Arizona State University sophomore Halle Aquino was born in 2001, on the heels of 9/11. Just 11 years later, when she was in sixth grade, 26 people tragically died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Unbeknownst to her, these devastating events and others would shape her path forever.

“I remember the day that the Sandy Hook shooting happened in 2012, I was watching the news and I couldn’t comprehend how something so cruel could happen at an elementary school just like mine,” Aquino said. “And then the Las Vegas shooting at Mandalay Bay in 2017 struck more close to home because my family always traveled there when I was younger. That was the breaking point for me. It motivated me to set myself out on this path and actually do the work that will make change.” Arizona State University sophomore Halle Aquino, a first-generation college student studying political science and public policy. Download Full Image

For Aquino, change means pursuing dual bachelor’s degrees in political science and public policy so she can one day tackle a variety of issues on a local and national scale. As a first-generation college student from a small town near Tucson, she said the opportunity to attend a university wasn’t guaranteed; earning several scholarships including the PepsiCo Foundation Scholarship, the New American University Scholar award and the President Barack Obama Scholar award provided the financial support she needed to go to ASU.

“If it weren't for the scholarships that I received, I would not be here,” she said. “I knew from the get-go in my freshman year of high school that if I didn’t work hard enough to get any academic scholarships, I would not be going to college. So I made that a priority and I put school over everything. I'm so glad that I did and I’m grateful that I got the opportunity to come here and fulfill my dream of being a college student.”

In The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Early Start program, an immersive two-week-long university experience for incoming first-year students, she was able to create a solid foundation for future success. Upon starting college, she said she was unsure of what to expect, but the program provided her a plethora of advice and resources on how to succeed as a student and as a growing professional within the field of political science.

When she’s not in class, Aquino works as a customer support peer with ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services. She said she finds it rewarding to help people of all backgrounds navigate their way to success. Along with being a full-time student and working as a customer support peer, she also interns with Undergraduate Student Government where she assists directors, contributes ideas for improvement at ASU, and ensures the student body is able to express their needs and concerns.

Aquino said she tries to push herself to do things outside her comfort zone, like participating in weekly meetings for BridgeASU, a student organization committed to debating the issues that face the U.S. while challenging conventional approaches to argumentation. 

“It's not always fun getting yourself to do things that you don't want to do, that you're scared of or anxious about, it can definitely be very challenging. But it is the most rewarding thing you can do and it will only push you to grow and be your best, highest self,” she said.

She has found herself in other unpredictable situations during her time at ASU, including attending classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, she moved back home to finish the spring semester online and said it was a surprisingly positive, transformative experience for her.

“Without this switch to online learning, I would have never known that I am equally as strong of a learner online and in-person. I ended up doing better academically in the spring than I did in my first semester,” she said. “The time I had to myself outside of school during the lockdown was the most reflective experience I've ever had in my life. There had never been a time for me to really sit back and evaluate the progress I’ve made in my 18 years of living. My life had always been so fast-paced that being able to rest and take time for myself was something I never truly learned to do and value.”

Although she is unsure where her path will lead professionally, she said wherever she ends up she hopes to be a catalyst for change.

“I hope to one day end up in a position where I'm not only happy in what I'm doing but also where I am a changemaker for a large group of people,” she said. “I don't know what that will look like exactly quite yet, but I just want to know I am doing the best that I can for the greater good of society.”

Jean Andino can never forget the wide-eyed look of shock on students’ faces.

She’d been invited to speak to students affiliated with the City College of New York’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program. In her talk, she described her life growing up in a struggling neighborhood in the Bronx, a borough of New York City where college can seem like an impossible dream. Download Full Image

Yet Andino not only went to college, she earned a prestigious Ivy League degree in engineering sciences at Harvard University and a doctorate in chemical engineering at the California Institute of Technology. 

“You grew up where?” students asked. “And you still made it to Harvard? How did you do that?”

Throughout her career, Andino, interim director of Arizona State University's Hispanic Research Center and associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, defied the odds to find success.

She was the first woman to be promoted and tenured in the history of the Environmental Engineering Sciences program at the University of Florida. A Puerto Rican, she received a Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers STAR Educator of the Year Award in 2017, when she estimated she was one of only 15 mainland U.S.-born Latinas in tenured or tenure-track engineering faculty positions in the nation. 

She’s earned numerous prestigious national awards, including a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, three NASA Space Act Awards and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. 

