From the Directors
2023-2024
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
We are privileged to have served as the Director and Associate Director of the Institute for Latino Studies (ILS). In our time, we have come to appreciate how ILS enriches the intellectual lives of faculty, students, staff, and alumni at Notre Dame. In the same manner, the success of ILS would not be possible without the intellectual interest, dedication, and support of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and advisory board members—for which we are very grateful.
This year, we again initiate the formal celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Notre Dame. We sponsor the Transformative Latina/o/x Lecture Series that brings prominent national speakers to campus. We also sponsor a Latino Studies Seminar where faculty share their current research with an interdisciplinary group of scholars.
Research, teaching, and service in Latino Studies helps Notre Dame to be at the forefront of posing the hard questions of how to build an inclusive multicultural democracy in the U.S. This year marks the largest class of Latino Studies graduates, at 30, who completed a supplementary major or minor in our academic program. Over 103 students enrolled in the program and 1290 undergraduates learned about US Latinos in the cross-listed courses offered.
This Spring, we launched an internship program in South Bend and graduated the fourth cohort of outstanding leaders. Now that we have entered 2024, we will soon hold a major celebration recognizing the 25th anniversary of ILS. We hope for another 25 successful years preparing the leaders of tomorrow.
—Luis Ricardo Fraga, Director, Institute for Latino Studies, Rev. Donald P. McNeill, C.S.C., Professor of Transformative Latino Leadership, Joseph and Elizabeth Robbie Professor of Political Science
—Paloma Garcia-Lopez Associate Director, Institute for Latino Studies, Chair, College of Arts & Letters Inclusion & Belonging Committee, Advisor, MariachiND, Advisor, Ballet Folklorico Azul y Oro
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.
ILS strengthens the University of Notre Dame’s mission to prepare transformative leaders in all sectors, including the professions, arts, business, politics, faith, and family life among Latinos and all members of our society.
VISION
ILS fosters a deeper understanding of Latino communities to empower faculty, students, society — all of us —to make better strategic decisions as to what kind of a country we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.
The Institute strives to achieve its mission by providing faculty and student support in the areas of Research, Academics, Leadership, Community Engagement, and Latino Spirituality.
Faculty Highlights
Emiliano Aguliar, an Assistant Professor of History, presented the lecture “This is America. No. This is East Chicago: Latino Political Currency in the Era of PostIndustrialism.” April 19, 2024. Aguilar conducted a study of Latino student contributions over the last 160 years as part of the campus wide “SomosND” campaign to recognize Hispanic heritage and life at Notre Dame. ILS is a key partner.
Steven Alvarado, an Associate Professor of Sociology, presented the lecture “Latino Faculty in Top 50 Social Science Departments.”
Anne García-Romero, Film, Television, and Theatre. She recently contributed “Writing with Irene: Sustaining the Fornés Playwriting Method,” a chapter co-written with Marilo Nuñez (York University), to Decentered Playwriting: Alternative Techniques for the Stage (Routledge 2023).
Carlos A. Jáuregui, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, published Emiliano Zapata 100 años, 100 fotos / Emiliano Zapata: 100 Years, 100 Photographs (Casasola-México and Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, 2022), co-authored and co-edited with David Solodkow and Karina Herazo, has received 'The Dolores Huerta Best Cultural & Community Themed Book Award' at the XXV International Latino Book Awards (ILBA 2023).
Jason Ruiz, Associate Professor and Chair of American Studies, published his book Narcomedia: Latinidad, Popular Culture, and America’s War on Drugs (University of Texas Press, 2023), and is leading the American Quarterly publication now housed at the University of Notre Dame.
ILS faculty fellow promotions at the College of Arts & Letters
To professor
- Anne García-Romero — Film, Television, and Theatre. Anne García-Romero is currently co-editor and contributing author, with Brian Eugenio Herrera (Princeton University), for Fornés in Context, a thirty chapter volume exploring the life and work of award-winning Cuban-American theater artist María Irene Fornés (1930-2018), to be published by Cambridge University Press in 2025.
- Carlos A. Jáuregui — Romance Languages and Literatures
- Jason Ruiz — American Studies, Associate Professor and Chair of American Studies, published his book Narcomedia: Latinidad, Popular Culture, and America’s War on Drugs (University of Texas Press, 2023), and is leading the American Quarterly publication now housed at the University of Notre Dame.
