Alumni News and Profiles

Interviewed by: Christina Perez

True Apodaca-Cobell is a graduate from the University of Colorado Denver, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Studies in the summer semester of 2016. True was influenced greatly by his knowledge and experiences which emerged from the Ethnic Studies program at UCD. True currently works at the Colorado State Capitol as a lobbyist representing the non-profits, COLOR and 9to5 Colorado. He is also currently attending school at UCD, working towards his master’s degree in social sciences with an emphasis in Ethnic Studies. True was also recently married to his husband, Alex. Raised in Denver, Colorado, True identifies himself as Chicano, with cultural and social ties to the community that he was raised in. Growing up in Denver, on the Northside, he declares that it was hard not to be immersed in Chicano culture, which True further identifies to be a, “Spanglish Chicano culture.” True describes this as a childhood environment that incorporated the memories of the harsh bigotry experienced by his first-generation family members when they were reprimanded for using their native language in school, while growing up in the San Luis Valley. However, these same experiences also helped to create a community within the Northside that “was full of character and pride.” Due to the racism experienced by True’s grandparents, along with many other Chicanx and Latinx populations, they chose not to teach their children Spanish. The pattern of deterrence of teaching native languages to children born in the United States followed for many Chicanx/Latinx, as well as, other immigrant families. Parents feared that the next generation would experience discrimination as they did, subsequently, many people thought they were making the best decision by having their children learn English, and not their native speech. True’s grandparents continued to speak Spanish amongst themselves and their oldest children, while the younger generations spoke English. Eventually, Spanglish became how all of the generations were able to communicate with each other. Later, as an adult, True took it upon himself to learn Spanish. True recognizes his family history as being a part of the Chicano movement, with cousins and other family members who were part of the movement in the 60s, and were, by the 1990s, memorialized by the community for the actions they took during the demonstrations.  

Like many other youths, True did not stay in college as a young adult, he followed his own path, experiencing struggles and triumphs that make up life in the real world. After reading, The Purpose of Your Life, by Carole Adrienne, True was introduced to the idea, “that everyone was born into the world with a purpose.” He began to look for something that he would “get lost in time doing,” and quickly realized his passion for politics. True started out his second college career taking business law classes at the Community College of Denver and before long, knowing that he wanted to study law, True transferred to UCD with a strong focus in applying to law school. True was further advised to consider a more original bachelor’s degree, other than a political science or business degree. Since he had previously been exposed to Ethnic Studies while attending Metro State University, True was already interested in learning more, so he enrolled in the Intro to Ethnic Studies class upon his admission to UCD, in order to get a feel for the program. It became a clear path for him to pursue Ethnic Studies for his major. While going through his Ethnic Studies track, True was greatly motivated by the Problematizing Whiteness course taught by Cheryl Matias. Not only was the professor a writer who True recognized as, “one of the scholars that changed [his] life,” but the professor also introduced True to material which deconstructed whiteness and allowed True to explore his own cultural place within society. The education True obtained through the Ethnic Studies program at UCD, helped him recognize, and appreciate, that his perspective is necessary and valid in public policy. True additionally states that this realization was “very influential" for him, both personally and professionally. For the career path True chose, it is necessary for him to enter into white spaces every day, and True utilizes his Ethnic Studies skills to help assert himself and his opinion into the political scene. True perceives the importance of building political and professional relationships. Upon reciting the known phrase, “politics is the art of compromise,”True reveals that he helps to bring compromise to the table for the people of the community who are too often “legislated for, and not with." Although these situations are sometimes uncomfortable for True, his capacity to engage is partly due to the considerable extent of self-confidence gained from his time in Ethnic Studies. The rapport True establishes with various leaders and lawmakers, grants him the ability to be honest with them about how policies affect the community. Importantly, True uses his Ethnic Studies training “to speak truth to power one-on-one” in order to create societal change towards diversity.

Ethnic Studies proved to be beneficial for True helping him, not only find connections that would lead him to his occupation, but also helped him to excel within his role, providing skills that have allowed True to further work towards Chicanx civil rights. True gives a great deal of credit to the professors and staff in the Ethnic Studies department at UCD, recognizing moments when he has walked out of a meeting, or away from a particular interaction, and stopped to ask himself, “what would Dr. Martinez think?” True was also introduced to the Colorado Latino Leadership Advocacy and Research Organization (CLLARO) through the connections he made within the Ethic Studies department. Advised to look into CLLARO, the oldest civil rights organization in Colorado, True began “putting himself out there,” eventually connecting with the CLLARO Capital Fellows Program. The program focuses on seeking Chicanx people to be present and involved in legislation and other political issues. True was placed in the legislature as a fellow working under State Senator Jessie Ulibarri for one session, then worked on several local political campaigns, while finishing school. True was then hired as Chief of Staff in 2016, just before graduating with his Ethnic Studies bachelor’s degree. The invaluable experience that True gained while working at the State Capitol helped to guide him in a different direction. After completing his degree, True realized his enthusiasm for constitutional law could be met by his role as a lobbyist. Furthermore, he would have more direct action on laws, and he wouldn’t have the daily stresses of a Lawyers workload.

True is currently vice-chair of the CLLARO board and advises the organizations on the Capitol Fellows Program, helping to develop curriculum, and connecting Chicano youth with work, along with future career goals. True, even more, is attempting to “build a bench", of Latinx political leaders. In order to achieve this, True continues to work on recruiting and bringing in more Chicanx/Latinx youth and working towards a greater racial integration in Colorado politics, with the end goal being racial equality and cooperation within the political scene. True believes that Ethnic Studies education is extremely important because representation matters in our society. Moreover, a comprehensive history of ones’ ancestry that refutes the delusion of any person of a certain race as a stranger in their own land, facilitates learning and growth. This kind of educations helps to promote intersectionality between a non-white students’ home knowledge, with the academic knowledge introduced in schools. By uplifting and applauding the different places diverse people come from, communities could eventually create changes to what American students learn, by modifying the people in charge who influence the main-stream education that is circulated throughout the United States. True observes the power of bringing contrasting ethnic groups together in a kind of intersectionality, to make political changes. By utilizing the knowledge, he gained from his Ethnic Studies degree, True has been able to build a career that he cares about, while helping the community that he grew up in.    

Interviewed by: Katarina Zwinck.

As a new mom, Alejandra Armenta understands the importance of meeting the needs of both moms and infants. She is focusing her career on maternal and child health. Alejandra is devoted to creating better communication for mothers by researching the information and solutions surrounding areas of concern in a population’s health.

Alejandra graduated December 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in public health and ethnic studies. With the desire to participate in the prevention force of the healthcare system, Alejandra was drawn to public health. In understanding the need for strong communication within the healthcare system, Alejandra has put her heart into researching issues threatening to take lives and educating communities on prevention.

As part of her journey, Alejandra was accepted as a Puskta fellow in her sophomore year. Having received the Puksta fellowship as an undergraduate, Alejandra was able to research the inequalities of the healthcare system within low-income communities. Alongside her colleagues, Alejandra created a curriculum for patient navigation to use within these communities. This curriculum teaches the doctors and nurses the most effective and appropriate manner to address and help their patients. She explained, “I’m very proud to receive the Puskta fellowship because only a handful of fellowships are given per semester. This scholarship provided me the funding needed to gather necessary research to successfully execute the patient navigator curriculum.”  In addition, Alejandra and her colleagues created a website that outlines their curriculum for other communities to access and gain knowledge. 

Alejandra Alejandra credits her ethnic studies classes for teaching her about cultural sensitivity.  This allowed her to be successful in bettering healthcare systems in low-income communities. Teaching healthcare professionals how to talk to their patients in a sensitive and understanding manner enables them to avoid talking down to patients and deliver better care. Alejandra believes that cultural sensitivity will help with all her future research projects as well for she has learned to talk to all walks of life in a way that they will feel respected and listened to, in turn making them accepting to the changes she suggests. 

Alejandra has recently been accepted by the McNair scholarship program for students seeking a Ph.D. in research. She is researching and pursuing maternal and infant health trends and the rate of deaths around childbirth for both mom and baby. Alejandra’s goal to uncover the true causes of deaths and ways these numbers can be reduced. Identifying the specific causes of deaths due to childbirth is essential to improve healthcare and increase survival rates.

While Alejandra is working diligently on researching deaths of mothers and infants connected to childbirth, Alejandra is also working toward her next step of finishing her application for a Master’s program in Public Health in Maternal Health. Alejandra’s goal is to promote preventative care for healthy moms and children through her future work.         

Interview via email and phone call. May, 14 2020.

Interviewed by: Emma Colon

Michelle Batalla is a senior at UCD set to graduate in the spring of 2020. She is majoring in Ethnic Studies with a minor in history. Originally majoring in business/entrepreneurship, Michelle took African-American History with Professor Dennis Green and loved it. She realized that Ethnic Studies classes provided more in-depth and different perspectives on history. She kept coming back each semester and decided to make Ethnic Studies her major. Interviewing Michelle was so inspiring. She is an incredible example of someone who is bringing the lessons she learned in Ethnic Studies into her daily life to better herself and influence others.

During our interview, Michelle discussed how Ethnic Studies changed her perspective on how she sees the world. She says, “Ethnic Studies opened my mind to see the world a little more clearly to what it really is”, as opposed to the sugar-coated version of history taught in high school. Michelle feels very privileged to have been able to learn so much. She commented on the importance of taking what we learn as Ethnic Studies students and teaching it to others who might not have the privilege of being in the field.

