Research Symposium

Latino Studies Undergraduate Research Symposium: Migration, Borderlands, and Activism

The Latino Studies Program’s Undergraduate Symposium is a biannual event that supports original undergraduate research in Latino Studies. Students pair up with a faculty mentor in the fall and work on a research project that will be presented at the symposium each spring.

This year's symposium — themed, “Migration, Borderlands, and Activism” — will be held on April 2 and April 3. This focus will allow participants to reflect on how the conception of borders has had a profound impact on the formation of the nation as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Read more about the symposium and its keynote lecture below.

Keynote lecture: April 2

On Thursday, April 2, Dr. Marla A. Ramírez — assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin — will deliver the keynote lecture opening the symposium.

Dr. Ramírez is the author of Banished Citizens: A History of the Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation (Harvard University Press, 2025), and there will be a book signing following her presentation.

Keynote lecture
with Dr. Marla A. Ramírez

April 2
4:30 p.m.

Dogwood Room
Indiana Memorial Union
900 E. 7th St.
Bloomington, IN 47405

The symposium is co-sponsored by the Department of History, the Department of American Studies, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Marla A. Ramírez

Dr. Marla A. Ramírez is a historian of the US–Mexico borderlands. She investigates how processes of mass immigration removals have imposed notions of illegality on citizens in their own native countries. Specifically, she centers the everyday experiences of women and children in families whose members hold varying legal statuses (citizens, legally admitted immigrants, and unauthorized immigrants)—what we refer to as “mixed-status” families today.

Her teaching and research interests include Mexican American banishment (generally referred to as “repatriation”), racialized citizenship, gendered migrations across the US–Mexico border, mass immigration removals, the making of illegality, historical methods, and the history of Latinx/es in the United States.

Her first book, Banished Citizens: A History of the Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation (forthcoming with Harvard University Press, October 2025), examines the mass removals during the interwar period (1921–1944) that expelled approximately one million ethnic Mexicans from the United States.

Symposium: April 3

Undergraduates have a chance to gain research experience by taking part in the Latino Studies Undergraduate Research Symposium. This symposium allows students to look into topics that affect Latinxs in the U.S. and other Latinx transnational communities.

Students can work with a faculty member or graduate student mentor on their research projects, and will share the results of their work at the two-day symposium. A stipend is available to help students complete their projects.

Learn more about the symposium

Symposium

April 3
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Maxwell Hall
Cook Center
750 E. Kirkwood Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47405

Mentors and Students

Magaly Gastelum
Mentee: Alex Alejandre-Monroy
Affiliations: Spanish and Portuguese

Kathryn Graber
Mentee: Enrique Castañeda Buitimea
Affiliations: Anthropology, Central Eurasian Studies

Sylvia Martinez
Mentee: Alexandra Cabrera
Affiliations: Latino Studies, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Sonia Lee
Mentee: Xotchil Ramirez
Affiliations: Latino Studies, American Studies

Juan Ignacio Mora
Mentees: Maiah A. Diaz Sosa, Haley Vega
Affiliations: Latino Studies, History

John Nieto-Phillips
Mentees: Jimena Pena, Nanichi Signore-Flores
Affiliations: Latino Studies, History

Carolina Ortega
Mentee: Hannah Arroyo
Affiliations: Latino Studies, History

Solimar Otero
Mentee: Randilyne Santiago
Affiliations: Latino Studies, Folklore, Gender Studies

Olga Rodriguez Ulloa
Mentee: Natalia Ixmukane Brondo Peña
Affiliations: Latino Studies, American Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies

Daniel Suslak
Mentee: Enrique Castañeda Buitimea
Affiliations: Anthropology, Latino Studies

Alberto Varon
Mentee: Samuel Martinez
Affiliations: Latino Studies, English

Sonia Velázquez
Mentee: Enrique Castañeda Buitimea
Affiliations: Religious Studies, Comparative Literature

Alex Alejandre-Monroy
Mentor: Magaly Gastelum
Major: Human Resource Management
Minor: Spanish
Paper title: Local Voices on Healthcare Disparities and Challenges in Indiana’s Growing Latino Community

Hannah Arroyo
Mentor: Carolina Ortega
Major: History
Paper title: Incorporating Oral History into the Story of the Young Lords Organization in Chicago

Natalia Ixmukane Brondo Peña
Mentor: Olga Rodriguez-Ulloa
Major: Gender Studies
Minor: Comparative Literature
Paper title: Actors or Authors: The Zapatista Movement and Media Representation of Indigeneity

Alexandra Cabrera
Mentor: Sylvia Martinez
Major: Political Science
Minor: Latino Studies
Paper title: Beyond Traditions: How Family Roles Shape Latina Educational Aspirations

Enrique Castañeda Buitimea
Mentors: Daniel Suslak, Kathryn Graber, and Sonia Velázquez
Majors: Anthropology, Linguistics
Minor: Labor Studies
Paper title: Entre el Sabor y la Distancia: An Exploration of Re-Existence among Mexican Migrants

Maiah A. Diaz Sosa
Mentor: Juan Mora
Major: American Studies, History
Minor: Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Paper title: Intersectionality in Chicago’s Young Lords Organization

Samuel Martinez
Mentor: Alberto Varon
Major: Computer Science
Paper title: The Future of Higher Education in an AI World

