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Student Activism in Higher Education6th Annual La Academia Del Pueblo

Latino/a and Latin American Studies Research Conference

Sponsored by

The Myron P. Leven Foundation

SATURDAY April 25 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

CONFERENCE OVERVIEWSaturday, April 25 WSU Student Center Ballroom

9 a.m. REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST 9:30 a.m. WELCOME

Student Center Ballroom Mistress of Ceremonies: Tamara Serrano Chandler, C2C Program Coordinator, Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS)

Dr. Jorge L. Chinea, Director, Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS)

10 a.m. PANEL AND WORKSHOP SESSIONS: TRACK I “STEM Interventions in School Environments”

Ballroom A Moderator: Dr. De'Andrea Matthews, WSU School of Medicine

• Monica Shah, Detroit Youth on Course Project – Maybury Elementary, Biological Sciences, WSU

• Tannia Rodríguez-Valenzuela, Detroit Youth on Course Project – Maybury Elementary, Biomedical Engineering, WSU

• Maricruz Moya, Detroit Youth on Course Project, Community Health Education, WSU

• Jason Lee, Executive Director, Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP)

“Dream Bigger, Reach Higher Workshop” Ballroom B Facilitator: Michael Reyes, poet, emcee, actor, playwright, artist and community organizer

• Developing goals, building self-esteem, discovering the characteristics of a critical thinker and identifying the qualities of a leader is what this workshop is all about. Using their own words to develop and create a mission statement that fits who they are, students will participate in workshops, exercises and discussions to create a plan and mission to help guide them in a positive direction and create solutions that work.

11 a.m. PANEL SESSIONS: TRACK II

2

Conference Overivew

4

“Thinking Locally and Acting Globally” Ballroom A Moderator: Dr. Jorge L. Chinea, CLLAS, Department of History, WSU

• Tannia Rodríguez-Valenzuela, Timmy Global Health – Dominican Republic, Biomedical Engineering, WSU

• Abigail Miramontes, Timmy Global Health – Dominican Republic, Design and Merchandising, WSU

• Elsie “Sofia” Aquino, Education Specialist, WSU • Gaia Klotz, Theatre, WSU

“Dream Together: Actúa Ahora!” Ballroom B Moderator and Presenter: Kaylee Moreno, School of Social Work, University of Michigan

• Adonis Flores, Michigan United Immigrant Rights Organizer • Miriam Cuevas, Public Affairs, WSU • Fernando Parraz, School of Business, WSU

Noon LUNCH AND KEYNOTE ADDRESS Ballroom C Performance by Michael Reyes Mistress of Ceremonies: Tamara Serrano Chandler, CLLAS Dr. Jorge L. Chinea, CLLAS, Department of History, WSU Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sandra Gonzales, Bilingual/Bicultural

Education, Wayne State University

2 p.m. Poster Sessions – LAS 1420, LAS 3710 and DAPCEP SOAR Students Ballroom C

3:30 p.m. AWARDS CEREMONY

4:30 p.m. “Multiculturalism as a Culture Performance” Ballroom C Performance by Michael Reyes

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Dr. Sandra M. Gonzales is a Detroit native and an assistant professor of bilingual/bicultural education at Wayne State University. Her research examines the intersection of bilingual/bicultural education with Indigenous Latino/a and elder epistemologies, comparing precontact forms of teaching and learning with contemporary reform efforts. Also of significance to her work is the use of oral history and stories that can inspire social justice, dialogue and cross-cultural understanding.

For more than 12 years, Michael Reyes has brought innovative and engaging performances to audiences across America and around the world. Reyes is a Chicano/Mexicano poet, emcee, actor, playwright, artist and community organizer specializing in youth development. His combination of hip-hop, poetry and spoken word creates a unique blend of narratives infused into a rhythmically crowd-pleasing performance. As a hip-hop artist, his work is a synthesis of radical soul, raw lyrical hip-hop, fresh beats and poetic style.

Keynote speaker: Dr. Sandra Gonzales

Workshop and performance by Michael Reyes reyespoetry.com

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

SPOKEN-WORD PERFORMANCE

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UNDERGRADUATE AND MIDDLE SCHOOL POSTER SESSIONS

LAS 3710: LEARNING ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY THROUGH RESEARCH

Instructor: Dr. Nicole Trujillo-Pagán

Site Coordinator: Tamara Serrano Chandler

This course is a blend of participatory, in-service and classroom work to enhance undergraduate research skills by linking social science theories and concepts to hands-on, community-based learning opportunities.

Gabriela AguirreMiguel AhlesCynthia AltamiranoRosalinda AngelMerelin Antoni-RuizDerik AtzingerRudy CantuBrennan CookRania DeebahFernando Gomez

Jamone LewisJorge LopezJulie LopezMonserrat MoralesAlexis MunizDenise MurilloJohn NelsonWayne RamocanPatrick SalazarDelbert Trafny

LAS 1420: INTRODUCTION TO INTERDISCIPLINARY LATINO/A STUDIES RESEARCH

Instructor: Dr. Roxana Zuniga

This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the issues, concepts and debates concerning the study of Latin American and Latino/as in the United States.