Born and raised in Colorado, Michelle grew up in a closely knit family hailing from Mexico. In addition to the lessons she has learned from Ethnic Studies, Michelle is greatly influenced and inspired by her parents. Her mother encouraged her to take the time to look deeply inside herself and to always work towards becoming a better person. Michelle mentioned how it was so eye-opening and encouraging. to see how her mother truly acknowledged her emotions and feelings during hard times. Similarly, Michelle commented on how her father has always been open-minded and ready to lend a listening ear, which has impacted her to this day. These are characteristics that I experienced as I interviewed Michelle. She is a kind soul who is self-aware and listens deeply.

While interviewing Michelle, I could tell she had thought critically about her education and how she could use it to better herself and influence others, as well. Ethnic Studies gave her a sort of “identity shock” as she learned about all the history she had never been taught before. Ethnic Studies made her curious about her own history and her own resilience. She spoke a lot about how creativity helps us build something out of nothing.

Michelle currently works with the Ethnic Studies department, specifically on the Let’s Talk events, which help to make Ethnic Studies and all of its facets more well known on campus. In the future, however, she hopes to build a career as an event coordinator. She is greatly inspired by movies and how they have the ability to transport you into a different world. She hopes to be able to create that same feeling for others through wedding planning. Throughout her time in college, she has remained resilient and kind through creativity and self-awareness. Overall, it was amazing to see how Michelle has translated the lessons of her college career, as well as the lessons she has learned from her parents, into her daily life and how she plans on using them in the future to create beautiful moments and creative spaces for others.

Colón, Emma. Interview with Michelle Batalla. Personal interview. Denver, February 11, 2020.

Interviewed by: Raquel Issac

As a first generation student, who worked full time for most of her schooling, Faith’s story is truly admirable. Initially, she started at CSU Fort Collins as a hopeful future medical student. Faith ended up not really enjoying her classes, however she fondly remembers an ethnic studies class that spurred her interest in ethnic studies. Because of this new interest, she took a semester off and moved back to Castle Rock, her hometown. Faith transferred to CU Denver and majored in Ethnic Studies in 2015.

With a renewed purpose and changed major, Faith really started to enjoy school. As evidence of her perseverance, her grades improved and she developed better studying habits. Because of her working full time and the time-consuming commute from Castle Rock to Denver, her courses were taking mainly online. This slight change in course description didn’t stop her from making fruitful memories in ethnic studies, some of which she fondly recalled to me. Faith made lasting friendships in ethnic studies and reminiscences on the familial vibes of all the people apart of ethnic studies.

Among those people she specifically recounts her pleasant experience with her professors, namely but not exclusively Dr. Martinez, Dr. Coronan, and Professor Green. With the help of Trio and her thoughtful professors she was able to graduate in 2019. All through secondary education she had one goal in mind, to graduate with her bachelor’s degree before she turned 25. In an impressive feat, right before she turned 25 she graduated with her degree in ethnic studies. It’s a good thing too because she already had her frame for her degree picked out for a full year before. Actually doing it was one of the best feelings, now she has high hopes for a career related to ethnic studies.

Those hopes are fostered by the benefits she feels come from having a background in ethnic studies. From ethnic studies you are better able to communicate with people in a respectful manner and personal level, while being conscious of a variety of cultural backgrounds. For the time being Faith continues to work in sales, as she did while still a student. But with a new resume and great aspirations, she’s optimistic about future work helping immigrants and refugees. Faith is eager to get work experience and really help the people who need it most.

Overall, Faith’s worldview has changed dramatically, largely due to her involvement in ethnic studies. People need ethnic studies to cultivate an air of cultural competency. Though she grew up in a predominantly white republican area, she no longer subscribes to those same ideals. In fact, she has cut ties with people who are racist. Faith believes that how you treat and see people is extremely important. She has seen the effects of generational trauma and wants to see change and representation in all walks of life. Faith lives her life by what she believes and inspires others with her story of triumph through her own personal struggles, working full time, and being a first generation student.

Interviewed by: Madison Velivis

India Feaster is a 24-year-old former student and current employee of CU Denver. She was born in San Diego, California but grew up in Aurora, Colorado. She graduated from CU Denver in 2018 with her Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies, and currently works at CU Denver in the office of digital education. In that office, her role is to support all of the fully online students in the School of Education and Human Development as an online student success coach. India started off just taking a few Ethnic Studies classes, not expecting it to become her primary field of study. The class that convinced her to major in Ethnic Studies was African American History with Professor Dennis Green. “He has a way of convincing you to switch majors without even bringing it up,” she said. India enjoyed that these classes were teaching her about things she had never heard before, and she was able to learn about different cultures and the world around her.

In regards to how Ethnic Studies is applicable to her current job, India talked a bit about what she does as an online student success coach. She works with online students in the School of Education and Human Development at any level: undergraduate, graduate, or even doctoral. She serves as a mentor and helps these students navigate issues involving technology, time management, motivation, or any other obstacles they might face in an online classroom environment. It is clear that India is passionate about education. India said that for her, Ethnic Studies is about being able to explore different cultures and learn about people, and her job involves a great deal of that. Non-traditional students that she works with each have their own stories that are unique to them. Ethnic Studies has helped India further understand why people are the way they are, especially from a cultural standpoint.

India expressed that Ethnic Studies has impacted her own identity in two specific ways. First, India said that it made her feel more confident in who she is as a person. Growing up, she always shied away from topics about who she was, racially and otherwise. Being a first generation college student, she said that she was not confident at all when she was a freshman. While taking her Ethnic Studies classes, India realized that she could be more than just one thing. She said, “I realized that there can be an ‘and.’ Black, and Native American, and Scottish.” She realized that she is all of these things, and maybe she knows more about one identity in particular, but that does not make her less of anything else. It took her a while to feel this way, but Ethnic Studies played a role in giving her that sense of affirmation. The second way in which Ethnic Studies has impacted India is that it made her realize that people are not inherently as different as we may think. Being able to learn about groups such as the Irish, the Chinese, Mexicans, and aboriginal people caused her to realize that there are many similarities in everyone’s injustices. This caused India to open up to more people herself, leading her to go teach English in Italy and take a mission trip to Haiti. Ethnic Studies truly changed India’s life for the better.

When asked about some of her favorite topics within her Ethnic Studies classes that she particularly enjoyed learning about and studying, India could not narrow it down to one specific topic, but rather a few that she was torn between. She mentioned Dr. Rachel Harding teaching about aboriginal children in one of her classes, and another class that revolved around the Irish. She found it interesting that the Irish were also lynched, and that this is not largely talked about within Irish-American history. The idea of the Irish being lynched and being labeled a “model minority” showed her that different groups have gone through the same experiences at one point in time. She continued to talk about her interest in these topics before laughing and saying, “I love it all! I really can’t pick a favorite.” However, she did express that this was the case because each class was special to her for a different reason. The content itself was great, but the relationships that India formed throughout the Ethnic Studies department are what she holds most dear.

One sentiment that India repeated throughout our conversation is that she believes knowledge is power. Her passion lies with helping minorities, immigrants, and first generation students, which does not necessarily need to be in a classroom setting. She plans on further figuring out exactly how she wants to help students in this arena so that they may feel and know the importance of education and the power of knowledge. “Once you have your education, no one can take that away from you,” India said. “Money and people come and go, but knowledge is true power.” Helping people know that and feel empowered in that idea is her next passion project, and the future looks bright with people like India out there making a difference.

Interviewed by: Katarina Zwinck

Mayra Gallegos-Lopez’s main drive is to promote change. Post-graduation, Mayra secured a supervisor position with the Colorado Department of Human Services. She inspires youth through structured programming focusing on creating safety and self-care plans to help increase their well-being. Through her work, she improves the lives of Denver youth.  

In May 2019, Mayra graduated from the University of Colorado, Denver with a bachelor’s degree in public health. She chose this degree because public health has always been a passion. This passion grew even stronger after her first semester of college when she took part in a public health event called the Rocky Mountain Health Case Competition. Mayra was part of a team that was asked to solve a specific public health scenario. The enjoyment found in participating in this competition resulted in Mayra further cementing her passion and interest in public health.

Taking courses such as health disparities and social justice, Mayra gained a deeper understanding of diversity and inclusivity. She also learned how beneficial this knowledge is when looking at problems within the world. Her career goal is to travel to many parts if the world to identify and resolve health issues along with her sister, who is earning her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience.  Mayra stated “I know I will use the knowledge to positively impact the populations I plan to visit when traveling with my sister.”

Before any travel plans, Mayra and her sister plan for more in-depth study in their respective fields by earning masters’ degrees. Mayra explained, “We plan to start in Miami because I love how diverse it is and feel as though it would be a place to start before trying to tackle more remote populations”.  Mayra has been accepted into a program at the Colorado School of Public Health and will begin a graduate- level certificate in Latino Health this summer.

Mayra’s excitement about her career plans is evident, as is her passion of public health. While her future journey is still unknown, Mayra has plans that are malleable enough to conform to whatever she may find in her path.  “While we still have to wait before we can start traveling, I find myself thinking of all the good I hope to do in the communities we visit”, Mayra shared. She may not know exactly how she is going to do it yet, but Mayra has big plans for bettering the world, one community at a time.

Gallegos-Lopez, Marya. Interview by Katarina Zwinck. Interview via email. May, 10 2020.

