It gives us great pleasure to announce the winners of this year’s LLS scholarships and paper award.
Isabella “Issy” Marquez, Latina/Latino Studies, English, and Political Science major, and May 2021 graduate, is the winner of the Dr. Jorge Chapa Memorial Scholarship in Latina/o Studies. Issy graduated Magna Cum Laude and as a James Scholar and with High Distinction in Latina/Latino Studies. When Issy added Latina/Latino Studies as a third major she became interested in Latina/o literature and the analysis of Latinidad through language. She will continue exploring these interests as a MA/PhD student in English and a Latina/Latino Studies graduate minor at UIUC starting in Fall 2021.
Erica Gonzalez, Latina/ Studies and Community Health major, is the winner of the LLS Major Scholarship. Erica is a rising senior and is the Latina/Latino Studies student outreach and media coordinator. Erica’s inspiration to pursue degrees in Latina/Latino Studies and community health was largely influence by Prof. Viruell-Fuentes when Erica took LLS 100 during her first year. She is currently engaged in a summer internship at Crisis Nursery in Urbana where she is assisting them with their communication efforts generally and outreach to Latina/o populations in Champaign-Urbana. After graduation next year Erica plans to pursue a career that focuses on health inequality and health care access for Latina/o populations and others who are most marginalized.
Lydia Alvarez, Latina/ Studies and Spanish major, and May 2021 graduate, is this year’s winner of the LLS Undergraduate Research Award. This award recognizes exceptional undergraduate research and/or critical analysis in the field of Latina/Latino Studies. Lydia graduated with High Distinction in Latina/Latino Studies. Lydia’s paper titled, “El Acción de Gentrificación: Exploring the Contradictions of Community Organizing, Art, and Social Media in the Pilsen Neighborhood of Chicago,” tracks the transition of community organizing among the Latinx population in Pilsen to better understand how social media has worked to effectively organize the community. The overall purpose of the paper is to understand the role and effects of political and social organizing within the Latinx community of Pilsen, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who applied for the scholarships and paper prize. We received a lot of wonderful applications. We wish we could have provided awards to everyone.