To associate professor
- Steven Alvarado — Sociology. Steven recently attained Special Sworn Status from the United States Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to conduct research on the effect of exposure to disadvantaged barrios in early life on postsecondary educational attainment among Latinos in the United States.
Narcomedia: Latinidad, Popular Culture, and America’s War on Drugs
by Jason Ruiz
Exploring representations of Latinx people from Scarface to Narcos, this book examines how pop culture has framed Latin America as the villain in America's long and ineffectual War on Drugs.
If there is an enemy in the War on Drugs, it is people of color. That is the lesson of forty years of cultural production in the United States. From Scarface and Miami Vice to Narcos and Better Call Saul, and from social media to gritty memoirs, popular culture continually positions Latinos as an alien people who threaten the US body politic with drugs. Jason Ruiz explores the creation and endurance of this trope, its effects on Latin Americans and Latinx people, and its role in the cultural politics of the War on Drugs. Latinos and Latin Americans are not actually America's drug problem, yet many Americans think otherwise—and that is in no small part because popular culture has largely refused to imagine the drug trade any other way.
(text from University of Texas Press)
2023-24 Faculty Fellows
ILS has 34 faculty fellows, with 28 core members from the College of Arts & Letters. Three additional faculty members play key roles: ILS Director Luis Fraga, Latino Studies Director of Undergraduate Studies Karen Richman, and Director of Letras Latinas Francisco Aragón
- Emiliano Aguilar, Assistant Professor, History
- Steven Alvarado, Assistant Professor, Sociology
- Thomas Anderson, Professor of Spanish, Romance Languages and Literatures
- Francisco Aragón, Professor of the Practice (Poetry & Literature), Latino Studies
- Kraig Beyerlein, Associate Professor, Sociology
- Edgar Bolivar Nieto, Associate Professor, Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering
- Tatiana Botero, Associate Teaching Professor of Spanish, Romance Languages and Literatures
- Alex E. Chávez, the Nancy O'Neill Associate Professor, Anthropology
- Yamil J. Colón, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- David Cortez, Assistant Professor, Political Science
- Luis Ricardo Fraga, the Rev. Donald P. McNeill, C.S.C., Professor of Transformative Latino Leadership and the Joseph and Elizabeth Robbie Professor of Political Science
- Anne García-Romero, Professor, Film, Television, and Theatre
- Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., Vice President and Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, and Professor of Theology and Global Affairs
- Jimmy Gurulé, Professor, Law
- Anna Haskins, the Andrew V. Tackes Associate Professor of Sociology
- Carlos A. Jáuregui, Professor of Spanish, Romance Languages and Literatures
- Amy Langenkamp, the O'Shaughnessy Associate Professor of Education, Sociology
- David M. Lantigua, Associate Professor, Theology; the William W. and Anna Jean Cushwa Co-Director, Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism
- Katy Walter Lichon, Director for the English as a New Language Program, Director of the Catholic School Advantage, and Associate Teaching Professor with ACE Teaching Fellows
- Elena Mangione-Lora, Teaching Professor of Spanish, Romance Languages and Literatures
- Ricardo Martinez-Schuldt, Assistant Professor, Sociology
- Timothy Matovina, Professor, Theology
- Orlando Menes, Professor, English
- Nydia Morales-Soto, Assistant Director, Eck Institute for Global Health
- Marisel Moreno, the Rev. John A. O'Brien College Professor, Romance Languages and Literatures
- Xavier Navarro Aquino, Assistant Professor, English
- Jenny Padilla, William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families Assistant Professor, Psychology
- Rachel Rivers Parroquín, Teaching Professor of Spanish, Romance Languages and Literatures
- Jaime Pensado, Associate Professor, History
- Juanita Pinzón Caicedo, Assistant Professor, Mathematics
- Ricardo Ramírez, Associate Professor, Political Science
- Tatiana Reinoza, Assistant Professor, Art, Art History, & Design
- Karen Richman, Professor of the Practice, Latino Studies and Anthropology
- Francisco Robles, Assistant Professor, English
- Jason Ruiz, Associate Professor and Chair, American Studies
- Maria Tomasula, the Michael P. Grace Professor, Art, Art History & Design
- Thomas Tweed, the W. Harold and Martha Welch Professor, American Studies
Graduate Research
The ILS Graduate Student Working Group convenes young scholars from multiple disciplines to share their research, address issues affecting Latino communities, and develop a national professional network in a growing field of experts.