Interviewed by: Esteban Ortiz

For my alumni assignment I had the privilege of interviewing Lynette Garcia. Lynette currently works for the National Center for Families Learning, as a Community Development Family Learning Specialist. Lynette has impacted families around the country traveling from state to state focusing on advancing family education solutions. Lynette works with parents by coaching and  providing resources for them to advocate for themselves and their children on issues affecting their community. Lynette also serves as an interpreter for the Community Language Cooperative here in Denver, which focuses on language justice. Lynette’s current position at the National Center for Urban Families spoke to her because she is able to use all of her previous experiences and studies to better communities around the country. “I did my part here in the metro area, and the fact that I would be able to work with communities across the nation was a big deal for me.”

 Lynette views her Ethnic Studies degree as the foundation of her work. Lynette served as a Teaching Assistant in the Ethnic Studies Department and was able to network and broaden her relationship with professors, staff, and students. Lynette expressed that her Ethnic Studies degree provided her with the basis of what it means to work in community. Lynette credits Professor Green with introducing her to community organizing and highlights how ethnic studies classes made her more culturally aware and sensitive to the needs of other communities. Lynette uses her ethic studies learning as a means of connection to the population she serves. Lynette details how she is able to help educate the families she serves surrounding deep-rooted and complex issues in education. She also spoke about how meaningful it was to take a deep dive into her own family and ancestral history and how classes like that have equipped her to serve and connect with others.

 As a first-generation college student Lynette experienced many challenges and hurdles, she had to overcome.  Lynette navigated college by herself and recognizes how she can be a resource to others trying to navigate the college process as well. Lynette credits her counselors as being an important resource for first generation students to take advantage of.

Lynette expressed that her commitment to serving others come from her own experiences and how her family struggled in this country. Lynette wants to ensure families like hers have access to resources. She highlights the current inequities in education and housing and advocates for the systematic changes that need to be made in our society. “As a woman of color, I was born to be in this fight and push and pull wherever I can.”

People close to Lynette have encouraged her to seek public office and represent them in  an elected position like school board. Lynette said she isn’t quite ready for that just yet but didn’t rule it out for some time in the future. “It takes time to get there. If that’s my direction I will accept it. It’s brought to me by the community, so if I keep getting the push from them that they need me and want me there I’ll do it for them and not for me.”

Lynette spoke with passion about the work she does around education and improving communities across the nation. It was clear to see how her Ethnic Studies degree fueled her commitment to serving others. Lynette is a social justice warrior who fights for her community and seeks to ensure we all have a seat at the table.

Interviewed by: Madison Velivis

Christina is a 22 year old graduate of CU Denver who majored in Psychology and minored in Ethnic Studies. She graduated very recently in the Spring of 2019, which was almost a year ago. Christina ended up transferring to CU Denver from a community college. When she sat down with her academic advisor, she realized that she needed a minor in order to complete her required credits. The way Christina came to find Ethnic Studies was by taking a class about the Psychology of Ethnic Studies. Christina found this class to be interesting and informative, and she also had a friend who was extremely passionate about community involvement and Ethnic Studies. This lead to her declaring a minor in Ethnic Studies, and she says that she is really glad that she made that decision. This choice is one that Christina looks back on with gratitude because it expanded her view of life in general.

After graduating, Christina now lives in California working at an insurance company as an administrative assistant. She is hoping to go back to school at some point to get her master’s degree in Psychology. When asked what she wants to do with that degree, Christina’s energy seems to brighten up as she says that she wishes to become a clinical psychologist and work with veterans. This is something that Christina is extremely passionate about, and that is immediately clear. Christina had family members that served in the military and she feels that veterans sacrifice so much to get so little in return. She talked about the lack of an adequate system in place to help them readjust back into society upon their return home. Her passion lies primarily in helping them adjust and acclimate back into normal life. Christina then talks about how she would apply her minor in Ethnic Studies to her desired job. She says that Ethnic Studies is extremely important in her field because Psychology can often be limited to research on specific demographics, that being white middle class Americans. Christina says that so much of what we think we understand is based on limited knowledge, and clinical practices are often not made with minority groups in mind. Understanding different cultural backgrounds and how they interpret trauma is important, as the same treatment plan might not be meant for every person of every group.

Getting a minor in Ethnic Studies was important to Christina because she felt as though it helped her on an every day basis and aided her in further understanding how relationships work in society. Ethnic Studies emphasizes the importance of individual backgrounds and how these roles interact within society. She also talks about how Ethnic Studies has shaped her own identity by recognizing her own privileges as a white, middle class, straight woman. Her courses have helped her understand how that has effected her view of herself and other people, which she says is so important even in the most simple interactions. Christina has also tried to encourage increased awareness within her family. Though this can be challenging, she says that it is important to recognize the bigger picture and that we are often only told one side of the story. Christina is constantly talking to her family about these topics and challenging their mindsets to grow.

The most interesting part of Christina’s Ethnic Studies classes was the history in general that she would not have otherwise learned about. She talked fondly of Professor Dennis Green’s classes, as he implements aspects of Psychology into his course material. Christina could relate this correlation back to her primary field of study. Christina loved learning about how past histories affect the present day and how we view others in this context. She says that society is becoming more and more diverse and we don’t live in our own little bubbles. She wants others to learn about how we can all come together because people often focus too much on our differences by creating harmful stereotypes. Ethnic Studies has taught Christina that it is important to understand the differences between us, but also our similarities, and to celebrate both.

Interviewed by: Olivia Smith

Jordan is a quiet and thoughtful man. A non-traditional student, he had originally started his educational path at CU Denver in studying Math. He was stopped one day in front of the Tivoli by a student, he doesn’t remember who, that was talking about Ethnic Studies. She was so persuasive that he found himself looking through the course catalog and becoming increasingly interested in Ethnic Studies classes, eventually switching to an Ethnic Studies major as it offered him an interesting curriculum and a quicker route to graduation.

Now, he’s a political science graduate student at the University of Colorado Denver and is interning with Centro Humanitario, a non-profit he had started working with in his last semester of undergrad. I wanted to talk to him about this position and how he feels his Ethnic Studies degree has helped him succeed. So many times, we talk about what you learn in Ethnic Studies and I wanted to hear how it assists you in the professional world. Information like this can quell fears individuals, or their parents, may have about pursuing a “fluffy” degree like Ethnic Studies.

For Jordan, as he says, despite his lack of Spanish proficiency and a lack of experience in the non-profit field, he had a fire that his Ethnic Studies knowledge had given him, and his supervisor noticed the potential in him. Additionally, his field of work consists of conversations around xenophobia, gender discrimination, racism, ableism, ageism, cultural differences, stereotypes, exploitation and oppression and the coursework of Ethnic Studies prepared him to talk about this vast array of topics. Clearly, the degree gave him not only the tools to work in non-profit, outreach work but also the passion to pursue something that was outside of his comfort zone.

Jordan says the work can be hard sometimes. Non-profits primarily rely on personal donations of both time and money, and state or federal grants, both of which can be hard to secure. On top of that, the work itself can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. That same fire that had burned in him and helped him to get the position can lead one to burn out in a job situation like this and Jordan’s recent challenge has been learning how to dial back the emotion and lock into the ideals and mission of the Centro. This work has taught him how to evaluate himself in a real-world setting. Questions like “When is anger sadness?” become relevant and force him to understand his mental state and position.

The ability to have hard conversations is not a skill we are specifically taught by the informal world or in the formal school setting, but Ethnic Studies has given Jordan the tools to have hard conversations with those around him. Several times he alluded to the beauty of difference, stating we all have blind spots, or just holes in our skillset(s), and that these differences can be illuminated and counteracted by the people we work with. The key lies in staying open minded and practicing self-forgiveness. His Ethnic Studies training has taught him how to listen to learn, not listen to respond, and honed his ability to critically examine the systems of our world. Hand in hand with this is his ability to have the hard conversations with himself and critically examine his own biases and assumptions.

My time with Jordan answered my initial question, how can an Ethnic Studies degree help in the professional world, in a resounding way. It will absolutely, 100%, help. The lived experiences of individuals are vastly different and can seem impossible to understand, but what Jordan has shown is that critical examination of self, the willingness to have hard conversations, the knowledge to understand where others are coming from, and an open eye to the systems shaping our world can lead to resounding success in a field one may not have thought they were qualified for.

Henscheid, Jordan. Interview by Olivia Smith. Personal Interview. Denver, February 5, 2020

Raquel Isaac is a writer, a social justice activist, a passionate, caring 23-year-old, and a CU Denver class of 2020 Ethnic Studies Alum. Isaac was born in Denver, Colorado to American immigrant parents who emigrated from Trinidad and Tobago in 1996 in search of a better life for themselves and their children. She grew up in Aurora, exposed to a community of people with many different cultures and backgrounds. While speaking of her upbringing Isaac said, “Because the history of my family is not here, I have a Black American experience, but inside my house, I was not raised with a Black American experience. I was raised with more of a West Indian experience.” She elaborated that “West Indian” is used to describe people from the Caribbean.

Isaac’s family was determined to not lose the important aspects of their culture or forget where they came from after moving to America. Isaac’s father is the family storyteller and growing up she was able to learn a lot about her family’s history from her father. Isaac commented that she has always been acutely aware of race issues in America, and noted that Hinkley High School in Aurora, from which she graduated in 2016, did not offer Ethnic Studies classes--despite the student body being predominantly composed of non-white students. In high school, some of her peers would remark that Black people just liked to victimize themselves and because of this Isaac said, “I realized I needed to have the proper verbiage, knowledge, and background to be able to defend my humanity and the humanity of other people who look like me.”

