work directly with a predominantly low-income, Latino student body and to directly aid students achieve their American Dream through education. I will be using all the tools I have learned over the years in order to educate the future generation and that is in large part due to my time as an ILS minor. –Diego Reynoso
Growing up in Austin, Texas, I have always been surrounded by and interested in the Spanish language and the Latinx community. As I entered college, I knew I wanted to find a way to give back to those communities through my studies. Through my majors in Political Science and Spanish, I encountered multiple professors and classes within the ILS department. Once I learned about the ILS minor, I knew it was a perfect fit for me. My passion for Latinx advocacy and immigrant rights led me to want to specialize further in Latino studies and find opportunities in this area of work. ILS allowed me to learn so much through different courses and professors, all of which were so engaging. Through ILS, I was also able to intern with MALDEF in Chicago, which was an incredible experience and confirmed my desire to pursue non-profit work within Latinx civil, human, and immigrant rights.
After graduation, I plan to work as a legal assistant in immigrant rights law and then attend law school. I’m proud to be part of the ILS community, and I’m so grateful for all of its help and guidance throughout my years at ND. Thank you so much to all of ILS faculty and staff for providing me with an incredible education and always being there to help and for truly caring about your students! –Natalie Reysa
During my time at Notre Dame, I have had the opportunity to be taught by incredible professors, make lasting friendships and grow as a person. I will forever be grateful for the experiences I have had and the people I have met during my time at ND. Coming into ND, I knew that I wanted to study Spanish. However, it was not until my semester abroad in Puebla, Mexico that I decided that Latino Studies would be the best fit for me. Beyond the Spanish language, I wanted the chance to learn about and further explore Latino culture. While abroad, I had friends who encouraged me to look into the ILS supplementary major, and I am so grateful that I was able to join the program.
ILS has allowed me to pursue both my interest in the Spanish language and Latino culture through community engagement, readings and class discussions. I know that what I have learned will be crucial to my future development as I begin along the path to becoming a physician. I am forever grateful for the opportunities that ILS has afforded me and for all of the professors who have helped to shape my time here at Notre Dame. –Emilie Sienko