ILS has continued to host the Graduate Student Working Group, which convened for six sessions in the fall and six in the spring. This interdisciplinary group of 12 students come together to share their work and receive feedback from their peers in a relaxed but productive workshop setting. ILS facilitates the meeting spaces and provides lunch and refreshments.
Manuel Rodriguez was the chair of the ILS Graduate Student Work Group and the winner of the Graduate Student Best Paper in 2023 and 2024.
Last academic year, I was the organizer for the ILS Graduate Student Working Group. Under this role, I organized meetings to bring together graduate students interested in Latinx studies and workshop papers they were working on. This space has been beneficial throughout my three years of graduate school here because it allows me to share my ideas and receive productive feedback on my own research papers. Also, working with other ILS faculty fellows, such as Kraig Beyerlein, Anna Haskins, and Steven Alvarado, has been helpful, for they support guiding my research interests in Latinx religion and politics.”
ACADEMICS
Established in 1999, ILS now has 35 affiliated Faculty Fellows, 103 supplemental majors and minors, offers approximately 60 cross-listed classes, and enrolls about 1,300 students each year. Our courses are primarily in the humanities and social sciences although we are beginning to branch out to other colleges of the University as well. The academic program currently has 120 enrolled students.
ENGAGING COURSEWORK
A sampling of recent courses
Immigrant Youth and Families • The Economics of Immigration • Policing in America • US Politics of Inequality • Dictatorship, Democracy, and War in Latin America • God & Slavery in the Americas • Introduction to Hispanic Literature and Cultures
Dr. Karen Richman is the Director of Undergraduate Studies at the ILS
In my role as Director of the Undergraduate Program, I have had the privilege of advising you on program requirements, course selection, internships, and other academic opportunities. The class of 2024 has left a transformative mark in three areas: 1). service to and advocacy for the local Latino community and the community at large, 2). mentorship and community-building on campus and 3). promotion of the Latino Studies minor and major programs.”
Irasema Trujillo ’24
- Major: Political Science
- Supplementary Majors: Global Affairs and Latino Studies
I’m doing all these things that are wonderful, but it’s going to be for nothing if I'm not able to pave the way for other generations, to open opportunities and resources to others. I think I was meant to be the difference for individuals like me and give back to people who are in the position that I used to be in.”
Elizabeth Gonzalez ’24
- Major: Political Science
- Supplementary Major: Global Affairs
- Minor: Latino Studies
My entire life, I’ve had all of these miracle moments, and they do put a little bit of pressure on me—I have this deep sense that I’m meant to do something of a greater purpose than myself. Here at Notre Dame, we’re called to run with that, and make sure that what you do in these four years are preparations for how you’re going to be a force for good in all of the years to come.”
LEADERSHIP
Transformative Latino Leadership Lecture
In November, ILS hosted a different version of their yearly Latino leadership lecture: Transformative Latino Leaders in Hollywood. A three-person Hollywood celebrity panel featured Mark Consuelos, Nicholas Gonzalez, and Wilmer Valderrama. ILS students were eager to learn about the Hollywood Latino actor and producer industries. Aside from attending the lecture, ILS students were able to meet them in person and ask questions about their experiences and the challenges of being Latinos in the industry.
Latino Studies Scholars Program
One of our signature leadership initiatives is the Latino Studies Scholars Program (LSSP), which started in Spring 2017. Undergraduates in the program receive a $100,000 merit scholarship over four years. Additionally, ILS provides $5,000 per summer toward an enrichment experience, such as research, courses, or internships in a Latino community.
ILS celebrated the graduation of five LSSP scholars in 2024:
- Miranda Colon
- Paola Ortiz
- Sylvia Garcia
- Sofia Casillas
- Yesenia Mendoza-Arriaga
“ILS opened me up to a whole new world that I am now so grateful to be a part of. Through ILS, I received amazing opportunities to participate in summer internships online, in Chicago, and Puerto Rico. I learned of my passion for education research and Latino Studies. Most importantly, I met amazing people and advisors who contributed to an amazing college experience.” - Miranda Colon
Bella Vasquez ’26
The Latino Studies Program has been a profound source of connection and support, promoting a sense of family that has led me through my Notre Dame journey. I am eternally grateful for this program, which has allowed me invaluable opportunities I might never have discovered or had access to, enhancing my experience and empowering my development in academics and personal life.”