After graduating high school, Isaac went on to attend CU Denver as a first-generation college student. Like myself, and countless others, Isaac was not an Ethnic Studies major when enrolling in her first semester at UCD but decided to give African American History with Professor Dennis Green a shot, and the rest, well, as they say, “is history.” “My first course was African American History with Professor Green. It was my first semester of school, and I loved it. I took almost all his classes. I love, love, love him. He is such a good person and he helped me so much. I would go to his office hours and just talk to him. He is super inspirational, and he really had me hooked. I was kind of a history buff before that, but then I decided to switch my major,” she recounted. Isaac decided to switch from a B.S. to a B.A. in Public Health, which allowed her to add Ethnic Studies as a second major.

After taking the leap and declaring a second major in Ethnic Studies, she said, “I was so much happier, I was so much better, I loved the people, I loved the professors, I loved my classes, my grades were better, I felt like I was finally doing something that I wanted to do, and I just loved it.” She described the immense impact Ethnic Studies courses have had on her life and her worldview saying, “I took Professor Donna Martinez’s classes, which were very, very insightful. There was so much I didn’t know. I just realized how ignorant I was because I had never actually thought about the history of the Americas pre-Columbus. I had never been taught that before. It was mind-blowing. I told everybody I knew about it.”

Isaac is especially passionate and well-informed about the racial disparities in healthcare. Public Health and Ethnic Studies truly go hand in hand. Experiencing life as a Black woman in America herself, Isaac is all too aware of the chilling reality pregnant African Americans face in this country and she knows maternal mortality statistics like the back of her hand. She was shocked when she first found out the average life expectancy for trans women of color is only 35 and she says we need to prioritize the creation of programs designed for them. Overall, Isaac feels strongly that double majoring in Ethnic Studies and Public Health was the right choice for her. “When I decided to major in Ethnic Studies, I felt like I found myself. I felt like I had a purpose. I felt like I had a direction,” she said.

After beginning the first semester of her senior year, her brother tragically passed away at the young age of 23. “When my brother died, my life changed a lot, and so did my perspective on the world as a whole,” Isaac stated. Due to the sudden passing of her brother, she ended up missing over a month of school that semester. She credits Professor Green and other professors in the Ethnic Studies department as the reason she was able to make it through that difficult semester. With the support of her professors, she was able to stay on track and graduate in May 2020, despite the sudden passing of her older brother and a global pandemic taking place during her tumultuous senior year.

Now, at 23 years old, Isaac is writing a novel with the hopes to soon be published, all while helping to care for her late brother’s children. She also works for the Right 2 Learn research collective, which she first joined as a research associate in 2017. Professor Manuel Espinoza started Right 2 Learn 14 years ago to study dignity in education. Right 2 Learn is currently working on producing “a handbook of the content and criteria of dignity in two landmark cases (Tennessee v. Lane, 2004 and Lobato v. Colorado, 2013)” and they are also working on “a transcript of approximately 18 hours of audio recordings of a 1962 voter registration workshop sponsored by the Highlander Folk School.”

           In the future, Isaac looks forward to continuing to use her education to make the world a better place and speak up for the voiceless in society. She is adamant that majoring in Ethnic Studies was the right choice for her and it helped her through the turbulence of her senior year while giving her the voice she sought when she was younger. Isaac said, "I feel like Ethnic Studies really gave me power with my voice." She recommends everyone take an Ethnic Studies course so they can learn the important history that high school textbooks don’t teach.

Interviewed by: Clint Alfonso Lewis

Kiana V. Kaibetoney is a senior at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) and will be graduating in May of 2019. Kiana majors in Psychology with a double minor in Communications and Ethnic Studies. After graduation, Kiana plans on moving back to the Navajo reservation for a year before applying to Arizona State University for Graduate School.

Kiana is a humble person who inspires those around her with her selflessness, her ability to listen and communicate, and her natural gift of being a light for other human beings. Kiana’s story begins with strong roots both in family and culture. Born in Denver, Colorado, to teen parents, Kiana was raised by both her mother’s parents in Denver and her father’s parents in Arizona. Kiana identifies as biracial as her mother is Cambodian and her father is Navajo. In addition to being biracial, Kiana also was raised in a traditional way in both cultures. This traditional way of being raised instilled in Kiana a strong sense of family, as she was also a caretaker for her maternal grandmother.

Kiana’s childhood was spent between going to school in Denver and traveling to the Navajo reservation in Arizona during school breaks. She continues to go back to Arizona once or twice a month for ceremonies. Kiana is also multilingual, being raised in both traditional cultures and going to American schools; she is fluent in Cambodian, Navajo, English, and Spanish. In high school Kiana took a pre-collegiate program which helped her to write and apply for scholarships and ultimately led to her decision to attend the University of Colorado Denver. She decided to pursue Psychology as a major because of her love for meeting people and being an open person. She is down to earth and shows kindness to those around her. Kiana decided to also double minor in Communications and Ethnic Studies because she enjoys listening to people’s stories, loves learning about cultures, and wants to continue her learning of how to communicate well with people, which connects all three fields of study.

Kiana has worked hard during her time at the University of Colorado Denver. She has been a full-time student and has worked two-part time jobs all four years she has been at UCD. Currently, she works at an elementary school in the mornings and evenings while going to her classes in between. Kiana expressed humbleness and gratitude when sharing her experience while being a student at UCD. Kiana is also student loan and debt free. Building relationships with faculty and staff, her hard work in and outside of the classroom, and being a four year Martinez Scholarship recipient, she has achieved what many have not. Kiana did not stop at being a full-time student and working two-part time jobs, she has also completed three study abroad programs in Guatemala and started and is president of the Multiracial Biracial Student Alliance (MBSA) at the University of Colorado Denver. While completing her three study abroad programs in Guatemala, Kiana worked with the Mayan people. Kiana shared that her time working with the Mayan people showed her how similar their culture is to her own. Before graduating Kiana wants to have a service for Mixed Race students.

After graduating in May of 2019, Kiana will be moving back to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. She will be working at an elementary school in the Navajo Nation, where she wants to help to encourage the youth about opportunities and life outside of the reservation. Kiana expressed how our country does not know about what life is like on the rez and how there are third world issues occurring within the United States which need to be addressed, including how some people still do not have electricity and running water. Listening to these issues that are occurring on reservations brought us to another aspect of our human experience where she spoke about how we see one another and how we see ourselves. She discussed the multiple aspects of identity including the breaking of labels that are placed upon people. She used an example of a person who is incarcerated is seen as this single label only, rather than as a human being who is also a son, brother, father, etc.

Listening to Kiana tell her own story and share her ideas was inspiring, humbling, and genuine. She is generous, hard-working, uplifting, and caring, along with being a student, daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend. Her story shares how someone who taps into their potential can and do achieve great things even when hardships occur. Kiana has created safe spaces and has contributed to the University of Colorado Denver in her four years of being here.

Interviewed by: Christina Perez

Ashley Kirkman is a University of Colorado Denver graduate, she received a bachelor’s degree in biology and Ethnic Studies, as well as a completed certificate in Native American studies. Upon previously graduating from Nebraska University Ashley worked in the mental health field for 8 years. Ashley is currently a pharmacy student attending Regis University working towards her doctorate degree in pharmaceuticals, in order to one day work as a pharmacist. Ashley describes herself to be “100% African American,”[1] however, she also reveals a family history accounting of Native American ancestry. This background helped Ashley to be more openminded to different belief systems before her experiences in Ethnic Studies classes, and further helped her to be more open to the materials that she was exposed to throughout the Ethnic Studies program. Prior to the Ethnic Studies degree Ashley obtained at UCD, she was exposed to some ideas that introduced Ethnic Studies while taking business classes, but at that time, Ashley recognizes that she was not in a place in her life to appreciate the concepts being introduced. Ashley was introduced to Ethnic Studies at UCD through one of the courses which met one of UCD’S cultural diversity CORE course requirements. She was further introduced to mind-opening ideas, along with supportive and understanding professors. Due to her experiences and personal choices, and after taking a number of Ethnic Studies courses, Ashley decided to pursue a major in Ethnic Studies along with her biology degree. She found that the addition of the knowledge she gained with this secondary major would help her with her future role in the medical industry. Furthermore, Ethnic Studies education lends aid to healthcare workers, in understanding where diverse patients are coming from, in order to take into account, the medical knowledge they bring with them. The multiplicity of Ashley’s ethnic background also helped her to be more open to alternate healing practices, aiding in her ability to see where contrasting groups of people are coming from. Ultimately, Ashley envisions her Ethnic Studies knowledge such as, her awareness of distinct cultural histories and understandings, to supplement her healthcare role and allow her to meet patients at a place where they can understand her.         

Ashley was able to utilize a soccer scholarship to help pay for a portion of her educational expenses, however, for the remaining credits needed, she worked full-time, saved her money, and even exercised the use of PTO in order to have the time to attend her classes, and afford to stay in school. Ashley was able to endure due to the values of working hard and saving money, which were expressed and demonstrated by her parents throughout her childhood. The work ethics idealized by Ashley’s parents were tied to their agricultural backgrounds and the subsequent necessity for them to work for everything they had, and to save every penny possible. These lifestyle approaches which Ashley experienced as a child affected how she saw the world, helping her to resolve to stop the cycle of poverty for herself, while utilizing the strong principles gained from her parents. Along with these ideals, Ashley’s family also held a strong sense of the necessity of attaining a college education. Although Ashley pursued college business courses prior to her time at UCD, this path stemmed more from a family expectation for her to attend. After returning to school later in life, Ashley was able to take classes that she found a strong interest in, such as Ethnic Studies. Ashley’s diverse educational and professional background led her towards helping people through a role in the health care industry.