Jean Andino

To honor National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, we spoke to Andino about her trailblazing career and why she’s so passionate about her role at the Hispanic Research Center. The research unit of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences serves as a hub for academic exploration and distribution of resources in areas of importance to the Hispanic culture, both at the university and the community at large. 

“The Hispanic Research Center is important because it provides a forum for people to understand the great diversity that exists within the Hispanic culture,” she said. 

Home to an extensive collection of work by Hispanic artists, the center has showcased its collection through a variety of art shows, exhibitions and tours. For the first time in its 35-year history, the center is now hosting a virtual art exhibit titled “Mixing It Up.”

Alfredo Arreguín's painting "Return to Aztlán," featured in the "Mixing It Up" virtual art exhibit.

“As an engineer, I’m a big tech fan, so a virtual art exhibit totally makes sense,” she said. “Despite the pandemic, there still are some incredible opportunities to make connections where we might not normally make connections.”

Andino knows the value of connections in life. As she navigated her successful academic and professional career, trusted mentors were always by her side.

At the Bronx High School of Science, she first discovered her passion for engineering in a physics class that combined learning science with real-life applications. She honed her skills in mechanical drafting and created a cigar box ukulele as her first design build. 

“As a high schooler, taking science and applying it was the start of everything for me,” she said.

“When I left Harvard, I felt like I had the theoretical background I needed to succeed,” she said. “Harvard prepared me very well — to be broadminded in my engineering thinking and to be able to relate to people of different backgrounds. What I didn’t feel like I had was the full confidence to take some of that knowledge and translate it into something useful for the engineering field.”

She entered the male-dominated auto industry to work at Ford Motor Company, where her work focused on removing air pollutants. She characterized the reactions taking place on novel materials to be used in catalytic converters and determining the ambient air quality impacts of fuels and alternative fuels. After working for Ford for two years, she deepened her expertise at the California Institute of Technology, where she earned a doctorate degree in chemical engineering and her adviser encouraged her to teach at the university level. 

At ASU, Andino and her research team develop innovative solutions to air quality issues, such as air pollution control techniques and devices and pollutant-sensing technologies. Actively engaged in patenting and commercialization efforts, she is also a prolific author of journal articles and has served on high-profile boards, including multiple National Academies panels. 

As an associate professor, she teaches classes on air quality engineering and chemical reactor design, among others. She says one of her most rewarding roles is serving as a mentor to all students, particularly those who are traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering.

At her talk at the City College of New York, she first heard the magical words: “You’ve inspired me to go one step further than I would have thought of going.”

“Those are the conversations I live for as a faculty member,” said Andino, who relishes telling her story to underrepresented students to empower them to pursue their dreams and accomplish their goals. “Other than teaching, where else can you get that type of experience?”

5 noteworthy Hispanic and Latino contributions to society

We asked Andino for her top five picks of Hispanic and Latino contributions to American society. 

1. La Borinqueña, the first Latina superhero, featured in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. (La Borinqueña is also the title of Puerto Rico’s national anthem.)
2. Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and Latina member of the U.S. Supreme Court.
3. The cybersecurity CAPTCHA technology invented and patented by Luis von Ahn from Guatemala.
4. Musical artists that have influenced genres, including Marc Anthony (Puerto Rican), Celia Cruz (Cuban), Tito Puente (Puerto Rican from New York City), Rubén Blades (Panamanian) and El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.
5. The patent for a chemical that forms the basis of one of the first oral contraceptives was invented by a chemist from Mexico, Luis Miramontes.

What’s the difference between Hispanic and Latino?

Hispanic and Latino are often used interchangeably, though they actually mean different things. 

• Latino refers to a person of Latin American descent who is living in the U.S. “Latinx” is also sometimes used as a gender-neutral term in lieu of Latino or Latina.
• Hispanic describes a person who speaks Spanish, descended from a Spanish-speaking country, or both. 

The Arizona State University Library is about to receive new documents for archival and housing in their facilities. Upon first glance, the filing box that has stored these documents may not look like much, but inside are yellowed carbon papers, laminated news clippings, scanned documents, first-edition books and handwritten letters all chronicling the history of a Phoenix landmark and the man who helped build it.

These documents follow the life and legacy of Emmett McLoughlin, the founder of Saint Monica’s Hospital in Phoenix, which later became the Phoenix Memorial Hospital on Buckeye Road and Seventh Avenue. The hospital housed the first racially integrated nursing school west of the Mississippi River in the United States and ultimately became the first medical care facility for poor communities in Arizona.  An old Arizona Republic newspaper announcing Emmett McLoughlin's resignation from the Catholic priesthood. Photo courtesy of Rachel Bunning. Download Full Image

The hidden history contained in these papers were almost thrown out, but were saved by McLoughlin’s close colleague and friend Mary Neal Bennett. Bennett knew the documents were important and worked to make sure they were preserved and taken care of. She entrusted them to her good friend Barbara Lambesis, who is donating them to ASU. Lambesis and Bennett crossed paths when they both worked at the hospital and became good friends.