Hispanic Heritage Month
We also use our resources to co-sponsor many initiatives of a diverse set of groups on campus. Since 2017, ILS has curated a suite of 9 events during Hispanic Heritage Month. Begun in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson as a week-long commemoration, and later expanded to its current format by President Ronald Reagan, Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Several of the 27 countries that comprise Latin America celebrate their independence during this time of year.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a perfect time to remember all of the accomplishments and progress that Latinas/o/x families have made. Just as important is using the time to reflect on how each of us can work to maintain that progress.” — Luis Fraga
Hispanic Heritage Month List of Events 2023-2024
ILS spearheaded a series of events from September 15 to October 15, 2023, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month for the seventh consecutive year. Key events included:
- September 15, 2023: SomosND: Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off Fiesta. This event attracted 400 participants outside of Bond Hall. Attendees enjoyed a taco truck and Kona Ice, while 12 Latino/Hispanic-themed tables offered information about campus initiatives. Co-sponsored by AdelanteND and HAND, the event included free t-shirts for the first 200 guests.
- September 18, 2023: Documentary Screening - Tijuana: Ciudad de Migrantes. The screening, attended by 50 people, featured a Q&A with the young directors. It was supported by ILS, with publicity and refreshments, and speakers sponsored by Romance Languages.
- September 20, 2023: Success Stories of Hispanic Alumni of ND Virtual Panel (Recording here). In collaboration with HAND, this virtual panel featured successful Hispanic alumni sharing their career journeys with 60 virtual attendees. The panel included Alfredo Arvide, Dr. Joaquin G. Cigarroa IV, Dr. Carlos Gomez-Meade, and Kelly Rivera Salazar.
- October 2, 2023: Artist Talk with Carlos Barberena. The Chicago-based Honduran-American artist exhibited 16 pieces at ILS Galeria America and guided 60 students and faculty through the exhibit.
- October 9, 2023: Ballet Folklorico de Chicago at Debartolo Performing Arts Center. A performance by a Mexican folkloric dance troupe, with opening acts by ND's Ballet Folklorico Azul y Oro and an ILS dance class. The event filled Decio Auditorium with 350 attendees.
Letras Latinas
Letras Latinas began to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2024.
Letras Latinas, the literary initiative at the Institute for Latino Studies (ILS), strives to enhance the visibility, appreciation and study of Latinx literature both on and off the campus of the University of Notre Dame. We put an emphasis on programs that support newer voices, foster a sense of community among writers, and place Latinx writers in community spaces.
Letras Latinas is proud to be a founding member of the Poetry Coalition, a group of organizations working together to promote the values poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.
The Letras Latinas Oral History Project produces video interviews of Latinx writers visiting the Notre Dame campus with the aim of making them available as an online resource for faculty, students, scholars, and the community at large.
From 2023-2024, Fred Arroyo, Luivette Resto, and U.S. Poet Loreate Ada Limon were interviewed.
Francisco Aragón, Professor of the Practice and Director of Letras Latinas, was interviewed by Emily Pérez for Poets & Writers about Letras Latinas, its 20th-anniversary celebration, and his most recent full-length book, After Rubén (Red Hen Press, 2020).
Events 2023-2024:
- August 29, 2023 (Virtual): Curated Conversation(s): A Latinx Poetry Show. A virtual event in collaboration with The Writer’s Center featuring Raina J. León and Juana Adcock, with 174 views on YouTube.
- September 27, 2023: Hispanic Heritage Month Event with Luivette Resto and Fred Arroyo (recording). Held in partnership with the Creative Writing Program, this event featured readings by Luivette Resto and Fred Arroyo, with approximately 60 attendees.
- October 24, 2023 (Virtual): Curated Conversation(s): A Latinx Poetry Show. Featuring Alexandra Lytton Regalado and Adriana Díaz Enciso, with 138 views on YouTube.
- April 19, 2024 (On-campus): 20th Anniversary Event. Poet Laureate Reading and conversation featuring Ada Limón, Carmen Giménez, and heidi andrea restrepo rhodes, with approximately 100 attendees.
Ballet Folklorico Azul y Oro & MariachiND student clubs
ILS sponsors professional dance instructors and ethnomusicologists to provide master classes to students engaged in performance groups on campus. During welcome week, ILS provides a three day intensive training program to educate students about the rich background and foundation of folk traditions across Mexico. ILS also trains student board members on organizational management and fundraising strategies to help them grow their quantity and quality of engagement across campus and the South Bend community.