Ashley enjoyed the exposure to new, mind-opening material introduced through her coursework in the Ethnic Studies program, further connecting with the readings and essays she experienced. One of the articles that caught her interest, which she still references today, was an article discussing the morals behind giving rights to trees. This article represents only one of many other examples, of the progressive Ethnic Studies material presented in these courses. This new information helped to provide Ashley with a new perspective, one in which she exclaimed, “she had never considered before.” Her way of thinking began to criticize the actions taken by human populations against nature, such as trees, and connected this to a way of thinking about all organisms. Furthermore, Ashely began to think critically about parts of society, as well as questioning the existing human dominance over nature, by countless human actions. This line of thought caused Ashley to ask, “who gave us the right to pollute the planet and chop down trees?” Ashley recognizes that many people go through their whole lives without recognizing the differences between different peoples within society, along with understanding where the differences stem from. She believes that Ethnic Studies education is extremely important for all students. Furthermore, Ashley asserts that it is necessary to be exposed to, as well as, to be open to different points of views from varied cultures. Without this kind of education taking place, we are only allowing students to learn, “half of the truth.” Ashley finds it a disheartening reality that schools are widely teaching only dominant histories, especially when the world is full of interesting and distinct knowledges and lessons. She believes that Ethnic Studies courses provide people with a much broader range of vocabulary to work with, regarding race and ethnicity.

The social philosophies and viewpoints which Ashley gained from her Ethnic Studies degree made her recognize that she was more open to new people and ways of thinking upon graduating, realizing that “you don’t know what you don’t know.”The Ethnic Studies background has continued to help Ashley as she pursues her academic career in pharmacy school. Her current institution includes courses designed around the backgrounds and beliefs of various cultures, and Ashley has exceeded in these courses due to her Ethnic Studies knowledge. Ashley appreciates knowledge coming from all parts of the world, and respects anyone who brings more expertise into educational and professional spheres. She refutes the idea that being an American, or having education from the United States, grants a kind of superiority to these professionals, which is an unfortunate concept she has come across within the academic medical realm. By using her Ethnic Studies background, Ashley has a strong vocabulary and evidence to back her up when she refutes these racial perspectives. Ashley wants to find an area to practice, where she can make a difference in the communication taking place between community members and the medical institutions that are available to them. Ashley hopes to be a positive influence for the community that she will one day work with, by meeting people where they are, and building from this place a beneficial relationship. Although Ashley is not completely sure how she will utilize her Ethnic Studies Bachelor’s degree, she knows that she wants to be in a place where she can see the changes she is making.   

My area of expertise is Finance and Risk Management Insurance with my minor in Ethnic Studies. The thing that I most enjoyed about Ethnic Studies was learning more varied cultural background. However, I learned every ethnic group has their struggles, barriers, experiences, and stories in the history. I felt learning this knowledge can help me apply in the business world how to work with various people. It was another way to expose myself in a different way see people of color and less represented in the community. I accepted a job at IMA financial group and started right after I graduated in CU Denver Spring 2018. I worked for certificate and renewal specialist relate to risk management insurance major. My plan is working for few years gain more experiences moving forward to any level jobs that might interest me.   

Interviewed by: Ferida Zekaria

Jorge Lomas’ story starts in Cancun, Mexico the place of his birth and home until he was nine-years-old and had to go through a strenuous and life changing time. Jorge relived his journey with the coyotes that smuggled him into the United States through the El Paso boarder. He explains that although he was a citizen of the United States his mother and sister were not and this was the only way they could reunite with his father in the U.S.  He compares his journey to being shipped like a package, however the package was going to a place where the receiver wasn’t excited for its arrival. Jorge remember how terrifying the journey was and the nightmares that came with it, which convinced him he was not going to survive. This is his coming to America story where it starts with struggle and ends with a life well made.

 Jorge and I discussed how there is a lack of compassion from the American society for what immigrants and refugees go through. He explains that if people could think of stories like his before they make judgments then the world would be different. These stories are what pushed Jorge to Ethnic Studies. Ethnic Studies allows exposure to these unique narratives, allowing for a better understanding of people. However, he didn’t automatically know Ethnic Studies was for him. Originally Jorge majored in Audio Engineering and Recording in order to do Music Therapy. But through classes like Biological Anthropology he found out he had an interested in  health. This resulted in him declaring Public Health as a major which he later graduated in. It wasn’t until Dr. Greens class when he learned about Ethnic Studies and he was presently surprised about what it had to offer and he later added it as a minor. Jorge confessed, he wished he double majored in it due to its high significance and importance. I then asked Jorge if there was any connection between Public Health and Ethnic Studies and why he decided to pair up the too. He informed me that although he didn’t strategically plan for his major and minor to pair up they did, “they compliment each other because Public Health allows you to help people at a larger scale and pick at issues at the root. While Ethnic Studies lets you explore what the root issues are and where they lay. It also teaches you how to interact with people from different communities” said Jorge. Ethnic studies to Jorge was what informed him about culture base syndromes and he stressed the fact that if people are ignorant to the difference of others they cannot provide help because no matter how similar issues may seem they are all molded differently.

The women in Jorge’s life played a great deal to his academic achievements and motivation.  One of Jorges biggest motivations throughout his college career was his mother. His Mom was always a big advocate of education and an ever bigger advocate to him.  He explains that he didn’t have many people supporting him and helping him succeed which prolonged his graduation, but he had his mom. Jorge’s mom worked at the Community College of Denver which allowed her to meet a lot of people that were in advising roles and those connections led to him being informed about the education system. If it wasn’t for Jorge’s mother he wouldn’t have known about financial aid and many other resources. Another women that impacted Jorge’s life is his wife. Jorge’s wife is a refugee from Russia who was able to obtain a citizenship and is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree at the University of Colorado Denver. Her success and how far she came shows Jorge how easy he had it growing up. Jorge’s wife’s stories allowed him to learn and appreciate life and realize that he took a lot of things for granted growing up. Seeing her strive pushes him every single day.

Jorge discovered many things during his time at the University of Colorado of Denver, firstly a passion for Public Health and Ethnic Studies, his wife, and a drive that told him he must continue to pursue his education. Post graduation Jorge was able to obtain a job as an Immigration Paralegal at the Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center. He confessed that this wasn’t originally a field that he was specifically looking for a job in, but he knew a friend who recommended he tried it out. Jorge was skeptical at first but began to witness first hand Public Heath issues. He was able to see the social disruptions and obstacles people face due to immigrations and he was able communicate effectively using skills he obtained due to Ethnic Studies. I then asked Jorge where he sees himself in five years and he said he hopes to have a job in the government. In order to plan for that life he is attending Arizona State University for Emergency Management and Homeland Security, it is an excelled online program and he is expected to graduate December 2021. Jorge’s passion for Emergency Management and Homeland Security came about after he did work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and learned more about natural disasters and terrorist attacks. He talked about how important counter attacks are when communities are left vulnerable and hopes to provide some kind of relief.              

Before saying our farewells Jorge left me with one piece of advice to future students thinking of pursuing an education, “Definitely do it, obtaining a higher education is the most important thing you can do. Good employers now-a-days look for individuals who even have a masters degree. Don’t be discourages by cost because there are resources set to help you and definitely don’t put a time stamp on the journey. Take your time”.

Citation:Lomas, Jorge. Interview by Ferida Zekaria. Personal interview. Denver, March 3,2020.

Interviewed by: Ferida Zekaria

Navigating the education system was a bit difficult for Iman Mohamed. She talks about feeling a lot like a guinea pig in the process because she is a first generation student and the oldest in her family. Iman was born in Sudan and came to American at a very young age. She is a Muslim Sudanese women who had to grow up to learn the skill of code switching between the American society and the culture at home. Being from an immigrant family Iman didn’t have much support at home in regards to preparation for college. Going to school was highly entourage by her family, but due to their lack of knowledge of the educational system they couldn’t provide much support. She explains that although the process of learning the education system and graduating were difficult in the beginning she knew it was her only way out. She wanted to build a life of finical freedom and be able to support her family. But the only way to do that was through education. To Iman learning the education system was even deeper than educating itself. She knew she had to also be able to know it so well that she can later teach her younger siblings. She explains that a lot of people have their parents to teach them and guide them through the process. Unlike her, she was thrown to discover what works and what doesn’t. Iman laughs as she tells me that the only thing her father made sure to teacher her is that she must do something in the medical field. In fact, her parents didn’t even know what she majored in until the time of graduation.  I asked Iman how she managed the education system regardless of the lack of help at home and she explained how South High School (a school located in Denver) informed her about resources meant to help students like her. Specifically collegiate programs like TRIo, AVID, etc. are what gave her the information needed to succeed.