“(Bennett) was like my second mom, so we stayed very close until she died this last April,” said Lambesis. “She was 92 years old when she passed, so Mary trusted me one day about 11 years ago, she called me up and said, ‘Would you come over, I want to ask you to do something.’”

Bennett knew the significance of McLoughlin's work and waited to do anything with the documents until she knew his legacy would be documented properly. 

McLoughlin’s journey to building the hospital and nursing school was not an easy feat and stirred up some controversy along the way. It all began when he was ordained to the priesthood by the Roman Catholic Church in 1933. He took vows to uphold the church and his faith and changed his name from John Patrick to Emmett in the memory of an Irish saint to symbolize the beginning of his new spiritual life as a Franciscan priest.

A provincial council of the Franciscan Order sent McLoughlin to Saint Mary’s Basilica in Phoenix in 1934 where he was tasked with doing outreach in the community. The community he was sent to serve in Phoenix at the time was primarily poor Black, Hispanic and white people who were struggling to get by.

“And what he saw was this abject poverty,” said Lambesis. “That (people) were living in shacks, if they had a place to live. They were sleeping under the bridges. They had absolutely no health care at all. Women were giving birth to their babies under bridges and in shacks and the mortality rate was horrible.”

McLoughlin decided that to be the best priest he could be, he needed to tend to the people’s physical needs rather than just asking them to come to mass every Sunday. To help, he entered a subscription contest for a local Catholic magazine and won enough money to purchase an old grocery store in the area. The store was renovated into a church and social hall for the members of the community. 

“You can’t heal, you can’t have people turn to their spiritual needs until they have enough to eat, they have a place to stay, they have reasonable health care,” said Lambesis. “So that started him on a mission — so his little community center was called Emmett’s Mission.”

Although he was pleased with the center and the activities it provided to the community, he realized there was no clinic available to tend to people’s severe medical needs, especially the health concerns resulting from the lack of maternity care.

The building adjoined to the community center became the first maternity clinic in Arizona and offered a clean space for women to give birth, at-home birth assistance for free, access to birth control and treatment and testing for venereal diseases.

“It's definitely true that neither Phoenix nor Arizona had a well-developed health care system at the time, and Phoenix itself had fewer than 50,000 people in 1930,” said history professor Catherine O’Donnell, a facilitator of the document donation to ASU. “Because of poverty and discriminatory laws and practices, African Americans, Mexicans and Mexican Americans faced particularly great challenges when seeking health care.”

The church began reaching out to McLoughlin to let him know they were not happy with the medical practices happening within the clinic as it went against the beliefs of the church. At the time, the church did not believe in the use of birth control and believed that people with venereal diseases did not deserve to be treated because their disease was a reflection of their sins. But McLoughlin continued to provide the care despite the church's growing anger.

“It was equipped to be able to help them have their children and survive that ordeal and out of that ordeal came his desire to have a regular little clinic,” said Lambesis. “This community needed to have access to health care.”

He continued the clinic and became well-known as a champion of the community. On top of the clinic and community center, McLoughlin opened up the first playground in the area but wanted to help the community find stable and affordable housing as well. In 1939, he was appointed as the Chaplain of the Arizona House of Representatives and helped pass a bill to use federal funds for a Phoenix city housing project. Once the bill passed, he was appointed as the project's chairman. 

By the time 1940 came around, neither McLoughlin nor the church were happy with his priesthood. He thought they were inconsistent, and they thought he wasn’t representing the church and his faith well. The church still supported segregation and McLoughlin didn’t agree. 

“Although there were exceptions, the Catholic Church in the United States tended to follow the laws and social conventions that made the United States a segregated society,” said O’Donnell. “Some Catholic sisters and priests, among them McLoughlin, believed that their religion called them to challenge segregation, but the institutional church was slow in responding.”

In 1944 he raised enough money to open Saint Monica’s Hospital and nursing school and became the superintendent. The nursing school was the first interracial nursing school in the American West and the hospital was founded on the principles that everyone would be provided for no matter if they had money or not. 

