College of Letters & Science
In early March, community members gathered for “Reporting on immigration in times of crisis: Wisconsin and beyond” at the Memorial Union Play Circle at UW–Madison. This public discussion, presented by the Center for Journalism Ethics and co-sponsored by the Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies Program and the Office of Strategic Communication, was facilitated by the Madison-based …
This past Spring, the Chicane & Latine Studies Program hosted two panels as part of its year-long Speaker Series on “Building Communities of Care and Resilience in Times of Crisis.” As a field grounded in histories of struggle and resistance, we wanted to encourage an open discussion on the myriad ways in which Latinx/e communities …
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 …
How do we grapple with uncertainty and a new wave of hostility towards Latinx and Chicanx populations in our current times? While dreaming radically of and for the future is essential work for communities and individuals, analyzing our history can aid and guide us in that dreaming. In the spring of 1974, Chicanx/e students from …
On April 4th, 2026, CLS faculty and students took a field trip to Chicago to see two art exhibits. The first exhibit, titled “Rieles and Raíces,” was co-curated by an alumnus of the CLS Program, Ismael Cuevas (’10). Cuevas invited CLS faculty and students to come for a guided tour of the exhibit at …
Sending you all good wishes in this beautiful Wisconsin spring! Our spring graduation ceremony has buoyed our spirits! Watching nearly 100 students walk across the stage to receive their degrees and certificates in Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies (24 majors, 61 certificates) while hundreds of family and friends cheered them on from the audience represents the …
Three scholars deliberated recent and present American movements in “Migration, Resilience, and Community Building in Times of Crisis”, a title Sociologist Dr. Stephanie Canizales acknowledged from the podium. “What can I say to meet this moment,” she asked. Her answer was a question: “How was it?” Canizales has been listening for six years: her research …
The University has included CLS certificate and Racine native Roselyn Pacheco in a list of some notable Spring 2026 graduates. Pacheco says that coming to UW–Madison as a first-generation Latina freshman “meant stepping into spaces I wasn’t always sure I belonged in.” She struggled her first year on campus but soon realized that “the beauty …
CLS affiliate and budgeted faculty are prominent among those recently honored by the University with Vilas Awards. These include Aurora Santiago Ortiz (CLS/Gender & Women’s Studies) and Christopher Saldaña (Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis), who received Vilas Early Career Investigator Awards, and Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, (History), who received the Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award. Both awards …
The CLS Program is delighted to announce that juniors Xochitl Ortega-Mendez (’27) and Prisila Balderas-Rascon (’27) have been awarded this year’s Jesús Salas Academic Activist Scholarships, and Ashley Gorostieta (’27) and Kalani Rodríguez-Jiménez received Somos Student Professional Development Awards. A Political Science/International Relations major, Xochitl is pursuing the certificate in Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies. Originally from Milwaukee, she …