¿Qué Pasa, Ohio State? Spring 2023 Vol. 33, No. 2

Quiénes Somos

Rolando Rubalcava, Editor

Irma Zamora, Features Editor

Heloisa Rincon, Art Director

Yolanda Zepeda, Managing Director

Astrid Coste

Ben Gomez

Caleb Lee González

Cathy Saenz

Hannah G. Morrison

Heloisa Rincon

Irma Zamora

John Hurtado

Jonatan R. Jimenez

Karolina De Jesús

Katlin M.S. Romero

Melissa Guadrón

Natalia Fontenele

Nadia Hermida

Rolando Rubacalva

Yolanda Zepeda

¿Qué Pasa, Ohio State? is a student-led publication sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion celebrates the achievements of our Latinx community. Each thematically organized issue provides a space for Latinx voices to share, express, and highlight our experiences and ideas.

The Ohio State University is not responsible for the content and views of this publication. The publication does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the staff.

Cover Art

by Heloisa Rincon

A Stroll Through The Greenery: Diálogos at Franklin Park Conservatory

by Rolando Rubacalva

Contributor Spotlight: Vitor Vilaverde Dias

by Rolando Rubacalva

Featuring: La Pocha Nostra and Taco Reparations Brigade

By Hannah Grace Morrison

Why Can’t We F*ck over the CIA?:

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Critique

By Irma J. Zamora Fuerte

Colorism and Representation: A Critique of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights

By Nadia Hermida

Latin American Film Festival: Subjectivities in Conflict or in Conflictive Environments in Latin America

By John Hurtado

Solidarity with Latine Mural Artwork

By Rolando Rubacalva

Power In Movement: A conversation with Dr. Cathy Saenz

By Jonatan R. Jimenez

Latinxs at the Helm(?)

By Irma J. Zamora Fuerte

Research Highlight: Writing Programs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)

By Caleb Lee González

Amalia’s Keys to College Success

By Yolanda Zepeda with Amalia Rodriguez-Giusti.

Setting a Foothold: Variation on Latine Student Experience

By Ben Gomez

ALPFA: Shaping the Latino Leaders of Tomorrow

By Astrid Coste and Karolina De Jesús

Reforming Human Trafficking, One Program at a Time:

By Natalia Fontenele

Visualizing the concept of Latinidad in OSU through Codesign.

By Heloisa Rincon

Two Presidential Fellows: A Profile on Katlin Marisol Sweeney Romero and Melissa Guadrón

Cellophane wrapped together with printed paper cut outs.

Theme for the Spring ’23 Issue: “Souls of Latinx Folks”

“Deep in our hearts, we believe that being Mexican has nothing to do with which country one lives in. Being Mexican is a state of soul- not one of mind, not one of citizenship. Neither eagle nor serpent, but both. And like the ocean, neither animal respects borders.” - from Gloria Anzaldua's How to Tame a Wild Tongue

“The function of the university is not simply to teach breadwinning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools, or to be a centre of polite society; it is, above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between real life and the growing knowledge of life, and adjustment which forms the secret of civilisation.” -from W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk

When we collected the pieces for the Spring issue, we at Team Qué Pasa all felt like we were holding a bouquet of wildflowers. There were so many pieces from all corners of campus. Undergrads, grad students, alumni, faculty members, and student orgs. The pieces are so full of color, resonating a kind of vibrancy through your fingers. This issue touches on so many important aspects and themes like identity, student success, pop culture and how we see ourselves, and fighting back against censorship. We felt like we were tapping into something special- the kind of thing that’s unnamable, ephemeral, ever-present like the air we breathe. It soon hit us like a gust of wind: we were tapping into the Souls of Latinx Folks. In a time when our voices are getting louder and more numerous, contrasted with states trying to abolish the term itself, “Latinx” is something that will always meet resistance. The pieces remind us why that resistance is worth fighting.

While we were putting this together, our Art Director, who designed the astounding cover of this issue, reminded me of something that never occurred to me the whole time sitting in the Editor’s chair: this….is the last issue I will be working as Editor for Qué Pasa magazine. For me to graduate from my program, I will have to move on from OSU, which includes relinquishing my job at Qué Pasa. I’m happy to graduate, but I have to give up things, too. My soul is stirred, wondering what will happen after. If I can share one last thing in this Esquina to reflect how I feel, it’s this: it has been a pleasure, a privilege, and an honor to have this gig, and I’m thankful to have worked for such an important platform.

With Hope, Love, and a Penchant for Good Stories,

Rolando Rubalcava, Editor of Qué Pasa Magazine, Spring 2023

ROLANDO RUBALCALVA

A Stroll Through the Greenery:

Diálogos at Franklin Park Conservatory

By Rolando Rubalcava PhD Candidate, English

It’s a little over forty degrees on a chilly Sunday morning in Columbus. I’m on assignment, walking to the Franklin Park Conservatory, writing a piece about the latest exhibit, Diálogos, an art exhibition featuring works by seven local Latinx artists.

The opening is designed to remind you that you are not solely entering a space, but a discourse that has been in action for hundreds of years, with translations transcending each new generation. A reimagined alphabet is what you see first, using the names of famous artists and writers and words from the life of Christian Casas to signify A to Z. Afrocaribeños, Balsero, Colonialismo. Next to that is an art piece designed to both enlighten and discomfort; a painting made up of red, yellow, and green squiggles, giving the illusion of movement, swirling like red blood cells under a microscope. The exhibit reminds you that you are both entering a space of the unfamiliar while simultaneously feeling welcomed to learn more about the exhibit.

To the right, woodcuts by Eliana Calle Saari show the faces and visions of life in Colombia, contrasted by yellow color-spotting on top of black and white images. There are families and merchants walking down the street, next to surrealist visions of escaping the everyday, escorted by butterflies.

