LCC Team Members

She / Her / Hers

cabrerar@uic.edu

He / Him / His

jmena2@uic.edu

Jorge Mena Robles was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and immigrated to the United States when he was 8 years old. He learned English while first living in Dallas, Texas before settling in Chicago, Illinois where he has spent most of his years. He is a first-generation college student and attended community college before transferring to UIC. As an undergraduate student, Mena studied Anthropology and Latin American & Latino Studies. During this time, he was involved in the undocumented immigrant youth movement via the formation of the Immigrant Youth Justice League in 2009. This time was formative as it led him to continue supporting and working with youth. After working with high school students and alongside restaurant workers building power through workplace and policy organizing, Mena attended graduate school where his MA research focused on undocumented and queer youth activism and how the process of ‘coming out’ can lead to individual and collective identity formation.

Prior to joining the LCC in 2021, Mena served as Assistant Director at La Casa Cultural Latina at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. During this time, he was able to support students and teach courses on mass incarceration as well as mental health wellness & awareness – a salient but often overlooked component of Latinx student’s academic and personal development. Mena is dedicated to ensuring that students of color successfully enter, navigate, and graduate from higher education. He has a personal commitment to engaging youth, parents, and the larger community so as to make college more accessible to first-generation, immigrant, and low-income families. Outside of work, Mena enjoys biking around the city, being near the lake, meditating, and trying new coffee beans.

She / Her / Hers

ldejes3@uic.edu

Lauren De Jesus joined the LCC as a Graduate Assistant from Fall 2017 to Spring 2019. She grew up volunteering in her community on the Northwest side and exploring Chicago’s museums. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016 and completed her Master’s in Museum and Exhibition Studies at UIC in 2019. Throughout these experiences, she developed a passion for cultures, museum work, social justice, and environmental justice. Her goal is to change the way the public views museums by demonstrating that museums can utilize their expertise to encourage visitors to think critically about the issues facing society today.

sherna54@uic.edu

Sarita Hernández is a teaching artist, oral historian, and print/zine-maker from salvadoréxican Califas based in Chicago. Sarita is co-founder of marimacha monarca press, a queer and trans* people of color artist collective based in Chicago’s Southwest Side since 2017 invested in making art accessible across generations and languages. They first joined the Latino Cultural Center as a graduate assistant focused on an oral history project centering Mexican Chicago’s connections to the Monarch butterfly and conservation practices in 2016. Currently, Sarita is faculty for printmaking at the Hyde Park Art Center and working on the ARTivism’s workshop series at the Latino Cultural Center.  They raise monarch butterflies and black swallowtails that land in the garden bed shared with their siblings in the McKinley Park Community Garden. Sarita also makes #queerveganpies via @pleasurepies which is a pleasure based and sex-positive pie shop. They have worked on several teaching artist and curatorial projects with the National Museum of Mexican Art, Marwen Arts, and the Chicago Park District. They are interested in artistic interventions with the historical archive and imagining alternative forms of social documentation, preservation, and activation of everyday histories, survivals, and resistances.

They/she

nayala3@uic.edu

Natalie Noemi Ayala is an interdisciplinary Chicago teaching artist, Latinx Punk researcher, environmental justice advocate and small-batch jewelry maker from the South Chicago/Southeast Side. Their work is centered around archiving and displaying the historical resilience of low-income, working-class and communities of color both in the U.S and in Latin America through mixed-media arts. Their art mediums of interest include mixed-media sculpture, film, digital animation, paper mache, jewelry making, zines, button-making and anything else they can get their hands on. Natalie received their B.A in Studio Art and Chicanx/Latinx Studies in 2021 from Pitzer College in Claremont, CA and an M.A in Museum & Exhibition Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 2023. Throughout their career, they have worked with various organizations teaching and co-facilitating culturally-relevant arts education including incarceration facilities across California, Chicago Public Schools on the Southwest and Southeast Sides, Marwen Arts and local community organizations. They have also facilitated arts-based environmental justice workshops with organizations such as Friends of the Forest Preserve, Southeast Youth Alliance (SYA) and were a part of a year-long climate justice teaching artist cohort with the Chicago Park District’s Young Cultural Stewards. Outside of their work with arts education, they run a small batch D-I-Y jewelry brand (@artistic_disasters) and are involved in the local Chicago arts community. Their studio assistants include their two young kittens, Oliver and Gnocchi. They hope to dismantle capitalism and empower young people one zine at a time!