“He had Japanese American, Native American, Black, Hispanic and white women,” said Lambesis. “The women of color and the ethnic groups could relate to the patients even better sometimes because there was this trust they had. They all got along together and everyone was tolerant of each other. It was an amazing sort of place.”

McLoughlin and the Provincial Council of the church wrote to each other about their disagreements and his future in the church. 

“They said he was not presenting himself as a man of faith, a man of Catholic faith, so they started to get on his case,” said Lambesis. “You will see there are letters going back and forth that they then decide he had a choice. He either had to give up being superintendent of the hospital and back off from that. He could still be involved, he could still be on the board of trustees but he could not be the person in charge and go back to running a civil church or they would ship him to Ajo.”

After years of back and forth, in 1948, McLoughlin decided to leave the priesthood and even went on to marry a woman, which caused a national uproar, especially among Catholics.

“He resigned (from the church), and that at the time was huge,” said Lambesis. “Then he married the medical records secretary of the hospital, who was divorced from the chief of staff, and that made national headlines.”

For a priest to leave the priesthood and go against his oath of celibacy by marrying a woman was big enough news. But add in the fact that she was a divorced woman, which at the time was against the Catholic church’s beliefs and practices, and you get some angry people.

People told Elizabeth Jones for years that she couldn’t be an engineer. But she knew that not only could she become one, but so could many others who didn’t fit engineering stereotypes.

Now, the fourth-year electrical engineering student in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University has been named one of the top contributors to the collegiate engineering community by the Society of Women Engineers, a global advocacy, service and educational not-for-profit organization supporting women and diversity in engineering and technology. Electrical engineering major Elizabeth Jones assists an elementary school student at GEAR Day 2018, an Arizona State University section of the Society of Women Engineers outreach event. Jones was recognized for her outstanding contributions to the Society of Women Engineers and the engineering community at ASU and beyond with a 2020 SWE Outstanding Collegiate Member award. Photo by Marco-Alexis Chaira/ASU Download Full Image

The SWE Outstanding Collegiate Member award is given to only 10 society members in the nation each year, celebrating those who demonstrate outstanding contributions to SWE, the engineering community and their university.

Jones has been recognized for “impressive academic drive, for tireless outreach and for mentoring and fostering a sense of empowerment and belonging among women engineers, well beyond the classroom.”

“When I was younger, I didn’t have people challenging the gender norm — I was told to teach, stay in the kitchen and be a housewife,” said Jones, now a high-achieving engineering student and president of ASU’s section of the SWE organization. “Those norms don’t need to stay around. My passion is to change that by advocating for my SWE section and myself.”

The award came as a surprise to Jones who was nominated by her roommate, Rachel Scheller, an electrical engineering senior and the ASU SWE section vice president of graduate affairs.

“After reading the description for the SWE Outstanding Collegiate Member award, I could not think of a more appropriate or deserving candidate for such an award,” Scheller said. “Liz being chosen for this award truly validates and puts a spotlight on everything we as a community — with Liz at the helm — have worked so hard to build over the last few years. I hope that through this award, Liz and SWE ASU can continue to expand our work for the betterment of the community around us.”

Alicia Baumann, a lecturer in the Fulton Schools and the SWE ASU section undergraduate adviser, says Jones embodies SWE’s mission to advance, aspire and achieve every day. Jones’ passionate leadership in partnership with the members’ support made the achievement possible.

“As Liz Jones empowers young women of all age levels, those women and experiences drive her to push boundaries and set new goals for how our ASU SWE students can impact our community,” Baumann said. “We all look forward to seeing what Liz will accomplish in the future. With her on our side, I know our future young women at ASU will have more opportunities than ever.”

Jones will be recognized at WE20, the national SWE conference held online Nov. 3–14.

Electrical engineering major Rachel Scheller (left) and Elizabeth Jones participate as counselors in the E2 welcome event for incoming students. Jones fostered a sense of community among the new students and often talked about SWE at the event, some of whom have gone on to be leaders in the ASU section of SWE. Photo by Marco-Alexis Chaira/ASU 

Joining and leading a supportive community of engineers at ASU

Jones’ SWE journey began in high school, where she learned about the organization through outreach events for incoming ASU students.

Finding a community of supportive engineers has been key to her many successes in a challenging field that has not always been welcoming to women.

By the end of her first year, Jones had started her journey into SWE leadership. She served as the ASU section’s outreach officer her sophomore year, where she expanded events like GEAR Day, in which young students are invited to explore engineering through interactive activities.