Soon, the ruralness of past lives become more pronounced. Mabi Ponce de Léon’s landscape piece reminds you of the fields workers visit, shining with beauty, but still associated with a grueling labor. The exhibit stirs my nostalgia, remembering the stories my parents told me about growing up on the land back home. There’s a flutter in my heart, but I can’t tell what it means. ■

Contributor Spotlight: Vitor Vilaverde Dias PhD Candidate, Spanish and Portuguese

By Rolando Rubalcava PhD Candidate, English

At Que Pasa magazine, we really appreciate past and present contributors who have helped advance the goals of the magazine, elevating the voices the OSU student body rarely gets to hear from. Vitor Villaverde Dias is one of those voices. A PhD candidate studying Latin American Culture studies, Vitor’s work is the kind that reaches beyond the classroom, asking challenging questions about identity. His work on identity seeks truth through the complexity of how people identify and what constitutes that identity. Is it your geographical location? The language you speak? The community you grew up in? Most anthropologists would say that it’s a combination of all of these things. Vitor’s work on Latinidad goes beyond these qualifiers, into how, in his words, “identity is something that comes from both inside the individual subject, but it is also an imposition from outside”.

A piece by Vitor that helps ground his perspective and contributions to this study is a piece he wrote under Dr. Ignacio Corona entitled “Drag Queens and the Brazilian Identity as Latinx: A Reflection on Structures of Power”. What started with an interaction at a drag show soon developed into a project that dives into the complexities of Latinx identity. A question that is often lauded at Brazilians is “Why don’t you identify as Lat-

inx?” The question itself is problematic for a lot of reasons, yet it persists in the Brazilian community, and permeates other non-white circles. Often, this question interrogates an internal struggle, like it’s something they must figure out for themselves. Vitor does almost the opposite. In his research, citing prominent scholars who actively contribute to this discourse, Vitor writes, “our identities are formed by a large number of experiences and a mixed number of categories of race, gender, national origin, sexuality, etc., that when put together complexify one’s identity. However, by being aware of the levels in which one accesses the dominant or resists it, there is a movement towards a liminal space in which people are not oppressed because of their race, gender, national origin, sexuality, etc.”.

Vitor emphasizes the power structures that dominate conversations about race and “who is what”, tracing a new understanding of identity itself as well as Latinidad. This is also sparked by a personal experience. To Vitor, and the millions of Brazilians on the planet, they wake up in the morning, knowing they’re Brazilian, yet outside voices, mostly those who would benefit from such categorizations, call Vitor Latino. It only takes a glance for people outside of his circle to make that assessment, one he never asked for. What makes Vitor’s work stand out is by including the questions he asks himself, then put into perspective by the authors he has studied. Citing Walter Mignolo, a brilliant ethnic studies scholar who fathered the term “decoloniality”, Vitor describes how the definition of Latinidad is honed, asking himself whether he constitutes as such, or not. He writes, “…the moments in which I am Brazilian and Latinx are the moments in which both identities ‘have a common epistemic, ethical, and political ground’. The moments in which I am both identities are centered in the intersections of what Mignolo calls Pensamiento Crítico from Latin America, and Latinx Studies in the U.S. Otherwise, I could never identify as a Latinx person in the U.S being Brazilian.” By including this perspective, he has not only emphasized the fluidity of identity, metaphorically represented through drag performance, but calls out the forces that impose that identity in order to reclaim his own positionality.

The complexities of such a question are not lost on Vitor, yet, sometimes, it doesn’t

need to be complicated. By showing his au dience what he cares about is the only thing needed to show how he feels about his Bra zilian identity. One of Vitor’s films, which was screened at the 46th Sao Paulo International Film Festival last year, is “Andor”, about one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors liv ing in Brazil. In the trailer of the film, it opens with Andor Stern looking at the camera and saying, “Eu não sou um herói, eu tenho sorte” (I am not a hero, I am lucky). No one has the right to call Andor a hero, the way no one has the right to misidentify someone simply because they don’t know, because it is his experience that only he has the right to name. Vitor captures that in his film.

There’s a fascinating contrast to this work, compared to his essay, that emphasizes a kind of pride for the Brazilian people. Putting these two next to each other helps highlight what Vitor really cares about the people of Brazil. ■

FEATURING:

LA POCHA NOSTRA AND TACO REPARATIONS BRIGADE

By Hannah Grace Morrison, PhD Candidate, Spanish and Portuguese

2022’s Day of the Dead in Columbus was a day of color, vibrance, and life. Hosted by Latino Arts for Humanity (LAH) at Green Lawn Cemetery, the event was attended by community leaders, organizations focused on Latinx life, and Columbus natives celebrating this annual tradition. A group at focus, one we at Que Pasa magazine love to showcase, was the Taco Reparations Brigade, led by Paloma Martinez-Cruz, part of the Spanish and Portuguese and English departments at OSU. On top of elaborate costumes and rich performances, the group was trained with La Pocha Nostra, a performance troupe dedicated to “erasing the borders between art and politics”. We wish to include a photo essay of this event, historicizing the work of such a beautifully transgressive group.■

Photography by Jordan Spayd

WHY CAN’T WE F*CK OVER THE CIA?

Black

Panther:

Wakanda Forever Critique

By Irma J. Zamora Fuerte PhD Candidate, English

When Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was announced, I was so excited to watch it! And when the trailer dropped, featuring Namor (Tenoch Huerta) alongside Shuri (Letitia Wright), the enthusiasm only tripled! I mean, when do we get to see big-budget, Marvel movies with Black and Latinx actors/narratives at the center? The first Black Panther was such a success, that I was excited for what they could bring for the Latinx community. I was also interested in how the MCU would reshape, if at all, the storyline of Black Panther after Chadwick Boseman’s death. All things considered, I had high expectations for the film, and perhaps that was too much to ask for a Disney-produced film...

