LSP Testimonial

Kim Cardenas (Arts & Sciences, 2017)

Before I arrived at college in 2013, I had no awareness that Latino Studies existed. Even less, I had no idea that academics were taking interest in our communities, that we merited academic inquiry at all. I was under the impression that Latinidad belonged only in spheres of lived experience, and learning that there was a long lineage of Latino scholars asking questions about communities I grew up in completely changed my life.

The Cornell Latino Studies Program not only introduced me to academic inquiry, opening my world up multifold; it also provided a home and refuge for me and other Latino students at Cornell. At any point during my time there, I always knew I could go to the fourth floor in Rockefeller Hall and feel seen and safe by other students like myself as well as wonderful and dedicated academic staff. I loved attending the frequent lunch sessions with friends and hearing about the latest books while chatting with the authors.

LSP not only equipped me with a sense of belonging and value to Cornell, but also as an American and member of society. In other words, learning that Mexican Americans have contributed deeply to the fabric of American culture and experiencing such historical empowerment completely counteracted feelings of imposter syndrome that inevitably arose during college. I learned I, too, had value and a significant perspective to contribute to the university and beyond. 

LSP truly had the best faculty. Dr. Debra Castillo, Dr. Sergio Garcia Rios, and Dr. Maria Cook not only introduced us to critical academic concepts like cultural production, political participation, and immigration but also as a Latina undergraduate I could sense that they cared for my well being and were deeply invested in my success. Their commitment to knowledge, their warmth, and most critically their unwavering support is what led to my decision to eventually pursue and earn a PhD in the field of Latino politics.

I could not imagine a Cornell experience without the Latino Studies Program. I feel indebted to the brave Latino student activists of 1994 who came before me, demanding more resources and rights. As I said at the beginning, the program completely changed my life, through building my self esteem, community, academic readiness and motivation to go out and ask my own academic questions. For that, I will always be grateful.

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LSP Testimonial

Leighton Fernando G. Cook (Arts & Sciences, 2018)

The Latina/o Studies Program (LSP) was my home at Cornell University. During a hectic day running around campus, the fourth floor of Rockefeller Hall was a constant, fixed, and central location where I could sit down to do work, meet up with friends, get a bite to eat and learn something new from the Fridays with Faculty luncheons, discuss my academic and professional aspirations with the Latine Student Success Advisor (then Dean Corazon), and feel welcomed by the LSP staff. The LSP center was a haven amidst the stress, bustle, and excitement of my undergraduate education. 

More than a home, LSP became the center of my intellectual inquiry. During my undergraduate years, I had a plethora of academic interests: sociology, Cambodia, Spanish language, German literature, inequality studies, European politics, Southeast Asian history, and government. I strove to take full advantage of Cornell’s motto: “Any Person, Any Study.” Ultimately, I decided to major in History and German Area Studies (and, of course, I minored in Latina/o Studies). Yet, LSP had allowed me to explore courses in sociology (SOC 2650: Latinos in the USA), history (HIST 1800: Immigration in the U.S., HIST 3060: Modern Mexico: A Global History), and government (LSP 4032: Immigration and Politics Research Seminar). Professor Maria Cristina Garcia, who taught HIST 1800, became a mentor to me and provided me the opportunity to work as a research assistant for her project on climate change and refugees. I even incorporated Latina/o Studies into my honors thesis, which I wrote in the Department of German Studies. My research project explored the use of multilingualism in Turkish-German literature employing Gloria Anzaldúa’s “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza” as an analytical framework. That opportunity to combine both Latina/o and German studies in my honors thesis represented the culmination of my undergraduate education and demonstrated the extraordinary possibilities of a liberal arts education at Cornell University. 

My only regret, however, is that I did not join LSP until my sophomore year. My freshman year I was hesitant to join LSP or the Latino Living Center for fear of feeling excluded as someone who is only half-Latino. My fears were an illusion. LSP was an incredibly welcoming space where I made close friends and developed relationships with LSP staff and faculty. It irrevocably changed my undergraduate career and my professional aspirations. 

I graduated this last summer from the Yale Law School and have embarked on a career defending Latino, immigrant, and civil rights. I currently work as a legal fellow with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), whose mission is to protect the rights of Latinos living in the United States. My time at LSP was invaluable for choosing and pursuing this career path. I am indebted and eternally grateful to all those who have made LSP such a fantastic resource for Latino students at Cornell University.

I hope Cornell University will expand LSP, and it is my dream that LSP one day will offer a major to interested students. With the resources of a full academic department, LSP will be able “to do the greatest good” for the field of Latino Studies and, most importantly, for its students.