Meet some of our Latino/a & Latin American Studies (LLAS) majors as they 谈谈该系的社区意识、引人注目的跨学科性和一流的师资队伍.
Clara Sena-Gersh ’22
Hometown: Santa Fe, NM
Majors: LLAS, Spanish studies
What was your motivation to major in LLAS? Was there a specific inspirational moment or experience?
我爸爸来自墨西哥，我妈妈在大学里主修拉丁美洲研究，所以我是在关于拉丁美洲的讨论中长大的. 我想主修LLAS，以便与我的社区建立更大的联系，同时也了解拉丁美洲的历史及其文化. Being a Latina in the U.S. 是一种独特的经历，而寻找与这种经历相关的课程，如“墨西哥裔教育”或“拉丁政治”，只会激发我成为法学硕士专业的愿望吗.
Can you describe your senior comps project?
去年夏天，我在墨西哥裔美国人法律辩护和教育基金(MALDEF)实习。. 我了解到MALDEF负责起诉新墨西哥州未能为英语学习者提供充分和平等的教育。, low income and Native American students. Being from New Mexico and having a teacher as a mom, 我决定在我的comps项目中使用这个案例，并将采访20位教师，以确定新墨西哥拉丁裔ELL和移民学生是否接受了与语言和文化相关的教育，以及新墨西哥州是否满足了MALDEF在这些领域和资金方面的要求.
LLAS部门让你觉得你真的有一个社区和家庭支持你和你的目标的每一步.
What do you find most compelling about studying LLAS?
能够了解一个美国有着如此多直接/间接历史和参与的地区，对于成为一名具有全球意识的学生至关重要. 我喜欢这里有很多课程，因为LLAS是一个真正的跨学科研究领域. I love being able to learn about the history of Latin America, 文化和现代问题，以及拉丁美洲人如何成为美国文化的重要组成部分.S. despite discrimination and inequality.
What is the vibe of the LLAS department?
Community-based. LLAS部门让你觉得你真的有一个社区和家庭支持你和你的目标的每一步. I still remember when I declared LLAS as my major, Professor Villa gave me a tajín-covered mango lollipop!
Do you have any advice for a student considering a major in LLAS?
Take “Chicano Education” with Professor Solórzano or any class with Professor Villa. “墨西哥裔美国人教育”是我在LLAS开设的首批课程之一，它完美地融合了拉丁美洲/拉丁裔的历史和与拉丁裔有关的现代问题.
Andrea Marquez ’22
Hometown: El Paso, TX
Major: LLAS; minors: education, history
Can you describe your working relationships with LLAS professors? Are there any standout classes you’ve taken?
Every professor I’ve had in the LLAS department has been so great. 有几位教授教过我好几门课，在Oxy的这段时间里，我和他们的关系越来越亲密. 我鼓励大家都去上这门课的两位教授是历史系的Puerto教授和教育系的Solórzano教授. 两位导师教授的课程都与LLAS有双重联系，并不遗余力地让你成为更好的作家和批判性思考者.
Can you describe your senior comps project?
For my senior comps, 我在研究十大正规网赌平台低收入拉丁裔学生的高中经历. 我想更多地了解他们所拥有的帮助他们进入大学的社会资源.
As a declared major, 我可以继续在多个院系上课，同时研究拉丁美洲和拉丁裔身份的各个方面.
What do you find most compelling about studying LLAS?
LLAS部门通过为学生提供灵活的课程作业，将跨学科教学提升到一个新的水平. Students who attend a liberal arts college already receive an interdisciplinary education, but that form of teaching is much more present within the LLAS department. As someone who jumped between majors a lot, 我发现自己被不同系的课程吸引，这些课程都强调拉丁美洲或拉丁人. Now as a declared major, 我可以继续在多个院系上课，同时研究拉丁美洲和拉丁裔身份的各个方面.
你毕业后的抱负是什么?文科课程是如何帮助你塑造这些抱负的?
Right now, 我正在申请研究生院，攻读教育学硕士学位，主修政策. I’m still figuring out what my ambitions are long-term, but I can see myself working in a school setting with K-12 students.
Do you have any advice for a student considering a major in LLAS?
If you’re considering LLAS as a major but aren’t sure, I highly recommend you reach out to Professor Villa. Besides being a great professor, 维拉教授会不遗余力地让你觉得自己是系里的一员，并定期与他的学生进行交流. 他会给你介绍一下系里的情况，然后你就可以作为一名申报的专业离开他的办公室了!
What is the “vibe” of the LLAS department?
Since it’s a relatively small department, LLAS majors are really supportive of one another. 在Oxy学习期间，我们一起上了很多相同的课程，我们在课堂内外都相互支持.
Amanda Medina Segura ’22
Hometown: Lockport, IL
Majors: LLAS, psychology
Can you describe your working relationships with LLAS professors? Are there any standout classes you’ve taken?
我在Oxy上过的一些我最喜欢的课程都是由LLAS教授教授的，因为他们的教学风格很有启发性. I have had the honor of taking multiple classes with Professor Puerto, who has had a major influence on my development as a student—especially with writing. 维拉教授教授一门“拉丁文学与文化”的课程，这门课程向我介绍了一些我至今最喜欢的书.
Have you taken part in any student research opportunities at Oxy or elsewhere?
I took part in the Summer Research Program at Oxy during the summers of 2020 and 2021. These opportunities provided me with amazing research experience. 我最近被接受在少数民族学生年度生物医学研究会议上展示我的2021年夏季研究项目.
文科的方法帮助我把我对心理学的兴趣与拉丁美洲和拉丁美洲的研究结合起来.
What was your motivation to major in LLAS?
在我的LLAS高级项目中进行我自己的跨学科综合研究项目的机会是我主修它的动力. At first, I was a dedicated LLAS minor who had taken a majority of the classes LLAS offered. Now, as a LLAS major, 我有机会接受Trevizo教授的专家指导，因为我在做我自己的关于拉丁生殖和性健康的项目.
你毕业后的抱负是什么?文科课程是如何帮助你塑造这些抱负的?
I hope to work as a culturally based mental health therapist for the Latinx community. 文科的方法帮助我把我对心理学的兴趣与拉丁美洲和拉丁美洲的研究结合起来, 这能让我了解拉丁美洲各亚群体的复杂情况，他们都需要自己的文化相关护理.
Do you have any advice for a student considering a major in LLAS?
我强烈建议任何考虑选择专业的人都去找LLAS的老师和附属的老师，因为他们都是非常善良的教育者，非常愿意支持和指导学生. The LLAS department has offered me endless support that I will always be grateful for!
To see more Meet Our Majors profiles, visit the main page.