*SPOILERS FOLLOW*

I want to start positive in this brief commentary on the film, since it did do a lot of good things. For starters, there were many raw scenes depicting the grief that T’Challa’s (and Boseman’s) death caused for the characters and the actors. The callbacks to his character and the specific focus of that grief

were important and beautifully incorporated into the plot. How does a whole country (and a legion of fans) grieve and honor such a large figure as T’Challa/Boseman? I think Coogler provides a possible and great path towards healing that we all needed as the audience.

Further, when introducing Namor, Talokan and its history, the film went all out in bringing forth the possibilities of a population unmarred by colonization. For those reading, I’m positive if you watch TikTok, you probably saw some iteration of Latinxs greeting each other with the Talokan hand gesture while "Con la brisa” played in the background. And, yes, this absolutely killed it! Like, can you imagine if the Spanish and all other European colonizers had not pillaged and raped and exploited Latin America? What would that look like? The scene where Shuri is observing all the people in the water living and existing free, outside of colonial influence, and fully equals to Wakanda is completely heartwarming and filled with hope—this was perhaps the highlight of the film for me. It was in these possibilities de-

picted that the film shined. But the questions posed then turned on themselves and the main conflict, as well as its resolution, left me.... deflated to say the least. Briefly, the main conflict arises after the CIA and US Navy forces find another source of vibranium somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, which everyone thought existed only in Wakanda. This causes Namor and Talokans to get on the offensive and attack the ship and people in it. Namor then threatens Queen Ramonda and Wakanda, blaming Wakanda for bringing attention to Talokan and vibranium. He demands that they bring in the scientist in charge of building the vibranium-finding device. This eventually leads to Shuri being captured by Namor and taken down to Talokan, where he proposes that Wakandans ally with Talokans against the rest of the world to protect each other or he will attack Wakandans.

This is the section that most intrigued me and probably caused the most internal conflict for me. Although I understand that most of the plot and motivation from Namor stems from the comic books, it is still fascinating to me that most of the driving conflict and eventual fighting that took place in the film is because of the refusal by Shuri and Wakandans to ally themselves with Talokan. Instead of joining the fight against the imperial forces of the US (the CIA, Navy, and the fictitious SHIELD), Shuri decodes that the real enemy is actually Talokan. Given the long history of intervention by the US through the CIA in Latin America and beyond, Namor’s request did not seem unreasonable. It’s like, why can’t we f*ck over the CIA together?

Not only that, but as my sister mentioned in our debrief, the film “also really painted it to be no way to be allies aside from battling it out because, yeah, make the minorities fight amongst themselves”.

It was this framing of “us vs. Them" that was disappointing and really left me with more questions than answers. Is there any potential in which minoritized groups can ally successfully against white imperialist forces? Where are the possibilities for this? Can colonization and its influence ever be erased?

I recognize that these are larger questions and perhaps too much to ask from a Disneyproduced film. Perhaps we must wait some more to get to potentially radical futures.■

COLORISM AND REPRESENTATION:

A Critique of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights

By Nadia Hermida Undergraduate, Health Sciences

In The Heights pays homage to the upbringing of Lin-Manuel Miranda and other Latinxs who grew up in America. According to an article by Barbara Maranzani for Biography, Miranda wanted to encapsulate the Upper Manhattan Hispanic community he grew up in as it faced gentrification. Throughout the plot, the setting of Washington Heights, the character representation, and the dialogue and relationships in the movie, the ideas of cultural citizenship flow. Cultural citizenship is a claim for marginalized groups to keep and uphold their differences while also belonging to a larger nation with a more dominant culture. This means giving lessrecognized groups in society a place and chance to express themselves and their culture without trepidation and eventual assimilation. Although the Latinx community is one of the largest growing minority groups in the United States, their representation in modern film accounts for only small percentages. Throughout the movie, Latinx representation creates an homage to culture and humanizes the experiences of Latinxs. This movie was progressive for having an entire film focused on a blended

Latinx community, and bringing Latinx culture to mainstream audiences, though it fell short in some essential aspects.

The movie emphasizes Latinx culture by sharing the realistic experiences of the individuals within its community. Character selection is an incredibly important part of any film as they convey the story to the audience; however, when representing such a diverse culture, it is important to make space for those of all ethnic backgrounds and races. In the Heights’ starring cast was diverse, including actors of African American, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Argentine, Panamanian, and Dominican ethnicities. The main characters of Usnavi de la Vega, Vanessa, Nina Rosario, and Abuela Claudia are great examples of characters from different ethnic backgrounds and somewhat similar ubringings who find their way and attempt to expand their futures while facing adversity.

In terms of good representation, In the Heights did a great job of selecting a diverse class to play its leading roles, and highlighted many Latinx cultures by using music, dance, and food. For music in the film and the original Broadway musical, Miranda chose to incorporate many different styles of music (“Language, Music, and Dance”). For example, songs throughout the film have rap, hip-hop, traditional musical theater, and Latin rhythms of salsa, merengue, and samba influence (“Language, Music, and Dance”). These different styles of music claim sonic space and give a voice to all the groups in which these styles of music originate. According to an article written by Portland Center Stage, examples of songs in these styles from the film include “96,000”, for a more rap and hip-hop influence, and ballads such as “Breathe” for musical theater influence. Importantly, Latinx representation comes to fruition within the Latin rhythms seen throughout the film in the background score and songs of the film. The influence of Salsa, Merengue, and Samba according to the article, “reflects the many cultures that come together in the heights” (“Language, Music, and Dance”).