Going into Freshman year of college Iman majored in Chemistry, it wasn’t something she was super interested in but she knew she was good at it. Iman always had a dream to be in the medical field and originally she thought that the only way to become one was getting a bachelor degree in science. However, after meeting with counselors she was informed otherwise and decided to adventure through other majors. International Studies… maybe Language? She ponder for a while before Ethnic Studies officially became a major her sophomore year of college and she decided it was the one for her. Ethnic Studies became the antidote to Iman’s life. She explains it to be a major that allowed her to understand the life she lives and the society she lives in. “Im not crazy.” Was her response to the information she obtained through ETST.  In fact, ever since she started talking ETST courses a passion for social justice grew within her. Without even knowing Iman became a social rights activist and made it her goal to attend all events regarding black rights. She tells me she recently got to watch Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Kevin Richardson ( three of the exonerated five from the Central Park jogger case) speak about their experiences and journey through the prison system and their post prison experience. Iman tells me she was able to understand their experience due to her ethnic studies courses. I then asked Iman what impact she wanted to make in her field and she informed me that she would like to use ETST to educate her peers as well as begin to bridge the health care gap between minority communities. She explains that a lot of communities don’t seek help because they don’t trust their health care providers.

In the future Iman hopes to become a nurse while making impacts in the medical field using her ethnic studies degree to better connect with people from all walks of the planet. She informed me that health care providers often have to take classes in order to understand communities that come from a different background than them. However, she’ll be one step ahead due to her ethnic studies courses. Iman’s passion for people and medicine shine through as she shares her hopes for development in the medical field. She shares that if health care professionals take the time to learn about the community they are serving it will show they care and build a bond of trust that will inevitably result in better treatment and care of patients. Iman hopes to work with communities that are underrepresented and disadvantage. A small step that she hopes will make a difference in their lives and hopefully teach others about the benefits of medicine for disadvantage communities.

Citations: Mohamed, Iman. Interview by Ferida Zekaria. Personal interview. Denver, March 7,2020.

"After my graduation from CU Denver, I achieved a literary position as a legislative reporter for the 2008 Colorado State Legislature. While a reporter for local newspaper Law Week Colorado, I also volunteered my time as a speechwriter and researcher for Colorado State Senator Suzanne Williams, D‑Aurora, concerning the State's first legislation recognizing the genocide of the American Indians. Senate Joint Resolution 31 passed 22‑12 in the Senate and 59‑4 in the House on May 1, 2008. Soon after the legislative season came to an end, and with SJR031 realized, I was hired by the Denver Post as a community journalist, where I can still be found chasing stories today."

See some stories Simon has written for the Denver Post.

Shawn is currently a Ph.D. student in Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Along with Dr. Jennifer Ho, Shawn helped to create an online course on anti-racism free to the CU community. 

Interviewd by: Esteban Ortiz 

This semester, I had the pleasure of interviewing Regina Reece. Regina graduated from the University of Colorado Denver with a degree in Sociology. She currently works at the Barbra Davis Center for Diabetes and like many students, stumbled upon the ethnic studies department while taking an elective course. She elected to sign up for the Intro to Ethnic Studies class to fulfill an elective requirement. After taking the class Regina spoke with Dr. Martinez and elected to minor in Ethnic Studies.“If I would have known about it about before I started my sociology program, I would have majored in it.” Regina is a first-generation college graduate. Regina credits her husband, family, and coworkers for their continued support through her academic career. She also credits the physician she works for, for pushing her to finish her college education and encouraged her to use her tuition credit benefit provided to employees of the University of Colorado System. She graduated with zero debt and was able to utilize what she learned in the classroom and apply it to her career.

After taking her first Ethnic studies class Regina really enjoyed that it encompasses what people use on a daily basis like learning about topics such as race and ethnicity. Regina expressed that she believes ethnic studies should be a mandatory class for everyone who attends CU. Regina expressed the power of knowledge and how valuable that is to have when working and interacting with people. Regina highlighted that the biggest hurdle for her was working full time and balancing her school schedule. As a non-traditional student she saw her education as more valuable now then maybe if she went earlier. She was going because she wanted to, not because that’s what you do right out of high school. She also shared how meaningful her relationship with a professor in the ethnic studies department was to her learning. As a student who had to balance work and school it meant a great deal that this professor would set up in person meetings with students.

Regina works at the Barbra Davis Center which is a clinical care and research center for diabetes. She works in the pediatric department that serves upwards of 3,500 patients. Regina coordinates the educational programs for the pediatric department and also assist a physician with a publication used nationwide surrounding diabetes education. She has worked on 7 editions and plays an integral role in her department.

Regina uses her ethnic studies minor in many ways in her profession. Most of the programs she runs are community-based programs. Regina provides key educational services to those on a lower socioeconomic status as well as non-English speakers. She interacts with those from a variety of backgrounds. In addition to that she coordinates the non-English speaking interpreters and communicates the crucial educational information to patients and families. Regina sees the value in being culturally aware and sensitive to the needs of the population that she serves, and ethnic studies has only furthered her level of understanding.

Regina’s advice to graduates is to take advantage of the wide range of different job opportunities that those with an ethnic studies degree can go into. “Lookout for what you’d be interested in. If you find what you like doing, it’s not going to seem like a job.”

Bibliography

Reece, Regina. Interview by Esteban Ortiz. Personal interview. Denver, February 24, 2020.

Junior worked as a Middle School Coordinator at the Center for Pre-Collegiate and Academic Outreach Programs at the University of Colorado Denver. He explains, "Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) consists of students who have dedicated their lives and skills to the advancement of the principles of human rights and to the needs of the Chicano community. MEChA is able to unite in one common purpose: a demand for respect for human dignity and true equality and justice for all members of this society. They struggle to learn and learn to struggle—not for individual gain but to serve our Chicano/Chicana people. Our organization strongly believes in the right to a fair and equal education. Education, we believe, is the key to improving the social and political situation of the Chicano/Chicana community." He also works as a lecturer teaching Indigenous Studies courses with our department. 

Interviewed by: April Lowe                                                  

Reydesel Salvidrez, who also goes by Rey, is a graduating Ethnic Studies and Communications student. Rey demonstrates hard work and leadership from his background and experiences at the University of Colorado Denver.  As an undocumented student born in Chihuahua, Mexico, to young parents, he faced struggles that other UCD students may not face. To better support their family, Rey’s parents decided to move from Mexico to the United States. Growing up in his household, there was an uncertainty of attending college due to U.S. policies towards immigrants. The uncertainty of college and the lack of support from guidance counselors at his high school, Rey started his academic career to pursue higher education by completing an additional year of high school. By completing an additional year of high school, Rey had hopes of political reform in regard to immigration. However, during that year there wasn’t any progress in immigration policies. Even though there was no progress, Rey began his first semester at UCD in 2011 as a first-generation student. The first three weeks of attending college was a roller coaster. There was excitement to pursue his interest in criminology but also stress to pay for his tuition if he could be considered as an in-state student compared to an out-of-state or international student. Due to these stressors, depression and low self-esteem were developing in Rey’s mind. “What is my purpose,” was the essential question in figuring out his motivations and goals in life.      

As academia was not an option for Rey in 2011, he dropped out and began helping his father with construction work. In the least expected place, Rey received motivation and support. The crew workers he worked with wanted him to maintain hope that he will have a better outcome and to remain positive. Moreover, by having younger siblings, Rey’s motivation grew immensely. His future impacted more than himself. By aspiring to attend college, he knew that would provide guidance to his younger siblings to be successful. In June 2012, President Barack Obama enacted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA. DACA was the legislation Rey was optimistic about occurring in 2011. Now that it had arrived there was a typical amount of skepticism towards it, as it asked for a vast amount of information. Rey had the thoughts, “should I trust this, will they deport me if I provide this information?” With a push from his parents, Rey reapplied to UCD. The process for DACA included being approved through homeland security. While waiting for approval, Rey decided to apply to Metropolitan State University. Metropolitan State University required Accuplacer testing which revealed to Rey that he was not exactly ready for college courses. With help from Metropolitan State University, Rey began taking courses at Community College of Denver (CCD). At CCD, Rey fulfilled core requirements as well as earned an associate degree in business while working full-time in construction. Rey is a non-traditional student, as he experienced a rocky path in order to pursue higher education. This rocky path was not without emotional problems, stress, and uncertainty. Rey was still able to prosper by starting his academic career at CCD.

After completing an associate’s degree, Rey wanted to attend Metro due to a false perception of UCD. At the time, Rey presumed UCD was for wealthy students, however, a meeting with a mentor proved that UCD had a lot to offer and was a diverse campus. In 2015, Rey transferred to UCD with an interest in business management and a minor in communications. His first year was a struggle to grasp the requirement for upper division courses as well the amount of effort needed to put into classes. CCD was a good beginning step into taking classes, but Rey did not anticipate the commitment needed for business classes. Taking business classes proved somewhat challenging for Rey when he did not pass some of his classes. With that considered, Rey decided to switch majors. Rey decided to switch to Ethnic Studies due to his experiences in the Center of Identity and Inclusion Office. From working in the Center of Identity and Inclusion Office, he developed an interest in learning about his personal history and background. He wanted to dig deeper into his culture and traditions. Ethnic Studies was the perfect major in order to learn about cultures and ethnic histories. Through his studies about various ethnicities, he was able to develop relationships with several professors. He appreciates the relationships with Professor Dennis Green and Dr. Donna Martinez. Rey defines both Professor Green and Dr. Martinez as kind, caring, and motivational. Each professor helped Rey develop a critical mindset when learning about Ethnic Studies. Whether it’s applying personal stories to learning concepts or assisting students outside of classes, the Ethnic Studies department wants students to succeed and acquire vital skills to apply in life.