“As outreach director, Liz innumerably expanded our annual GEAR Day event for children to learn more about STEM,” Scheller said. “Her passion, dedication and true care for the children are what drove her day after day to make the event the best ASU had ever seen.”

By the time she became a junior, Jones had her sights set on SWE’s top leadership position.

Jones served as president her junior year and recently started her second term in that role as a senior. She decided to apply for the position of president to “contribute back to the community” and provide additional resources and opportunities for the organization’s growth.

“I saw the potential for growth as membership numbers were rapidly increasing just before my presidency, and to adjust our planning, opportunities and support for those in the engineering community who identify as women and bring in additional allies,” Jones said.

Under Jones’ leadership, the ASU section has helped many more Sun Devil engineers grow their identities, with the section’s membership continuing its dynamic increase by 86% in the last academic year. The organization now includes more than 300 dues-paying SWE members, with 50 highly active section members who attend meetings and workshops, and who are involved in various activities the organization runs.

Those members are the most rewarding part of the organization for Jones. She says it’s especially encouraging when she sees others in SWE succeed.

Jones has watched her mentees just starting out as engineering majors become leaders in SWE, nontraditional students return to school with a better support system, and her peers get internships and job offers through SWE-supported attendance at conferences to further their careers.

Scheller said, “Liz spends a lot of her time silently and invisibly helping those around her. I felt it was important that not only the ASU but the larger SWE community get a chance to learn about the ways that Liz has impacted those around her.”

The Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center, a newly launched Arizona State University initiative, is striving to make higher education more inclusive through innovative research, ongoing events and campuswide interventions. 

The center was founded by Sara Brownell, associate professor in the School of Life Sciences and director of the center, and Kristen Parrish, associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and associate director of the center.  Sara Brownell, associate professor in the School of Life Sciences and director of the Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center. Download Full Image

The two first met through a peer leadership program and quickly realized they were both interested in diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. As women in male-dominated fields, Brownell and Parrish said they have both experienced what it’s like to be a minority but feel their experiences are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to inclusion in higher education.

“In my case as a straight, white woman, being female is about the only identity where I'm a nonmajority within engineering,” Parrish said. “My own experience feeling like an ‘other’ or an ‘only’ would be amplified if I also had some intersectional identities that made it even harder. It’s my job and my duty to try to amplify other voices and recognize that we need to be more inclusive. I think it’s important to recognize the role that we as faculty, or more broadly speaking as institutions, have to meet students wherever they're at. We are the ones that need to take on responsibility for changing.” 

After a year of planning and discussion, Brownell and Parrish launched the center as a way to extend the reach of the work they were already doing and become a national research hub. Initially the center was going to focus primarily on science, but after further conversation they realized the project could have a greater impact if it included disciplines within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Kristen Parrish, associate professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and associate director of the Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center.

“We all know it's often easy to get in our own little silos in our departments or units. We forget that there's this broader university and a bunch of folks doing similar and interesting things that could inform our own work,” Brownell said. “I think that is a great reason to have the Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center be across the university, rather than just science-focused. By bringing folks together we hope to foster dialogue and discussions that will elevate the quality of our undergraduate STEM education.”

The center has several goals including identifying inequities that are currently in classrooms across the university and implementing solutions, conducting and producing innovative research on ways to make undergraduate STEM classrooms more inclusive, and educating and informing STEM faculty about this research and how they can better serve all students. Their work is meant to not only improve inclusivity within the ASU community, but also inspire change at institutions nationwide. 

“So many of our faculty have been working to achieve greater access and inclusion through their research, outreach and creative efforts,” said Nancy Gonzeles, dean of natural sciences in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “The Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center will give this work a home and allow for increased cross-discipline collaboration that will put ASU at the forefront of inclusive STEM education research. But ultimately the work of the center is to benefit our students and provide them with the tools they need to succeed.”

One of the center's early initiatives has been the development of a series of virtual events focusing on anti-racism and racial justice. Created in response to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, protests against the killing of George Floyd and other national issues, the “A call to action: RISE Up for racial justice,” events range from discussions and workshops to student listening sessions and seminars. The events have been well-received, with the first seminar in August having an attendance of more than 850 people. Brownell and Parrish said they feel these events are a step in the right direction toward creating a more inclusive campus.

“We decided to develop this series to help promote awareness and provide information around what it means to be anti-racist,” Brownell said. “We don't think that these events are going to solve the problems, but we do think that it's an important first step in a much longer series of conversations and concrete actions to help our university, specifically STEM environments, become anti-racist.”