Although there was a diverse group of dancers in the film in terms of “skin tone and styles” (Kourlas), the film largely lacked

this diversity with its main cast. This lack of diversity was the main cause of backlash against the Film. The film lacked greatly in representing the Afro-Latinx community. Something that is crucial as the film tried to represent the entire Latinx community within Washington Heights. The lack of Latinx representation is also disheartening as the original historical Washington Heights had a very large Afro-Latinx community. Written for National Public Radio, Monica Castillo discusses how colorism is prevalent throughout In The Heights. Castillo touches on how In The Heights fell short in their representation of the Afro-Latinx and indigenous community whose livelihood was a large part of the real Washington Heights. Castillo also discusses how director Jon Chu shared that “we were looking for the people who were best for those roles specifically” (Castillo). He also spoke about how Afro-Latinos were cast as dancers and extras, which was a hurtful response implying that opportunities were denied to the darker-skinned actors who have auditioned since their light-skinned colleagues had more opportunities and jobs on their resumes. Castillo put it best when she said, “In The Heights wasn't going to solve decades of media exclusion and centuries of colorism, but perhaps it can start a movement towards a diversity that is actually inclusive” (Castillo). This movie had the opportunity to start a sort of revolution for Latinx representation, but it lacked inclusivity which in turn caused more hurt than progression for typically underrepresented Latinx groups. ■

“In The Heights wasn't going to solve decades of media exclusion and centuries of colorism, but perhaps it can start a movement towards a diversity that is actually inclusive” (Castillo).

LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL:

SUBJECTIVITIES IN CONFLICT OR IN CONFLICTIVE ENVIRONMENTS IN LATIN AMERICA

By John Hurtado PhD student, Spanish and Portuguese

It is clear to me that growing up in conflictive environments opens up different possibilities for subjects to develop their personality and life plans, while allowing forms of expression for people to display their thoughts, sufferings, or anguish. I am especially interested in artworks that depict the lives and struggles of victims of violence or who have grown up in conflictive environments. I have researched the role of artwork made by victims, or that displays the struggles of the victims of violence, in Colombia and how they raise their voices, express their emotions, denounce injustices and try to rebuild a life after the damage suffered. My main interest in how films work as devices comes from how they assist the subaltern subjects; those who need to be listened to and denounce the injustices they have experienced. Thus, with this film festival, I intend to show the struggles of different populations in Latin America, expose part of their contexts, show their emotions, defend their dignity, and tell the world that they are still standing and fighting for their rights and ways of life.

For this festival I have proposed the theme ‘Subjectivities in Conflict or in Conflictive Environments in Latin America’. It is made up of six films.

Lastly, this film festival was possible thanks to a Pragda grant I got in November 2022. It was a big challenge, but I got support from my colleagues and professors and the co-sponsore of SPPO, CLAS, TFMA, OIA, the department of history and the center for ethnic studies. The organization is quite a challenge, but it is always worth to show the realities of life in Latin America and the greatness of the Latin American people.■

Image source: Freepik.com

1.

2019): It displays the recruitment and participation of children in war

(Aurélio

2020): It shows the damage to the Amazon rainforest and indigenous communities throughout history.

5.

(Jayro

2015): the film exposes indigenous cultures, their beliefs, while raising questions about women rights within indigenous communities.

2.

2013): it questions the formation of identities amid a complex social context, such as the struggle of indigenous communities to survive and preserve their culture.

4.

2019): it unfolds part of the history of violence in Colombia and establishes debates around the formation of subjectivities of the population amid the armed conflict.

6.

this documentary tells the story of Andor Stern, the only Brazilian-born who survive the Holocaust.

Monos (Alejandro Landes,

Yvy maraey (Juan Carlos Valdivia,

Pirotecnia (Federico Atehortúa,

3. Segredos do Putumayo

Michiles,

Ixcanul-Volcano

Bustamante,

Andor (Vitor Vilaverde, 2022):

Mayahuel by Isabel Francis

Bongue, Vrinda Munoz, and Cat Ramos

SOLIDARITY WITH LATINE MURAL ARTWORK

By Rolando Rubalcava PhD Candidate, English

In October of 2022, a mural designed by three Columbus artists, Francis Bongue, Vrinda Muñoz, and Cat Ramos, was finalized and placed on display at the 934 Gallery in the Milo Arts District, just outside of Columbus. As the mural was finalized, and about two days after the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, the landlord of the building sent a message to the 934 Gallery and said the mural needs to be removed. Mayahuel is depicted nude, which has drawn criticism from neighbors, prompting the owners to respond. The result was censoring the image with an iron gate, akin to, as Cat Ramos points out, a claw sexually assaulting the image. This issue is not solely one of censorship, but of power and institutional racism. We wish to highlight this image, as a magazine which also serves as a platform for Latinx artists, as well as a magazine that calls out the censoring of marginalized voices.

We at Qué Pasa magazine wish to show our solidarity with the artists by sharing the statements from the artists themselves in response to this move. ■

POWER IN M O V E MENT

A conversation with Dr. Cathy Saenz

By Jonatan R. Jimenez Graduate student, Kinesiology

Dr. Catherine Saenz is an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University. She specializes in exercise physiology and nutrition, and her primary areas of focus include athletic populations and investigating metabolic health and disorders with a focus on women’s health and underserved communities. Jonatan Jimenez caught up with Dr. Saenz to learn more about her academic journey.

JJ: What is your journey--what experiences led you to study exercise and nutrition? Did you always know that you wanted to be a professor?

CS: I’ve always loved exercise and being active and always gravitated towards the health sciences. I started college as pre-med but it wasn’t quite clicking. A friend was a KIN major and introduced me to his classes. I had no idea you could study exercise as a major! I switched my major sophomore year and loved it. My classes, the labs, my internship experiences, my professors and friends in the major- it was great. I was always interested in research but I also liked hands on, practical applications and that led me to pursue graduate school and a human performance lab setting. I had the opportunity to join a really cool, translational research lab

that was studying how different supplements and diets combined with different types of exercise affected health at the University of Connecticut under the direction of Dr. Jeff Volek (who is now a Professor at Ohio State!). To be honest, I did not know I wanted to be a professor! *laughs a lot* I worked in other areas after graduating and really enjoyed all of them. They had many of the things I was looking for: team-based, collaborative environments, translational work, and a chance to work with great people. But I missed two major things: working with students and working on novel and pioneering research.