Ethnic Studies has helped Rey pursue other interests that include joining and/or creating clubs and social networking. Rey was a co-founder of CU Dreamers and CCD Dreamers. CU Dreamers and CCD Dreamers are both organizations aimed at “empowering students to overcome and appreciate adversity that is associated with being an undocumented person.” These organizations provide leadership and community engagement to students to help them grow professionally and personally. Aside from CU Dreamers and CCD Dreamers, Rey is involved in non-profit work. Rey is developing United Leaders in Higher Education into a non-profit to be a resource for communities. After the recent election, many communities are experiencing hardship, and with United Leaders in Higher Education, it would be a resource for Colorado. Recently, United Leaders in Higher Education held a conference for schools (colleges as well as high schools). Many undocumented students were in attendance to discuss the issues they were facing with new policies in effect for undocumented students. 

Rey has had a unique experience at UCD which aspires him to work in higher education after graduation. After completing his undergraduate career, Rey would like to pursue a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs. He would like to work with students. He wants to help students stay or become motivated about achieving their goals and have someone to talk to. Rey would like to be a good resource for students to learn from or simply express feelings. Furthermore, he would like to increase Latino/a representation in higher education. It is important to increase ethnic diversity in all areas of life as it creates relationships and trust between individuals.

Overall, Rey’s experience and involvement at UCD and CCD will be impactful for future generations of students. Rey appreciates the opportunities he has had in attending UCD as well as being an Ethnic Studies/Communication major. In the words of Rey, “I am lucky to be here, learning new skills, viewing the world from a different perspective, and gaining new passions”. Also, he advises new freshmen that there is no rush in learning. A common pressure students face in college is being on track or graduating in a certain period of time. This pressure leads to unnecessary stress, and as Rey demonstrated the important aspect of college is learning. It’s okay to change your major until you find the right path as well it’s okay to take breaks. Completing college is not a race but an opportunity to gain knowledge, create connections, help others, and enjoy the experiences you have.

Interview: Latino Sanchez

By: Najma Abdi

I got the opportunity to interview Latino Sanchez who graduated in the Spring of 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ethnic studies. Latino’s post-grad plans include going to Japan and doing some story writing as well as expanding his business in the fashion industry. Latino designs clothes and works in the marijuana industry by designing edible packages for dispensaries. He is also in the process of dropping his own sneaker that he’s designed.

Latino got into ethnic studies courses after taking a couple of courses with professor Greene. His mom is an activist and growing up, she drove that rebellious intent to question the curriculum which has also influenced his interest in taking these courses. The social injustice present in the world has also guided his interest in switching to ethnic studies. Latino was originally an art major but after realizing that the art major is very subjective when it comes to the idea of what art is, he eventually switched to the ethnic studies major.

Ethnic studies have been beneficial to Latino and have helped him be more open-minded and learn about multiple cultures. These courses have helped him further his research on other groups of people besides what was taught in the curriculum. Taking ethnic studies has helped his post-grad plans by being able to communicate with people all around the world. He deals with the site Alibaba for manufacturing and open market in the business where he interacts with people from China, India, etc. and ethnic studies have built that sense of understanding of these different cultures which makes it easier for him to communicate efficiently with them.

A key point Latino has got from ethnic studies courses is that diversity is key to life and telling these stories is important. With people trying to silence these experiences and exploit their stories for their benefit, he believes that it is essential in telling these stories on ethnic histories from our perspective rather than the ones who profit off of these stories telling them.

Latino will take the content taught to him in ethnic studies to further his professional caree

Interviewed by: Olivia Smith           

Chelsea Situmeang is a twenty-seven year old student who is graduating in May 2020. She originally came to the University of Colorado Denver to pursue a major in Public Health but added on a second major of Ethnic Studies when she started to see inequity was institutionalized in public health and she wanted to learn how to challenge those inequities. While she had always been familiar with the white savior complex, the way media and reality both produce tales of white skinned individuals “saving” non-white individuals from a seemingly unfortunate circumstance, seeing the reproduction of saviorism in education prodded her to find ways of challenging and upending that system. Her Ethnic Studies education has given her the tools to level these challenges and altered the path of her life.

Growing up with parents who immigrated to this country, Chelsea many times had to act as interpreter between her parents and the service professionals they were interacting with. This is where her interest in public health comes from. She saw how her parents were treated when they were in medical facilities and wanted to change the system of inequity she saw and in doing so give other minoritized individuals, families and communities a different experience than that of her and her family. However, when she got into her public health classes, she was disappointed by the realization that her classes did not cover institutional racism in any serious manner and that she was not being given the tools to challenge said institutional racism. This is where Ethnic Studies comes in. Questions that were unable to be answered within the Public Health department were able to be answered, or at least welcomed, within the Ethnic Studies department. There, she was able to fill a crucial gap in her education by taking classes that strive to explain and understand social justice and justice equity. Without this knowledge, Chelsea suspects she would be underprepared to work with minoritized communities as she would not have the foundational knowledge about various minoritized communities and how that could affect their experiences and viewpoints of the world.

In addition to double majoring Chelsea has worked in and with several departments that serve minoritized students, including Asian American Student Services and American Indian Student Services, among others. She did this in part to understand how and why these services exist, but also how they work and what purpose they currently serve and could serve in campus life. One of her biggest takeaways from her time in so many departments is that they could be doing so much more than they are. While there is a lot of buzz around “diversity” and “inclusion”, her time has shown her that there is mostly fluff and not a lot of substance to such words. These departments provide vital safe spaces for students who may not feel safe in the world at large and to not properly care for them is an oversight on the part of the university.

When I asked her if she wanted to share any last words about Ethnic Studies, she said, “It should be the foundation in the work that you do in any career field.”. She believes this because the field provides a foundation of the history of race relations in the United States, teaches students how to challenge the status quo, fosters a deeper understanding with oneself and an honest curiosity about other cultures and communities. She so firmly believes in the power of an Ethnic Studies education that one of her long-term goals is to mandate Ethnic Studies education into the national curriculum so that everyone can have a solid foundation of how the world became so inequal. If she can mandate Ethnic Studies education into K-12, how different would our world look?

Situmeang, Chelsea. Interview by Olivia Smith. Personal Interview. Denver, March 20, 2020

Interviewed by: Michelle Batalla

It was an honor to interview alumni Roselyn “Rosie” Small, who was a CU Denver student. She graduated in 2014 with Ethnic Studies and Psychology degrees and completed a masters in Mental Health Counseling. Like many Ethnic Studies students, she found her place in the Ethnic Studies Department after being inspired by the instructors. She mentions that it was a professor at the Ethnic Studies Department who guided her to Ethnic Studies. From the very first course, Introduction to Ethnic Studies, Rosie was intrigued. These classes resonated with her because they taught the histories of minorities. This is very important to Rosie since she is Native American, specifically Navajo. Rosie’s early years at CU Denver were not easy because she struggled to find a major that resonated with her. Rosie needed a class that resonated with her identity and as a result, she found Ethnic Studies and found her field of study.

Rosie mentions that it did take her six years to graduate. Although it did take Rosie longer to graduate it was meant to be; since back then Ethnic Studies was not offered as a major but a minor. She is glad that she waited a little bit longer in school. If not for the wait she would not have had the opportunity to make Ethnic Studies her major. In terms of how the campus has changed, Rosie noticed that there are newer buildings at Auraria Campus compared to when she attended. When questioned on what the assistance in college was during her attendance, she said that she found all the support she needed in the Ethnic Studies Department. There was also a Native American club that helped her throughout her college career as well.

After Rosie graduated from CU Denver with her undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies, Rosie entered a career as a phlebotomist. Her reason for becoming phlebotomist was because of family influence. Many of her family members were in the field of phlebotomy and drew inspiration from the family career path and as a result, she became a phlebotomist. Rosie mentions that she is not working in this career now because she had chosen to enter graduate school instead. She is studying psychology and wishes to pursue a career in therapy. She wants to practice mental health therapy at Native American reservations. When asked why she choose this new career path Rosie says it was because of her uncle. He had served in the Vietnam war, and when he came back, he was suffering from mental health. The only way he could cope was by drinking which eventually led to his death. Her uncle’s story impacted her deeply because she felt not enough resources are available to Native Americans on reservations dealing with mental health issues and that within the community it is hard to talk about mental health issues. Her uncle’s story is the driving force that is influencing Rosie’s current educational path and eventually her future career path. Rosie is about to graduate in May with a master’s degree, and is excited and looking forward to starting her new career.

Throughout this interview we also talked about Rosie’s life growing up in Colorado. I asked Rosie if she was able to immerse herself in her culture growing up and she stated that she was able to engage in her culture growing up. She said, you could tell the difference between her city life and her native life. In the city her experience with the school system was different because she was one of the few people of color there. She mentions, it was hard to understand her history or culture through an educational perspective. But with the help of programs such as the Jefferson County Indian Education programs, she was able to help find her identity. She says, that this program guided her towards college and without this program she is not sure if she would have gone to college. Rosie is the first one in her family to go to college. This made it difficult to navigate college for her and yet, she was able to get adequate help needed to navigate college through the support of the Ethnic Studies Department; this support was seen through the moral and academic support of her teachers. In terms of cultural interaction, Rosie mentions that she did interact with her culture in the form of ceremonies at the reservations. At the reservation she was able to immerse herself in her culture and created close family bonds. She does mention that there was a language barrier. The language barrier was a result of not living close to her family members and that language barrier saddened her quite a bit. Yet, she has still been able to gain wonderful experiences learning about her people and culture regardless.

Rosie recommends Ethnic Studies courses. She says it is a great way to learn about your culture and stay connected with your community.

