On May 9, 2026, the Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies Program celebrated the achievements of its Class of 2026, recognizing 24 students who completed the BA/BS in Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies, 61 who completed the certificate, and one who completed the doctoral minor. Hundreds of relatives of this year’s graduates packed the large auditorium classroom in Sewell Social Science Hall to show their support for the graduates. Among the highlights of the ceremony was a stirring address in which CLS core faculty member Marla Ramírez shared her own struggles to complete a BA in California and reflected on the many difficulties that the Class of 2026 has faced. The Program also recognized Valedictorian Karla Martinez and Co-Salutatorians Alexa Iraheta and Karen Romo at the ceremony, as well as Prof. Benjamin Márquez, who is retiring from the University’s Political Science department after more than thirty years of outstanding teaching and research. Through the completion of their degree, the Program’s graduates have gained a deeper insight into ongoing racial inequality and social justice, helping them be more informed and empathetic when addressing issues of equity in the United States. Congratulations to all!
DOCTORAL MINOR RECIPIENTS
Anthony Lizárraga
CLS MAJORS
Gadiel Alcantara
Vanessa Bello Ruiz
Diana Bonilla
Lisbeth Cruz-Molina
Melissa Elvira Gonzalez
Ethan Frank
Amaryssa Garcia
Juan Carlos Garcia Martinez
Josiah Gomez
Kaelin Hansen
Joanna Hernandez Lopez
Lilia Juarez
Karla Martinez
Cristian Mendoza
Leslie Mendoza-Villanueva
Andrea Orellana
Vielka Perez Ramirez
Deisy Perez-Cabrera
Jennifer Reynaga
Nancy Reyes Temozihui
Ximena Sánchez
Tatianna Sanchez Mora
Valerie Silvera
Jocelyn Villa-Auquilla
Jasmine Zarate
CLS CERTIFICATE RECIPIENTS
Maria Agredano Sanchez
Sashary Almanza Vega
Alex Alonso-Cuevas
Ana Alvarado-Duarte
Lizbeth Amaro
Kaitlyn Ard
Andres Bañuelos-Perez
Lance Caballero
Amparo Campos
Olga Cisneros
Jack Cousineau
Pamela Cruz-Jimenez
Jamie Diaz
Isabella Escobar-Aviles
Kevin Felix
Melissa Figueroa
Serena Gacek
Estefany Gamon-Garcia
Chelsea Guardiola
Emily Guaman
Noor Hamed
Anissa Hernandez
Lucette Hernandez
Alexa Iraheta
Adrian Jauregui
Sascha Krause
Amaya Ledezma-Williams
Sam Lopez
Sofia Mardak-Kennebeck
Breanna Martinez
Jennifer Martinez
Lucia Mjaanes
Maya Moreno
Ashley Ocampo Reyes
Ella Olson
Maria Ordonez Atehortua
Roselyn Pacheco
Jocelyn Pedriana
Ava Peplinski
Ronan Piontek
Louis Raigosa
Gissel Ramirez-Ortiz
Natalia Reyes
Isabel Rockway
Melany Romero
Karen Romo
Elise Rouleau-Rivera
Aiden Ruiz
Spencer Runde
Gabriela Sanchez Sanchez
Gabe Schmidt
Ana Shriver
Samantha Silva
Joanna Soto
Angelica Suarez Benitez
Jack Taylor
Eric Tlatoa
Paz Vargas Hernandez
Angel Villasenor Manjarrez
Genesis Zumba