JJ: Has your identity as a woman or a Latina shaped your research or influenced the kind of scholar you want to be?

CS:I think it helps me have a unique lens at how I look at health issues and disparities. I can relate to some of the challenges we see in our health system right now because these are things that directly impact my family and community. I am interested in improving health and performance but also have a very personal connection that drives my areas of interests and research, which

Helpful Hints from Dr. Saenz

Reach out to us!

If you are ever interested in what we do in the lab, please reach out! No experience needed. We have several labs so you might be surprised by how expansive the research is. It is also a great way to gain other experiences as well like presenting at a conference, engaging in different parts of the research process, and meeting other students/graduate students and professors

Stay Connected

Stay connected with your professors and colleagues/friends from class--we want to see you succeed! Reach out to learn more about different opportunities in the field or to get involved or even just to say hello and stay in touch. I want to hear how you’re doing down the road!

certainly been shaped by my lived experiences as a woman and as a first-generation, Hispanic American.

JJ: What message would you like to share with others who aspire to be in careers in exercise/human sciences and kinesiology? CS: Get involved!

Email your Professors

If you aren’t sure where to start, a great place is by emailing a professor or instructor in a class you are enjoying--sometimes just hearing about what is available can help.

Communicate your feelings

One last thing would be if you don’t enjoy the experience you are in at the time, communicate with the location about how you may be considering another direction. There are so many areas of exercise science, and it takes time to find what fits. If you feel you are enjoying your classes or an area in the field, then there’s something there for you- we just need to find what that is and that comes with experience (like volunteering, internships, independent studies, etc.), time, and some initiative to reach out to learn more about what’s out there. ■

LATINXS AT THE HELM(?)

Profile of Juan Jose (John) Perez, new OSU Trustee

By Irma J. Zamora Fuerte PhD Candidate, English

In November 2022, Governor DeWine appointed attorney Juan Jose (John) Perez as a new trustee for the Ohio State University for a term spanning from November 2022 to May 2031. Given that OSU has very little representation of Latinxs in leadership positions, we at Que Pasa decided to elevate this news and profile our newest Trustee. Though we understand that Latinx perspectives are diverse and Mr. Perez does not and cannot speak for all Latinxs, we do hope that his work as a trustee continues to elevate voices from the community and promotes the interests of Latinx students at OSU and Columbus. Below is a brief overview of his work with his law firm and in the Ohio community.

According to the OSU website announcement, Juan Jose (John) Perez was born in Texas and worked as a migrant worker with his family. He settled in Toledo, Ohio and now resides in Westerville. As stated throughout his public profiles, Perez completed his undergraduate degree at Lee University and his law degree at the University of Toledo College of Law, where he has also served as a Trustee.

Mr. Perez is credited with founding the prominent Hispanic-led Ohio law firm, Perez Morris, in 1997. The firm is now a certified

women-owned business. He also boasts a long list of service appointments, certifying his commitment to both law practice and community service. According to the Perez Morris website, Perez’s legal expertise centers “complex commercial and business litigation including all forms of corporate transactions”.

Besides his lengthy resume in the legal realm, including admissions to several states’ supreme courts and the US Supreme Court, Mr. Perez is also active in philanthropy and community service. He is not only a trustee at OSU, but has also served as a trustee at the University of Toledo and as a board member of several foundations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. As is prominently displayed in the Perez Morris website, Mr. Perez is also the founding member of Vista Village, Inc., a nonprofit whose goal is to “provide safe housing and bring in supportive services to help the residents transition from a state of homelessness, marked by instability and insecurity, to a place of economic independence and permanence.”

We at Que Pasa are hopeful that this new member to the board of Trustees will uplift voices of marginalized communities and support the work of student-led organizations and activists. ■

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Writing Programs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)

By Caleb Lee González PhD Candidate, English

I am currently in my fourth year of research in the Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy Program. My dissertation research is inspired by Dr. Anne-Marie Núñez’s autumn 2020 course “Broad Access Institutions and Community Colleges.” In Dr. Núñez’s course, I learned what a Hispanic-Serving Institution is and how it is defined (e.g., largely by enrollment percentages) which was impactful to me. Until I came to OSU, I never learned that the colleges I attended in the Southwest were designated to support my learning because of my enrollment. They were literally getting funded for it, at least in part.

Today, my research seeks to examine trends in writing programs that can better inform administrators in developing culturally sustaining policies and practices that support student learning and persistence on their college campuses.

When I was an undergraduate student, I felt like some of my courses excluded my experiences, linguistic assets, and ways of learning, especially when it came to rhetoric and writing. For example, I once had a composition professor who banned the use of FANBOYS which are coordinating conjunctions that consist of seven words: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. She told the class

that to use these words was to be “ordinary” writers and if we did, we’d get points taken off. Today, I realize this was a gatekeeping practice of language which was riddled with expectations and assumptions of what “good” writing is and what it is not. This was a practice of centering the instructor’s experience, one that privileged her own white heteronormative experience of what “good” writing is and therefore, what all her students’ writing should be.

I think about what our Black and Brown students experience in writing classrooms, especially at institutions like the one I was in – one that gets funding, in part, because of its Latine student enrollment numbers. We know that first-year writing courses are often tied to a general education requirement which means that many students must take the class and they must pass. Sí o sí.