Jimena Pena
Mentor: John Nieto-Phillips
Major: Political Science
Minor: Latino Studies
Paper title: The Trump-Era Narrative: Media and the Latino Experience

Xotchil Ramirez
Mentor: Sonia Lee
Major: Chemistry
Minor: American Studies
Paper title: Whose Death Is Grievable? Immigration, Respectability, and the Politics of Victimhood

Randilyne Santiago
Mentor: Solimar Otero
Major: Folklore and Ethnomusicology
Minor: Art History, Environmental Science
Paper title: Dancing to Home Plate: How MLB Walk Up Songs Reflect Migration Experiences in Puerto Rican Baseball Players

Nanichi Signore-Flores
Mentor: John Nieto-Phillips
Major: Anthropology
Minor: International Studies, Spanish
Paper title: Lived Experiences and US Migration

Haley Vega
Mentor: Juan Mora
Major: History
Minor: International Relations
Paper title: The Mask of Multiculturalism in Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood

Questions?

If you have any questions about the symposium or the keynote lecture, please contact Program Manager Ruth Vaca.

Research Symposium

Latino Studies Undergraduate Research Symposium: Migration, Borderlands, and Activism

Keynote lecture: April 2

Keynote lecturewith Dr. Marla A. Ramírez

April 24:30 p.m.

Dogwood RoomIndiana Memorial Union900 E. 7th St.Bloomington, IN 47405

Dr. Marla A. Ramírez

Symposium: April 3

Symposium

April 39:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Maxwell HallCook Center750 E. Kirkwood Ave.Bloomington, IN 47405

Mentors and Students

Magaly GastelumMentee: Alex Alejandre-MonroyAffiliations: Spanish and Portuguese

Kathryn GraberMentee: Enrique Castañeda BuitimeaAffiliations: Anthropology, Central Eurasian Studies

Sylvia MartinezMentee: Alexandra CabreraAffiliations: Latino Studies, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Sonia LeeMentee: Xotchil RamirezAffiliations: Latino Studies, American Studies

Juan Ignacio MoraMentees: Maiah A. Diaz Sosa, Haley VegaAffiliations: Latino Studies, History

John Nieto-PhillipsMentees: Jimena Pena, Nanichi Signore-FloresAffiliations: Latino Studies, History

Carolina OrtegaMentee: Hannah ArroyoAffiliations: Latino Studies, History

Solimar OteroMentee: Randilyne SantiagoAffiliations: Latino Studies, Folklore, Gender Studies

Olga Rodriguez UlloaMentee: Natalia Ixmukane Brondo PeñaAffiliations: Latino Studies, American Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies

Daniel SuslakMentee: Enrique Castañeda BuitimeaAffiliations: Anthropology, Latino Studies

Alberto VaronMentee: Samuel MartinezAffiliations: Latino Studies, English

Sonia VelázquezMentee: Enrique Castañeda BuitimeaAffiliations: Religious Studies, Comparative Literature

Alex Alejandre-MonroyMentor: Magaly GastelumMajor: Human Resource ManagementMinor: SpanishPaper title: Local Voices on Healthcare Disparities and Challenges in Indiana’s Growing Latino Community

Hannah ArroyoMentor: Carolina OrtegaMajor: HistoryPaper title: Incorporating Oral History into the Story of the Young Lords Organization in Chicago

Natalia Ixmukane Brondo PeñaMentor: Olga Rodriguez-UlloaMajor: Gender StudiesMinor: Comparative LiteraturePaper title: Actors or Authors: The Zapatista Movement and Media Representation of Indigeneity

Alexandra CabreraMentor: Sylvia MartinezMajor: Political ScienceMinor: Latino StudiesPaper title: Beyond Traditions: How Family Roles Shape Latina Educational Aspirations

Enrique Castañeda BuitimeaMentors: Daniel Suslak, Kathryn Graber, and Sonia VelázquezMajors: Anthropology, LinguisticsMinor: Labor StudiesPaper title: Entre el Sabor y la Distancia: An Exploration of Re-Existence among Mexican Migrants

Maiah A. Diaz SosaMentor: Juan MoraMajor: American Studies, HistoryMinor: Latin American and Caribbean StudiesPaper title: Intersectionality in Chicago’s Young Lords Organization

Samuel MartinezMentor: Alberto VaronMajor: Computer SciencePaper title: The Future of Higher Education in an AI World

Jimena PenaMentor: John Nieto-PhillipsMajor: Political ScienceMinor: Latino Studies Paper title: The Trump-Era Narrative: Media and the Latino Experience

Xotchil RamirezMentor: Sonia LeeMajor: ChemistryMinor: American StudiesPaper title: Whose Death Is Grievable? Immigration, Respectability, and the Politics of Victimhood

Randilyne SantiagoMentor: Solimar OteroMajor: Folklore and EthnomusicologyMinor: Art History, Environmental SciencePaper title: Dancing to Home Plate: How MLB Walk Up Songs Reflect Migration Experiences in Puerto Rican Baseball Players

Nanichi Signore-FloresMentor: John Nieto-PhillipsMajor: AnthropologyMinor: International Studies, SpanishPaper title: Lived Experiences and US Migration

Haley VegaMentor: Juan MoraMajor: HistoryMinor: International RelationsPaper title: The Mask of Multiculturalism in Chicago’s Pilsen Neighborhood