The Latin American and Latino/a Program Student Spotlight highlights the educational achievements and experiences of undergraduate students in the program. This month, we celebrate the educational accomplishments and journey of Ariadna Ugalde-Rivero, a current junior psychology major with a minor in Latin American and Latino/a Studies.
Ugalde-Rivero is from Joliet and Bolingbrook, and she graduated from Romeoville High School in 2022. Her parents are from a small pueblo near Mexico City called Los Reyes Acozac where she has traveled to regularly since 2017. Her trips to the place where her parents fell in love make her feel connected to her family and to her Mexican heritage.
It was in Dr. Alejandro Enriquez’s Introduction to Latina/o Studies (LAL 109) that she realized how little she knew about her own history. In school, she learned a lot about American history but barely anything about Latino history. Her trips to her parents’ pueblo only revealed so much. In this course, Enriquez introduced her to important figures, movies, and history concerning the Latino community through engaging activities and assignments. Through this course she realized that she wanted to learn more about her culture, explore new topics, and connect with a community of people with a similar background and ambition on campus. Not only was she able to learn more about the Latino community, but she was encouraged by Enriquez to attend numerous Latinx events throughout the course, such as the Hostile Terrain Art Exhibition hosted in October of 2022, which paid tribute to the over 3,000 immigrant lives that were lost at the U.S./Mexico border since the 1990s. Attending this exhibition resonated with her because it reminded her of how much the Latino community has gone through, and despite all of their hardships, the community continues to work hard and thrive no matter what. After completing the course, she applied to the Latin American and Latino/a Studies minor.
As a psychology major, she has completed numerous psychology courses, but she had not learned much about the Latino community. She was not aware that there was specific class Latino psychology until she came across a course currently taught by Dr. Jordan Arellanes. Through this, Ugalde-Rivero has learned more about how social and cultural events impacts the psychology of the Latino community. She shared a personal connection with these topics, and she enjoyed discussing them in depth with her peers. The course provided some representation and community, but Ugalde-Rivero’s curiosity about Latinidad did not stop there. Her major’s limited discussion about Latinos encouraged her to look at other courses outside her area of focus.
Her decision to become a Latin American and Latino/a Studies minor, led her to secure a year-long leadership and research internship with the program. As an intern, her responsibilities include promoting the minor using social media, brochures, presenting information to various classes, attending Latinx events, and writing Student Spotlight articles to highlight the achievements of students who are part of the program. By doing so, she hopes to reach a larger audience and to provide students with information and resources to learn about themselves in a way that works with their majors.
So, how would Ugalde-Rivero advise a student who is considering declaring the Latin American and Latino/a Studies minor?
“I would tell them to take the leap,” she said. “Completing the Latin American and Latino/a Studies minor may seem like you need to take additional classes, but to me, it is more than that. The program not only brings you new opportunities, like an internship opportunity, but it also lets you learn more about the Latino community. You can take any course you are interested in, and not only will you learn, but you will also relate to many of your peers and build a strong community while doing so.”
Ugalde-Rivero participates in after-school activities in her free time. She is a member of Pre-Health Society, a registered student organization (RSO), and RSO College Mentors for Kids. Being a member of Pre-Health Society has given her the guidance and encouragement she needs to pursue her career. Also, being a mentor at College Mentors for Kids has given her the chance to connect with elementary school students in the community through fun weekly activities. Ugalde-Rivero’s bilingualism allows her to connect with and support Spanish-speaking students who are part of the program.
Family is a huge motivation for Ugalde-Rivero, playing a large part in her professional choices. She said her dad inspired her to become a registered occupational therapist. After accompanying him to an occupational therapy session, she noticed how the therapist encouraged him. After just a few sessions, she noticed her dad’s increased motivation and how he started to become more like himself again. Seeing this transformation influenced her desire to help Latino patients become more confident, motivated, and feel more like themselves again. This experience revealed to her the importance of Latinos in psychology.
After she graduates from Illinois State, Ugalde-Rivero will apply to master of occupational therapy programs and hopes to provide her community with the proper care and support by acting with consciousness cultivated by her Latino studies minor and bilingual communication capabilities.