Moving forward Brownell and Parrish plan on continuing to host these kinds of events while also focusing their efforts on research. They are currently working on a National Science Foundation grant-funded project that addresses how students with disabilities at ASU and across the nation interact with active learning environments. The team of researchers who are core members of the center is also expanding, with the recent addition of Katelyn Cooper, a newly appointed assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences.

Upcoming “RISE Up for racial justice” events:

Language matters: Considering racial microaggressions in science
Discussion
When: Thursday, Oct. 8, 1:30 p.m. (CT)
Speakers: Colin Harrison, Georgia Tech; and Kimberly Tanner, San Francisco State University
Zoom: asu.zoom.us/j/97235381892

But is it really “just” science? Engaging critical race theory to unpack racial oppression with implications for Black student science engagement
Seminar
When: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 11 a.m. (CT)
Speaker: Terrell Morton, University of Missouri
Zoom: asu.zoom.us/j/92158713296

Black women and belongingness: An interrogation of STEM education as a white, patriarchal space 
Seminar
When: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2 p.m. (CT)
Speakers: Luis Leyva, Vanderbilt University; and Nicole Joseph, Vanderbilt University
Zoom: asu.zoom.us/j/94696434185

An exploratory investigation of the experiences of Black immigrant women in undergraduate STEM
Seminar
When: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2 p.m. (CT)
Speakers: Meseret Hailu, Arizona State University; and Brooke Coley, Arizona State University
Zoom: asu.zoom.us/j/98196412224

The Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University is home to an extensive collection of work by Hispanic artists. Over the years, the center has showcased this collection through a variety of in-person art shows, exhibitions and tours. Now, for the first time in its 35-year history, the center has launched a virtual art exhibit highlighting the work of artists of Mexican descent. 

Founded in 1985, the Hispanic Research Center is a research unit of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that serves the university and broader community through its academic exploration and distribution of resources in areas of importance to Hispanic culture.  "The Return to Aztlan," Alfredo Arreguín. Oil on canvas, 2005. Image courtesy of the Hispanic Research Center. Download Full Image

Jean Andino, interim director of the Hispanic Research Center and associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, said center staff were motivated to find new and engaging ways to make artwork from their collection accessible.

“Obviously in this time of COVID-19 things are a little bit different than they normally would be,” Andino said. “But we're so excited about the possibility of doing a lot more with the community and I’m encouraged by the enthusiasm that exists within the team.”

The virtual tour, titled “Mixing it Up,” features 12 videos narrated by Santiago Moratto, senior research specialist, and produced by Brandon Ortega, media specialist. In each video, Moratto gives a brief description of the work and shares context about the artist and subject matter. The exhibit showcases 10 pieces from the collection that were specially selected to celebrate and honor National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Each artwork depicts themes involving United States’ Hispanic identity including immigration, spirituality, traditional food and drink, and farmworker iconography. These themes are meant to provoke thought and discussion of social issues that are prevalent in present U.S. society. 

Andino said “Mixing it Up” is the first of many virtual art exhibits, with plans to curate more in the coming months. Aside from virtual art exhibits, the center is involved in a number of other projects across the university. With the recent passing of Gary Keller, the center’s longtime director, Andino was appointed interim director. She said she and the team remain determined to move ongoing projects forward while expanding the center’s reach. 

“Ultimately, when we start talking about social justice and social equity, it's crucial to have organizations that are able to speak to the needs of the community,” Andino said. “The Hispanic Research Center has the ability to bring diverse voices into the discussion and if you're trying to develop solutions for society, it's important to have all voices represented. We're always looking for new ideas and new opportunities to do collaborative work that will really impact the Hispanic community and the community in general.”

One of the center’s largest efforts is the Bilingual Press, a publisher that has produced literary works, scholarship and art books by or about Hispanics in the U.S. since 1973. The Bilingual Press has a catalog of 200 books authored by both established and emerging writers in English, Spanish and bilingual formats. 

In addition to the Bilingual Press, the center also leads the Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities, a regional alliance of community colleges, four-year colleges and universities that seeks to expand opportunities for students in Arizona, Colorado and Utah. The program specifically focuses on enhancing and diversifying student inclusion in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

As an Afro-Latina woman in STEM, Andino said she feels passionate about the center’s work and hopes its efforts will lead to creating a more culturally diverse, accepting community.

“It’s critically important to have an organization like the Hispanic Research Center that is meant to provide some additional knowledge, especially in this day and age, so that we can all better understand how to interface with each other. The Hispanic population is such a diverse group of individuals — the center represents these different cultures and allows their voices to be heard.”