Grace AlbersBrent BenavidesZachary BenavidesStephen Bonello Rocio CardonaMiriam Cuevas-EncisoMarcela DarrisRafael EspinosaTimothy FloresAriel GalindoItzel GarciaMarylin GarciaEddy GonzalezKeith GravesHector HernandezAlvaro HerreraHamza HusseinJessica JaureguiAndrew Linares

Jasmin Maciel-GutierrezShaylee MarquetteEdwin MartinezMartin MoralesKristina MordarskiJacqueline OrozcoJesus PantaleonRafael PierceAna RamocanBrian RodriguezEmily RoldanAssaad SaidAlberth SanchezOlivia SewellMicheline SilvaOlga SilvaGabriela SullenTomas Villareal

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DAPCEP SOAR TOGETHERCoordinator: Ana Colón Diaz

Peer Mentors: Delbert Trafny, Third-Year Chicano-Boricua Studies (CBS) Scholar Fernando Parraz, Third-Year Chicano-Boricua Studies (CBS) Scholar

The SOAR (STEMM, Opportunities, Arts and Readiness) Together

program is a new collaboration among Detroit Area Pre-College

Engineering Program (DAPCEP); Black Family Development, Inc.;

Wayne State University’s Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies

(CLLAS); and Speak it Forward, Inc.

SOAR Together provides students, grades 7-12, across three Detroit

Promise neighborhoods with dynamic programming that encompasses

The Skillman Foundation’s ACT framework: STEMM academics,

mentorship and relationship-building skills, and self-efficacy and

leadership development.

As part of the SOAR Together program, CLLAS has embarked on a new

collaboration with César Chávez Academy Middle School called the CBS

College Club.

The CBS College Club is a comprehensive mentorship program that

aims to increase college readiness through a culturally relevant and

reflective academic enrichment curriculum to increase awareness of

college application procedures, as well as financial aid and scholarship

opportunities.

CLLAS peer mentors, in collaboration with the CBS College Club

coordinator, use the same Learning Communities Strategies (Shapiro

& Levine, 1999) and High Impact Practices (Kuh & O’Donnell, 2013)

utilized within the center’s other student success programs in order to

improve educational outcomes and college readiness for participating

SOAR Together students, particularly in the areas of reading, writing

and critical thinking.

Cristopher PatinerCarla GarciaRosalie GonzalezJessica ZarateDamian RiveraLuis SantiagoLiseni PerezPeter LaraBryan SalcidoAnixa FloresLuis Cesar Zavala

Jeison PonceEduardo ArreguinLuis TorrezAngel SanchezYasmine RomeroJulisa BarbaCamron ColbyMaria MedradoEsteban EsquibelJuan Tapia

THE COLLEGE TO CAREER VISIONThe Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies’ (CLLAS) College to Career (C2C) program, a two-year professional and leadership development plan, has a goal of increasing graduation rates for students at Wayne State University by connecting CBS scholars with established professionals. The program uses a multifaceted approach combining career mentorship, community-based research and service learning with professional development and graduate school preparedness.

LAS 3710, a capstone course for CBS scholars, places upper-division students in nonprofit and social service organizations. Students collaborate with these agencies on community-based participatory research projects, building partnerships between academia, community organizations and residents. This course concludes with today’s conference, The 6th Annual La Academia del Pueblo, and offers research presentations by students and organizations.

This year we have continued to build upon the initial vision of the C2C conference to invite undergraduate and graduate scholars, faculty members, community activists, corporate representatives, community members, and youth to the table. Using our experiences within metro Detroit and other national areas as a foundation for our intellectual examinations, together we have been able to critically engage with Latino/a and Latin American frameworks. La Academia del Pueblo represents the deliberate connections we are eagerly establishing between the academy, the people and our communities here in Michigan and across the nation.

This year’s conference theme is “Student Activism in Higher Education.” We come together as community members, scholars and concerned citizens to engage in conversations about the activism and involvement of young people in the historical trajectory of social, political and educational movements in the United States and Latin America.

Through this multifaceted conference, CLLAS proactively addresses the Latino/a educational attainment gap by connecting young people with career and educational opportunities and expanding their networks to provide them a space to grow as researchers and young leaders.

The Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies would like to thank the following faculty and staff members for their participation:

Dr. Jorge L. Chinea, Director, CLLAS

Dr. José Cuello, Associate Professor, Department of History and CLLAS

Dr. Nicole Trujillo-Pagán, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and CLLAS

Dr. Ethriam Cash Brammer de Gonzales, Associate Director, CLLAS

Dr. Sandra Gonzales, Assistant Professor, Bilingual/Bicultural Education

Dr. Roxana Zuniga, Adjunct Professor, CMLLC

Special thanks to:

Dr. Monica Brockmeyer, Associate Provost for Student Success

Tamara Serrano Chandler, C2C Program Coordinator, CLLAS

Jill Pruitt, Administrative Assistant II, Labor Studies Center

Amelia Duran, Recruitment Specialist, CLLAS

Abigail Miramontes, CBS Student Scholar, CLLAS Office Assistant

Brennan Cook, CBS Student Scholar, CLLAS Office Assistant

Jasmin Maciel-Gutierrez, CBS Student Scholar, CLLAS Office Assistant

Ana Colón Díaz, DAPCEP SOAR Coordinator

Kaylee Moreno, University of Michigan MSW Intern, Conference Committee Member

Andrea Clemmons, Wayne State University MSW Intern, Conference Committee Member

Becklines Shey Nangeri Lorater, C2C Junior Peer Mentor, Conference Committee Member

Alaa Taher, C2C Junior/Senior Peer Mentor, Conference Committee Member

Rania Deebah, CBS Scholar and Peer Mentor, Conference Committee Member

Christa Clark Raju, Creative Director, WSU Marketing and Communications

And we would like to thank all of our presenters, panelists and volunteers!

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