Because HSIs are defined by the percentage of Latine students they enroll and not necessarily by how they support students, writing courses can differ widely across colleges and universities that carry the HSI designation. That’s why my research seeks to find out how first-year writing programs might better support students in ways where they can not only survive, but thrive. ■

Amalia’s Keys to College Success

By Yolanda Zepeda with Amalia Rodriguez-Giusti Office of Diversity and Inclusion; Undergraduate, Human Development and Family Science

Student life can be tough. There are many guidebooks, podcasts, and websites offering strategies for success. They tell you to go to class and participate, study three hours every day, and get organized, but often neglect what is most fundamental: your why. To be motivated for success, you have to define what success means to you. I recently met with second-year student, Amalia Rodriguez-Giusti, learning about her Buckeye experience. It became clear that she has taken charge of her why. I asked if she would share her experience with Qué Pasa readers so that you might learn from her process. Happily, she agreed.

Take charge of your college experience.

Amalia enrolled at Ohio State after graduating from a central Ohio high school, moved into her dorm, and started her Buckeye career. Over time, Amalia began to feel uninspired and unhappy as a student. She didn’t feel a sense of belonging in the dorm, and she began to doubt her choice of psychology as a major. “I feel like in the media, they paint this picture that as soon as you get to college everything will change for the better and you will find your place, but more often than not that’s not the case and you need to put in some work to find your place.” After her first year amid the throes of the pandemic, Amalia moved back home. With remote

classes and in-person activities on hiatus, Amalia could easily have disengaged entirely. Instead, she accepted responsibility for her college experience, then rolled up her sleeves and leaned in.

Decide what matters to you.

Amalia thought about what she cared about and what she needed to feel motivated and supported. She has a Peruvian heritage, but in Ohio she didn’t grow up with a lot of friends who shared her background. “I went to a high school that had very few Latina students, and most of my extended family is in Peru, so I really wanted a community where I could feel included and where I could bring my whole self, including my Latina identity.”

Don’t let things just happen to you, make them happen.

Searching for a space where she could embrace her Latinidad, Amalia reached out to others. She sent me an email introduction and asked about Latinx organizations and events. I told her about the University-wide Council on Latinx Organizations (UCLO) Toy Drive where she could learn about other Latinx groups. “I asked someone from the new Peruvian Student Association to meet me there so I wouldn’t attend alone, and I also signed up for the Latinx GroupMe to stay informed about future events.” That launched Amalia into student life, and she has never looked back.

Find self-care in community with others.

“It is important to take care of yourself if you want to be successful. I am interested in building networks where Latinx students can support each other.” Amalia is now serving in leadership roles in several Latinx organizations, including president of the Peruvian Student Association. “I want to help others who are looking for a way to connect to a supportive and welcoming community. That is why I also agreed to serve as Outreach Chair for UCLO. And that is why I am so excited about the new chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Incorporated. It is Latina-based and inclusive of women across the LGBTQ spectrum. Our motto is ‘Latin by choice, not by definition.’ And I am very excited to see it grow so other Latinas can create a closer family on campus.”

Define what success means to you.

Meanwhile, Amalia has not neglected her academic goals. She changed her major to Human Development and Family Science, and has also landed an opportunity to advance her research skills, joining the lab of Professor Autumn Bermea in the Department of Human Sciences. “We will be studying the experiences of Queer Latinx individuals who have experienced intimate partner violence. This is a great opportunity for me to get a hands-on experience with the research process”.

So, there you have it, Amalia’s Keys to College Success. We hope that you find some inspiration in her journey and that you will define what matters to you, and act on it. If you want to learn about any of the organizations mentioned here, or if you have questions for Amalia, you can reach out to her at rodriguez-giusti.2@osu.edu ■

By Ben Gomez Undergraduate, Political Science

Setting a Foothold: Variation on Latine Student Experience

Ohio State University is home to over 61,000 students, with around 3,500 of them Hispanic. As a first-year student who belongs to this community, I often find myself having trouble engaging with my Latine peers. Like a lot of Latine people, I do not look even remotely Hispanic, and I have lived in suburbs my entire life. I also speak very little Spanish, and oftentimes when I tell a person I am half Colombian, they doubt me. So how do I even begin to try and connect with Latine Culture? How can I establish a foothold in a culture that I have scarcely been exposed to?

To start building this connection with culture, we must look at heritage. Personally, almost all my Dad’s side of the family lives in Colombia, and we can rarely visit due to distance and how expensive it is. Heritage maps your ancestry– literally piecing together where you come from. More importantly, immersing yourself in the culture, any way you can, helps to create a foundation. This

could be eating the food, listening to the music, or even participating in tradition. I have visited Colombia a few times, but only once recently enough to remember it. My fondest memory is seeing the countless Christmas lights across Medellín, hearing fireworks go off to celebrate, and eating the most delicious food I’ve ever come across. Hiking in beautiful parks, shopping at street markets, and watching the rain fall on the mountains sums up my time in Colombia.

Of course, I am fortunate to have these memories. Many of my Latine peers do not have a chance to visit their families or nations far away. So, how can these people truly experience their culture without being present in it? The answer to this is community. Simply engaging with others that share your values is more than enough to engage in culture. At Ohio State, I haven’t tried to insert myself in the Latine community. I am partially afraid of how I would stick out, yet I know that there are others on campus just like me. That fact alone is enough to make me feel that I belong here, whether it is with Hispanic students or not. I haven’t solidified my foothold yet, but I know that by putting myself out there, I can find another home among people just like me. ■

ALPFA: Shaping the Latino Leaders of Tomorrow

By Astrid Coste and Karolina De Jesús VP of Member Relations & Development at ALPFA

The Association of Latino Professionals for America, or ALPFA, is an organization at Ohio State created to empower the Latine community with professional development. Previously known as the Hispanic Business Student Association, ALPFA made the transition to become an official student chapter in 2020. This transition has allowed ALPFA to expand its platform for all Latine students interested in professional development within every sector of the global economy. Those who participate engage in workshops surrounding various topics such as resume building, dressing for success, interview practice, and other beneficial topics to excel within the workplace. Each semester, ALPFA brings in various business leaders from Fortune 500 companies to discuss the various ways college students can engage and get involved with them, including internships or special program offerings. Previous companies that have attended these workshops include JPMorgan Chase, PepsiCo, Bath and Body Works, and Accenture. Some of the companies lined up for this spring semester are Abercrombie & Fitch, Deloitte, and P&G.