My name is Brandon Stanley. I am an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado Denver and I am dual majoring in history and ethnic studies and I’m working on a minor in international studies. The first ethnic studies course I took was American Indian history with Dr. Donna Martinez in spring 2019. At this point in my education, I was focusing purely on colonial history and believed that this would be a vital course for me to take. About a year later, during the summer 2020 semester, I decided to pursue an American Indian studies certificate. For this, I took American Indian cultural images with Dr. Martinez, and independent study with Dr. Martinez, and an introductory course to indigenous studies with Dr. Reina.

            After I found out that the credits, I took for the certificate could be applied towards a minor, I decided to minor in both ethnic studies and anthropology. Shortly after this decision, I discovered that I still had time to pursue an ethnic study major if I chose only one minor. In the end, I decided to dual major in ethnic studies and history and minor in international studies since they all complement each other very well. Although ethnic studies is interdisciplinary, I see it as a form of applied history. Just as there is applied mathematics or applied chemistry, I believe that ethnic studies is applied history since most studies in the discipline deal with the causes and effects of history to some extent. History can be critical, monumental, or antiquarian, but ethnic studies is almost always critical which is something I appreciate.

            My experiences in ethnic studies have been both enjoyable and stressful. It is always interesting to learn more about different communities in the United States and about the problems they face. In this context, I think ethnic studies has made me more self-aware and more civically minded. Whenever I hear about an event dealing with race or ethnicity on the news, I think more critically about the issue being presented. If race or ethnicity is brought up in class, I think more critically about the problem or the general information. When it is brought up in conversation, I do my best to educate people about particular problems that a given group faces should any inaccurate information be given. Ethnic studies, in short, has made me a more critical thinker and as stated previously, has made me more self-aware.

            Ethnic studies will prove valuable for me in the future as well. In the fall, I am hoping to attend graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver. If I stay on track, I should have an M.A. in both teaching and history, a teaching license, and possibly a graduate certificate in ethnic studies with a focus on teaching. Ethnic studies will be valuable when I begin teaching since I will be able to approach problems or people with their respective contexts in mind. I also think I will be better equipped to teach in a more unbiased manner thanks to my ethnic studies education. Before I teach in the United States, however, I am considering joining the Peace Corps. I would love to serve in the Balkans, and I will begin to learn Serbian and Romanian this summer to do so. Ethnic studies can be valuable here as well. The diversity of ethno-linguistic groups in the Balkans makes ethnic studies a valuable tool because I will be able to interact with these different people with their different experiences in mind.

            Everything I have learned in ethnic studies has helped me both on a personal level and on an academic/career level. I would recommend ethnic studies for any student who wants to expand their knowledge about the world and understand different perspectives to various problems. Although ethnic studies is not an easy discipline, it provides knowledge that can be helpful in any context that you may encounter either in your own life or in the workforce.

Joseph Tucker (Cherokee) earned his bachelor's degree in Biology, an American Indian Studies Certificate, and a minor in Economics in the spring of 2020. After graduation, Joseph plans on attending grad school with a focus on lab research into human performance and longevity. He is interested in healthy aging and has worked as a personal trainer.

Joseph's drive to learn more about his Native roots inspired him to complete the American Indian Studies Certificate. After completing two of the courses for the certificate, his interest in American Indian History led him to take more courses and eventually complete the certificate. He mentioned Professor Donna Martinez as an influential factor when it came to his decision to complete the American Indian certificate. Throughout his undergrad years, Joseph has found a sense of support from Dr. Martinez as she helped support his goals. Having a mentor was an essential part of his undergrad years. As a Cherokee, he felt a sense of connection with her.

Joseph grew up in the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.. One of the things Joseph said he’s learned from growing up in the Cherokee nation and taking American Indian Studies courses is a sense of Native pride that has encouraged him to strive beyond the stigma placed on Natives. Joseph encourages both natives and non-natives to take American Indian Studies courses in order to learn more about Native history.

Interviewed by: Raquel Isaac

Monay didn’t start at CU Denver and she didn’t always have a passion for ethnic studies. Attending Regis University proved to be a major culture shock for her as the only black student in most of her classes. Right before school started for her, Michael Brown was killed, so Ferguson was a constant topic of conversation. Monay recalls the disconnect between herself and classmates because they couldn’t understand the palpable fear black people have for their safety on a daily basis. The feeling of being paranoid of the police rather than protected. After her first semester at Regis she decided to transfer to CU Denver. Along with her school transfer, her desire to do social work shifted towards being an educator, her major in sociology to ethnic studies. Monay had special focus in African-American studies.

While at CU Denver, Monay reminisced on, a particularly trying time, having to explain her stance on Black Lives Matter. During her Popular Culture class, when tasked to find a creative way to present an issue, she spoke up about Black Lives Matter. Another student, who was not a person of color, asked if she would ever considered changing her position to all lives matter. She explained that Black Lives Matter was not the exclusion of other people’s lives, but the emphasis that our purpose on Earth is just as fruitful and valuable as all other persons.

Ethnic studies proved to be beneficial after graduation, in May 2018, when she started working with elementary students as a City Year AmeriCorps member. She worked with kids from all types of backgrounds. Monay’s teammates and staff from work came from various upbringings as well. She felt connecting with people was a breeze because she understood the different walks of life on a level deeper than the obvious surface differences. Likewise, this school year, she had amazing pleasure of having almost 100% Black students to teach, she feels it is fun to implement some of her college studies into lesson plans for children. Monay believes Ethnic Studies really colors the world for you in a way that skin tones will never be able to accomplish.

Monay feels Ethnic Studies really broadens a horizon you don’t always think exists. She passionately describes how there’s still so much to learn and so much to explore as the world changes. Monay explains how you start to see how history connects with people today and shapes the structures of certain ethnic groups. She describes gaining comprehension of complex power dynamics and social ethnic hierarchy in within the United States. All these help boil down to the biggest takeaways from ethnic studies, which is understanding your fit in society and learning how to change the next course of history for your people. She states, “I know that I am more than where Black people have come from and that the road ahead may not be perfect, but that I can help to make it better for those that will come after me in life. That’s the most important thing. Finding your fit and making change”.

Currently Monay is employed as an Associate Educator with Denver Public Schools, helping first grade students with math and literacy. Monay’s long-term career goal is to become an Athletic Academic Advisor. As a student, her Puksta research was done to explore all of the stereotypes pushed against students of color through curriculum. During her junior year with the help of Professor Green, Monay completed a 22-page independent studies research project about the disparities between African American Males desires to play athletics versus any other occupational sector. As team manager and leadership development coach for a high school boys varsity basketball, she saw sports dreams crumble making her want to help figure out what else they were capable of succeeding in. Monay says, “The position doesn’t exist in DPS yet, but soon enough, I’ll create it”.

Interviewed by: Emma Colón

Brittany Vigil is a CU Denver graduate who majored in both Ethnic Studies and Sociology with a certificate in Criminology. She now works as an Inpatient Service Specialist at Children’s Hospital, using the invaluable lessons she learned from her Ethnic Studies major to aid her in her work. Brittany was originally drawn to Ethnic Studies due to her interest in other cultures. She randomly took one of Dr. Dennis Green’s courses to check off an academic requirement and found herself instantly hooked. She felt a deep, personal connection to the course and decided to make Ethnic Studies her first major. Brittany is a big dreamer who uses her Ethnic Studies education to learn more about her own background, as well as the backgrounds of the communities surrounding her.

As she studied, Brittany found that Ethnic Studies is a field that allows for a shift in perspective on issues that affect every aspect of life. When I interviewed her, she talked about how the lessons she learned in Ethnic Studies applied to her job, her education, her interactions with others, and even her relationship with herself. Ethnic Studies gave her a bigger perspective that helped her to practice empathy and awareness. She was surprised to learn about so many historical events that were not regularly taught in the average history class. Brittany said, “I genuinely see Ethnic Studies as something essential to be taught”. Understanding the backgrounds of a diverse population has impacted her role as an Inpatient Service Specialist, as she works and meets with patients from every walk of life.

Brittany mentions that her ethnic identity is a bit ambiguous to her. She “loosely” identifies as Hispanic and has touches of European and Chinese ancestry. However, she has recently become more connected to her Indigenous background. Brittany mentioned that learning the history of Indigenous Americans in her Ethnic Studies classes has impacted her by giving her a more meaningful connection to her own Indigenous roots. Ethnic Studies sparked a desire in Brittany to continue exploring the meaning of her identity through history, culture, and family.

Brittany’s love for traveling and exploring the world has also shaped her life greatly. Similar to her experience with Ethnic Studies, Brittany’s travels taught her to have deeper empathy and understanding for diverse people around the world. Now, she has traveled to 14 different countries, including Mexico, Ireland, Wales, England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan (twice!), South Korea, the North Korean DMZ, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, and Poland. She continues to dream of traveling the rest of the world in the future to continue learning and experiencing the cultures of the world.

Brittany Vigil is the kind of person who is not afraid to dream big dreams. This is evident in her pursuit of travel and love of learning about unfamiliar cultures. Ethnic Studies helped to fuel her curiosity and deepen her love of these diverse cultures, as well as help her translate them into her everyday life. These invaluable lessons will continue to serve Brittany as she grows in her understanding of her own Indigenous identity and throughout life as she explores and serves the communities around her.

Colón, Emma. Interview with Brittany Vigil. Personal interview. Denver, February 29, 2020.