Cross Cultural Leadership Program
During the summer of 2024, 22 students lived and worked in Latino communities New York City, Washington, D.C., South Bend, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The students participating in CCLP came from the College of Arts & Letters, College of Science, and Mendoza College of Business. They spanned 10 different majors, 13 different minors, and every class year.
Valeria Zambrano ’25
- Major: Political Science
- Minor: French & Francophone Study
- Placement: Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (Chicago, IL)
- Recipient of the ILS “Frank M. Gonzales Jr. Summer Scholar” Award
As a Venezuelan immigrant who settled in a predominantly immigrant community in Florida, immigration is a large part of my life. It has taught me to have an appreciation for cultures around the world, the importance of kindness to those different from us, and to rejoice in the present, rather than what was lost in the transition. Nevertheless, there have also been struggles. I have come to know that immigration to the United States, oftentimes, means to experience poverty, to be isolated by your native language and immigratory status, to have to trudge through the education system with little help, to have to work physically strenuous jobs in order to survive. Because of the ways in which immigration has informed my personhood and my beliefs, I strive to humanize the issue of immigration.”
Lluvia Gaucin, '25
- Major: American Studies
- Minors: Latino Studies and Journalism, Ethics and Democracy
- Placement: Institute for Latino Studies
My time working as a student communications fellow for the Institute for Latino Studies was instrumental in solidifying my passion for writing and amplifying the voices of the Latino community. The internship gave me the confidence to advocate for the narratives that matter most, while honing my ability to communicate effectively.”
LATINO SPIRITUALITY
From June 7 to June 9, 2024, the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) hosted its second annual Congress for Spiritual and Public Leadership—or as the Institute for Latino Studies calls it, the Congreso. ILS is a proud sponsor of the multiracial, multiethnic, and multigenerational grassroots organization that actively seeks to bring justice to the lives of brown and black community members in the disadvantaged regions of Chicago, with a Catholic faith-based approach. This year, an even larger group of Notre Dame students attended the Congreso, including 10 students from the Cross-Cultural Leadership Program, 2 students with independently arranged internships, and 1 student from the Institute’s Latino Scholars program. Two of the total 13 students were fulfilling summer internships with CSPL, working vigorously behind the scenes to keep the program running smoothly.
CSPL entered the streets with solidarity and in prayer for young people whose lives have been tragically lost to violence and mental illness. Participants marched along the Magnificent Mile, where CSPL board members expressed the demands for their campaigns in Chicago and the western suburbs. Notre Dame students took the issues of Chicago’s youth communities to heart, as violence and mental illness affect the lives of all youth, regardless of where they live.
Advisory Council
None of this work—from research and teaching to community engagement and Latino spirituality—would be possible without our Advisory Council members. We are grateful for their support and guidance.
The University of Notre Dame maintains advisory councils for its principal academic units to advance their development in the broadest context. Council members acquire an understanding of the mission, plans, and priorities of the Institute and of the wider University. As members of the Notre Dame family, they in turn share this understanding with others, serving as ambassadors for the Institute and the University in the cities where they reside and in their respective professional communities.
From Left: Ruben Peter S. Gonzales, ND ’16, JD ’19, Associate, The Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Chicago, Illinois (2020); Leslie Vergara, ND ‘19, Project Engineer, Vanir, Riverside, California; Joe A. Power, ND ’74, President, Founding Partner and Attorney at Power, Rogers & Smith, Chicago, Illinois (2015); ILS Director Luis R. Fraga; Lupe Eichelberger, ND ’82, Co-Founder Snoozeenie, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2014); Thomas McNeil, President of Mainelli Mechanical Contractors, Omaha, Nebraska (2013); Philip Fuentes, Owner and Operator of McDonald’s, CHBIP Management, Inc., Chair of Advisory Council, Chicago, Illinois.
Others not pictured: Bruce Broillet, ND ’71, Partner, Greene, Broillet, and Wheeler, Los Angeles, California (2018); Gregory Evans J.D ‘89, McGuire Woods, LLP, Los Angeles, California; Phil Eagan, ND ’70, Viking Global Investors, L.P., New York City, New York (2017); Bill Koury, ND ’66, Diagnostic Radiologist at Diagnostic Imaging Centers, P.A., Kansas City, Missouri, (2008); Mary Trotter, ND ’88, Los Alamitos, California.
Connect with us at latinostudies.nd.edu