With ALPFA, Mentors are encouraged to engage with their mentees outside of the organization to provide guidance with the most prescient issues, such as looking for summer internships, discussing their major, and/or building a resume. All of these opportunities help encourage members to apply for the

National ALPFA Convention, currently being hosted in San Antonio, Texas this August. Members who are accepted are eligible for a scholarship to attend the three-day convention. The convention is held by the parent organization with a lineup of diverse companies interested in Latino student participation. These organizations will also be present during various workshops and dinners for students to interact and converse with the company’s representatives in a smaller, social environment. Students have left the convention with internships lined up for summer and post-graduation offers. If unable to attend the convention, the parent organization also offers one-day symposiums across the nation to network with companies on a smaller scale. A small group of Ohio State ALPFA members attended the September symposium in Chicago in 2022, interacting with companies such as Walgreens, and EY. Apart from professional events, ALPFA also hosts cultural social events to build a community within the organization called ALPFAmilia. This student chapter is run by a dedicated team of students creating as many professional opportunities as possible for the Latine community of OSU.

Scan QR CODE for meeting dates and membership info.

COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING, ONE PROGRAM AT A TIME:

Natalia

Fontenele’s

Thesis Project

a more engaging and interactive learning experience.

By Natalia Fontenele, MFA Design Alumna

My name is Natalia Fontenele, and my Masters thesis project involved working with a local non-profit organization called “She Has a Name” (SHAN) that fights against human trafficking through educational initiatives. Together, we successfully completed four projects aimed at improving the effectiveness of one of their educational programs, the John School. John Schools are programs that aim to educate men who have been arrested for soliciting sex (also known as “johns”) about the issues surrounding prostitution and the consequences of sponsoring it, including sexually transmitted diseases, sex trafficking, the legal system, and much more. All four projects we collaborate on have contributed to improving the effectiveness of the John School program, whether it's enhancing the learning experience for johns or enhancing the sharing of best practices for John Schools administrators.

In our first project, we redesigned the SHAN's John School program curriculum to include active learning for johns in order to enhance their educational experience. With this initiative, we aimed to give participants

The second project was the creation of an online database that lists all John Schools around the world. This proved to be a valuable resource for administrators and participants alike, as it provided a comprehensive overview of the different programs available worldwide. Still aimed at John School administrators, the third project involved creating an online community for them to talk about current challenges and share best practices. This website provided administrators with a useful channel for exchanging knowledge and advice.

The fourth and final project included interviewing three John School administrators to collect best practices insights. Through these interviews, we were able to gather valuable information about what works and what doesn't in John School programs.

Overall, I think the main challenge of my research was learning about sex trafficking more in-depth. It was a challenging subject to explore, but also an important one to understand in order to make a meaningful impact in the fight against human trafficking. Despite the difficulty, it was a valuable learning opportunity and I am proud of the work SHAN and I accomplished together. ■

VISUALIZING THE CONCEPT OF LATINIDAD IN OSU THROUGH CODESIGN.

By Heloisa Rincon MFA Student, Design Research and Development

During the fall, I had my first course in co-design, and one of the assignments consisted of doing an independent research project using its methods. The whole experience was really enriching. But if you are already asking yourself what co-design is, don’t worry--I will give you some context. Co-design or Co-participatory Design, as stated by Sanders & Stappers (2008), “…refers to the creativity of designers and people not trained in design working together in the design development process.” Thus, it is a process where Designers and Non-Designers work together to ask questions and find answers to a specific problem.

To start, I had to choose a problematic issue I was curious about and interested in investigating. As a Brazilian and Latin American, I have always been intrigued about how the concept of “latinidad” is complex and varies a lot from country to country. When I started to work for Qué Pasa Magazine, this curiosity got stronger because I had the opportunity to work closer with Latinos from different backgrounds and learn from other perspec-

tives. I saw this independent project as an opportunity to learn more about my culture and my coworker's culture too, and understand better how the Latinx or Latine community sees themselves.

At the beginning of the project, I had some questions that I wanted to look closer into and would define the scope of the research. I wanted to ask, “What is Latinidad for Latinos?”; “What makes us similar to be considered a group or a community?”; “How can we visualize in a more tangible way this complex and abstract concept?”. To put these questions in charge, I first did some secondary research to understand some academic and common sense concepts of latinidad. Then, I designed a codesign workshop using a mix of codesign tools such as Individual experience mapping and Image collaging focusing on cultural experiences. I call it Shared Cultural Experience Mapping.

The day before the workshop, I asked the participants to think about 5 things that represented their country and culture and if it is possible to bring pictures or artifacts that represented it the next day. On the day of the workshop, we had a big piece of white paper, colored pens, posts, and paper cutout in abstract and figurative shapes. I asked the participants to talk about the 5 things

Participant’s Origin

44.4% Brazil

33.3% Mexico

22.2% Colombia

that they chose. After they shared with the group what they brought, I asked them to attribute values to those things with words or drawings. Then, after each participant of the group had contributed, I asked each participant to find connections between the cultural elements they brought to the workshop. Finally, I asked them to define in one word what was latinidad or what being a Latinx/ Latine person meant to them.

The reason why I chose this approach and tools for the workshop was to try to help the participants visualize the concept of latinidad more effectively, which can often be abstract and all over the place. Also, it could help them make connections, find similarities and differences, and empathize with the other participants. In total, 9 participants from 3 Latin American countries joined the codesign session.

