CHISPAS NEWSLETTER | MAY 2019
Chicano Latino Student Affairs
Dean Tony Jimenez
Dear Students,
 
This is the time of the year where many of you will be graduating and looking ahead to life after Claremont.
 
I want to congratulate our graduating students for their accomplishments and earning a degree from The Claremont Colleges. As graduates, you will be making a tremendous impact in the world. Some of you will be moving into your careers, others will be attending medical school, or even extending their educational pursuits in graduate school. CLSA is proud of you. We know that you will all make a monumental impact in our society.
 
For our non-graduating students, have a wonderful and productive summer! Take advantage of your summer internships and research opportunities. These experiences will lay the foundation for success in the future. Your time in Claremont will fly by, and in the blink of the eye, you will be crossing the graduation stage.
 
CLSA strives to make your educational experience a well-rounded one. We hope all of you enjoyed our programming this year. We kicked off fall semester with Chacombo, an Afro-Peruvian band that had everyone on their feet, which was part of the Scripps College Levitt on the Lawn concert series. Renowned Cuban American poet, Richard Blanco, came to CLSA and Claremont McKenna, to discuss his literary works as a queer man of color.

CLSA, along with our campus partners, brought Julio Salgado - a queer artist of color, to discuss his art and its impact on the Latinx LGBT community.  Salvadorian poet Yesika Salgado led students in an open mic event at Pomona College. Ernesto Garay spoke about the Central American Civil Wars in the 1970s and 80s. Bamby Salcedo -founder of the Los Angeles TransLatin@ Coalition, highlighted the work for trans Latin@s, in Southern California. CLSA also welcomed Afro Latino Cuban scholar Roberto Zurbano who spoke about Race, Class, Culture and the treatment of Afro Cubanos after the revolution.

During the year, CLSA’s ongoing graduate and professional workshop series brought speakers that shared their expertise.  This included having Dr. Judith Caro-Perez, from Georgetown Law School, who she discussed the experiences of students of color. Moreover, Dr. Nanette Vega, from the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, discussed summer opportunities and stressed the importance of having underrepresented ethnic minorities pursue careers in medicine. In addition, we had Monica Perkins from UCLA/Drew School of Medicine meet with CLSA and OBSA students, as they prepared to apply. We hope that these programs were both educational and entertaining.
 
As CLSA heads into its 50th year, we will be preparing programming that commemorates this major milestone. We encourage you all to stay connected, and take advantage of being part of this momentous celebration at The Claremont Colleges.

Lastly, this year was also one of many changes at CLSA. We bid farewell to Ernie Mendoza, as we celebrated her forty three years of service to the Claremont Colleges. Ernie's love for students made it possible for them to be successful in their studies and beyond. CLSA thanks her for the unwavering commitment and dedication she showed to our students.

This spring, we welcomed Miriam Escobedo to the Claremont Colleges as our Administrative and Events Coordinator at CLSA. In her role, she will be working closely with Assistant Dean Casillas and I, in developing and creating programming that will celebrate the diversity of Latin America. Originally from Argentina, Miriam will bring a unique perspective to CLSA that will celebrate the many faces of Latininad. If you have yet to meet her, please stop by and introduce yourself to our newest member of the CLSA familia.

We hope you enjoy your summer, but please don’t forget that you will always have a casa and familia at CLSA! We are proud of each and every one of you, and want to make sure that you know we're here for you. 
 
!Hasta la proxima!,
 
Tony Jimenez,
Dean of Students
Chicanx Latinx Student Affairs
The Claremont Colleges

Graduate Students Attend AERA
Jenelle Nila & Monica Perkins CGU '22

One of the necessary elements to a successful career in academia includes presenting and networking at regional and national conferences. This year, we earned the opportunity to travel to Toronto, Canada and do both, at one of the largest organizations of scholars committed to educational research -the American Educational Research Association (AERA). With over 25,000 members from around the globe, the opportunity to share our work with other scholars in the education field, was both validating and terrifying. We felt validated that our ideas were deemed a necessary component of conversations about women of color; terrified that experts would intellectually rip us apart. Although pre-presentation jitters (or terror, in our case) can be uncomfortable, it served as an opportunity to challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort-zone and reap the benefits of being an active contributor to academic discourse.

We began our trip to Toronto long before we even knew we would present. We met by introducing ourselves to each other on our first day of orientation. Picture us, both extending our hands to each other not knowing we would soon collaborate in more ways than one. In our pro-seminar class (a first year requirement for all doctoral students in the School of Education at CGU) we had the opportunity to collaborate on our very first assignment. Our topic of choice was on First-generation Black and Latina doctoral students and their experiences in academia. This research topic was really “me-search” inspired by the various conversations we had about our experiences as first-generation, women of color in our doctoral program. We found, 

Undergraduate Student Spotlight:
Felipe Borja, HMC '19

Throughout my four years at Harvey Mudd, I have been immensely supported by CLSA, a space that has provided community, cariño, and mentorship. My CLSA sponsor, Willie Zuniga, welcomed me to the campus and introduced me to the wonderful deans and students that give CLSA vida. Through difficult and tumultuous times, the center has aided my development as a professional, a member of a pan-Latinx community, and as an individual. I am forever grateful for my time as part of the CLSA Familia.

My post-graduation plan is to pursue a Masters of Science in Robotics at Virginia Tech. There, I will be working in a research lab that designs low-cost drones for medicine and blood delivery. These will be deployed in developing countries where the lack of paved roads makes such deliveries the fastest way to get medical supplies to people in need. This research, which has an emphasis on ethical application of robotics, is a dream come true for me. It was through the continuous support of CLSA, in encouraging me to pursue my professional and academic goals, that I am able to realize these opportunities.

Recognizing our
2018-2019 CLSA Sponsors

We would like to extend our deepest gratitute to the 2018-2019 CLSA Sponsor team.

We appreciate all the attention and care that you have put into this invaluable role. As a result, we've been able to foster a strong sense of belonging within the Latinx community.

You made a positive difference across the 5Cs, and have showed others what it means to pay it forward!
Summer Opportunities
Summer Opportunity for Students of Mexican Origin
Programa de Inmersión Cultural y Voluntariado Para Jóvenes Estudiantes De Origen Mexicano
Application Deadline:  May 24, 2019 (Midday)
Position:  This is a cultural immersion opportunity for students of Mexican descent to spend 5 weeks in various parts of Mexico doing volunteer work and strengthening their ties to Mexico. Financial assistance may be provided.

  • Program Runs: July 8th-August 10th
  • For more information on this program click Here
Funding and Program Opportunities
Resources for Undocumented Students

My Undocumented Life provides up-to-date information and resources to undocumented immigrants. The website posts scholarship opportunities that are open to undocumented students, strategies for navigating the educational system, information on how to apply for DACA, news on immigration policies, and much more.
To access My Undocumented Life's resources and funding opportunities, click here
Princeton Prospective PhD Preview (P3)
The Princeton Prospective PhD Preview (P3) is an amazing program that will bring students from historically underrepresented groups (HUGS) to Princeton’s campus to learn about graduate education. The Graduate School’s Access, Diversity and Inclusion team will provide all travel, lodging and meals.
  • Application opens on April 1st.
  • The application can be found here
  • The program will be held October 3-4, 2019.