Define Latinidad in one Word

This was asked to each participant. Here are their answers separeted by their origin.

Gratitude; Vibrant; Resilient Innovation Diversity

Pround; Example; Openess; Optimism.

What does bring us together?

Joyful people; A deep connection w/ food and gatherings; Deep connection w/ family; Passionate way to see life; Deep connection w/ music Migrant work activism; Art as activism; Art as way to forget problems.

It was my first time organizing and mediating a co-design workshop. As an introverted woman that has to deal with social anxiety on a daily basis, challenges like this can be a little bit overwhelming. However, I really liked the overall experience. I learned a lot by listening to each participant’s stories, backgrounds, and why they chose those specific items to share. In this experience I felt connected to people. I felt like part of the research itself; not as a distant researcher that is there to observe, analyze and collect data, but to engage and to create tools to make people feel more comfortable to share their stories, to discuss things that are so relevant in their lives and create new realities. I still don’t have exact answers to the questions I raised, but I learned a lot about a topic that needs more attention.

TWO PRESIDENTIAL FELLOWS:

A Profile on Katlin Marisol Sweeney Romero and Melissa Guadrón

We at Qué Pasa Magazine love highlighting the work of Latinx academics. This year’s Presidential Fellows include a number of Latinx scholars from a number different disciplines. They include Linda Capito Ruiz (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Guillermo Castillo Martinez (Electrical and Computer Engineering), and Paola Enriquez Duque (Spanish and Portuguese). To be selected is to be among the most hard working, passionate, and dedicated academics on campus, and comes with a full year of funding for their graduate studies. It’s a joy to see so many Latinx scholars selected for such an elite group of academics.

This year, two Latinx scholars, and friends of Qué Pasa magazine, were awarded the Presidential Fellowship for the 2023-24 year! Katlin Marisol Sweeney Romero (Latinx Studies and Popular Culture) and Melissa Guadrón (Rhetoric of Health and Medicine and Disability Studies), both PhD Candidates in the English department, are being recognized for their academic research and rigor. Both of these scholars are doing brilliant work in their respective fields, and, in light of this award, we’d like to highlight it here by showcasing excerpts from their dissertation abstracts.

Katlin’s dissertation project Social Mediated Latinas: Creating and Contouring Digital Latina Looks in the Twenty-First Century “documents how new forms of Latina celebrity, media viewership, and cultural critique emerged in the twenty-first century with the onset of entertainment streaming platforms, online subcultures, and the social media influencer industry on the internet… This project uses a combined approach of content, reception, production, and star persona analysis to examine the social media posts related to Latina representation that are produced, viewed, and responded to by U.S.-based Latina cultural producers on the internet.” Her research is both insightful and progressive as she investigates how “Latinas act as cultural producers whose online activity builds on existing mass media depictions of Latinas while simultaneously interrogating the star marketing strategies, beauty standards, and stereotyped narratives that U.S. legacy media industries have projected onto them”. By applying a critical look at her subject, Katlin argues that these content creators develop self-representational narratives and engage in identity-related

discourse that ultimately shift public perceptions of Latinas’ racialized and gendered aesthetics, public personas, and on-screen depictions in and beyond Hollywood.”

Melissa’s dissertation project Networks of Exchange: A Rhetorical Investigation of Pre-Professional Coalition-Building, Experiential Learning, and Social Work “advances scholarly conversations on rhetorical theory, coalitional learning, and interprofessional communication among healthcare students through an investigation of simulation-based learning. This dissertation is a Rhetoric of Health and Medicine (RHM) project influenced by Critical Disability Studies, Technical Communication, and social work”. Looking specifically at the goals of her research, Melissa examines how “…ongoing public health crises have shone a spotlight on how important timely, coordinated communication is for interprofessional healthcare teams. Because patient lives are stake, interprofessional care and communication needs to be reexamined. Doing so at the level of interprofessional healthcare education and training can uncover root causes of miscommunication and suggest improvements not only for communication practices but

collaboratively coordinated patient-centered care.” As she states in her abstract, “…my dissertation project argues that research and pedagogical collaborations between healthcare educators and rhetoricians can mutually enrich interprofessional education, experiential learning, and rhetorical theory. In this study, I consider research questions such as: How might pre-professional healthcare training, specifically experiential learning, respond to critiques about the efficacy and ethics of simulations? How might rhetorical and social work theories mutually inform one another to improve communication practices in healthcare contexts? And more generally, how can rhetorical theory be put into practice to support students on interprofessional healthcare teams as they navigate complex workplace networks through strategic coalitional work?”

The work these two scholars are advancing address issues that directly impact the Latinx student population, including understating the ethos of representations as well as health disparities that disproportionately impact people of color. From the questions they pose to the impact their research will have on the community, Melissa and Katlin are doing the work that deserves being recognized for its tenacity and urgency. This year, they are getting that recognition on a campus-wide level, and we could not be happier to see that.

We are pleased to see two strong Latinx women as part of this year’s Presidential Fellows, and we wish nothing but the best in their academic endeavors. ■

As our editor long-time editor, Rolando, shared in his Esquina, this is his last issue with us! We are saddened to see him go, but excited to see and hear about all of his future ventures and Negroni Instagram reflections.

Yolanda shared that Rolando is probably our longest-term editor and that is quite an accomplishment. He undoubtedly left his mark on Que Pasa and we will miss his leadership in the coming semester.

On behalf o the Qué Pasa team, I thank you for your service, Rolando. I look forward to taking the reins and continuing to serve the Qué Pasa community as editor starting next Autumn.

¿Qué Pasa, Ohio State? The Ohio State University

Hale Hall, Suite 200 154 West 12th Avenue Columbus, OH 43210-1132

Connect with Qué Pasa on Social Media:

Que Pasa OSU

@quepasaosu

Con cariño, Irma Zamora