He / Him / His

azamar4@uic.edu

Alonzo Zamarrón, originally from Rochelle, Illinois, moved to Chicago to pursue his passion for graphic design. His love for music led him to perform with various groups, including Banda San Guillermo, UIC Mariachi Fuego, and Fuerte Arranke, reflecting his deep connection to culture and creativity.

His design journey began at the UIC Latino Cultural Center in 2014 as a student graphic designer, and after graduation, he transitioned into a full-time role. He now supports UIC’s diversity initiatives, working with the Latino Cultural Center, Office of Diversity, and Women’s Leadership and Resource Center.

Outside of work, Alonzo enjoys crafting, caring for his many plants, kayaking, hiking, playing with his bird Kiwi, and hosting friends and family.

To view some of his work, visit alonzozamarron.com

She/Her/Hers

Luna Valderrama is a first-year student and new intern at the LCC. She is an Earth and Environmental Science major pursuing a minor in Latin American and Latino Studies. Luna was born and raised in rural Illinois, but home for her is Tepic, Mexico. Along with being a Latinx first-gen student, Luna is also a member of LARES and a Student Ambassador at the L@s GANAS office. Luna’s hobbies include reading, playing tennis, going on walks, and listening to music.

She/They

Alicia Kim Ribeiro was born in the Susquehanna area and moved to Chicago to study English with a focus in creative writing and to engage with the local art community. They are currently co-leading an organization for Central and South American students called CASA. Alicia is interested in language learning and immigrant justice and volunteers at HANA Center as an English tutor. They also enjoy volunteering at Southside Community Art Center for workshops, exhibition openings, and other events.

She/Her/Hers

Ximena Soleda Ramirez is an undergraduate majoring in history and is also interested in Classics.She is from a Chicago suburb and chose to come to UIC to have a more diverse learning environment. She is Mexican and Colombian as well as a first-generation college student. Ximena loves both of her cultures and wants to be involved in more organizations that are focused on embracing who she is and where she comes from. Ramirez has experience with protests and wants to improve her public speaking skills. Currently, she dedicates her time to educating herself about a multitude of social justice issues. It is important to her that she always attempts to create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone and anyone.

She/Her/Hers

Monse Garcia (Monserrat) is a third year undergraduate student majoring in both Sociology and Latin American and Latino Studies. Monse is a first-generation student, and resides on the southwest side of Chicago in Little Village. Not learning much about Latinx experiences and history in school made her interested in continuing to learn the  deep history of Latinx movemements led by Latinx communities across the country. She is currently co-leading the organization Mexican Students de Aztlàn (Me.S.A.) at UIC and enjoys volunteering with UIC’s  Latinx Heritage Month and helping plan the LCC’s Noche de Poetas.

He/Him/His

Jay Campos is a fourth-year undergraduate double majoring in Latin American and Latino Studies and Criminology, Law, and Justice with a minor in Philosophy at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and aims to achieve a PhD in Chicano/a/x studies. He identifies as a First-Generation Chicano college student. He was born and raised for the first 2 years of his life in Humboldt Park until it had become too expensive for his family, and they were forced to move westward to Elgin. During his undergraduate career, Jay has worked at LARES for two years, co-founded two student organizations at UIC, and has been involved in multiple research projects dedicated to increasing the existing literature on the Latine population in the United States. He enjoys playing RPG’s, watching anime, cruising in his truck, and trying out new foods with friends.

She/Her/Ella 

Aolany Campuzano is a second-year transfer student from Elgin Community College majoring in Public Health and minoring in Latin American and Latino Studies. She was born and raised in the Northwest suburbs, and both her parents are from Morelos, Mexico, which makes her a first generation Mexican-American. She is dedicated to advocating and learning more about her Latina culture and has taken on many roles in the Latino community of Elgin such as volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club, being a youth leader for the Ecker Center for Behavioral Health, and working in the Hispanic Services department at the Gail Borden Public Library. After acquiring her bachelor’s degree, she plans to use her experience to work in community health to further educate her Latina community on their rights to accessible healthcare.

He/him/his

Efrain Rojas is an undergraduate student pursuing a double major in political science and  Criminology, Law and Justice, and a minor in Public Policy. His origins are from the southwest of Chicago in the Brighton Park Neighborhood. He is currently the first in his family to attend university, and his ambition is to become a lawyer with a focus on immigration law. Rojas has some experience in activism that includes supporting protests organized by the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council on issues like the fight to increase the minimum wage (Fight for $15), the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) fight for a fair contract, etc. Rojas is currently educating himself on many social issues that have a personal connection to his life. In his personal life, Rojas enjoys playing video games, chess, and finding media to analyze.

She/Her/Ella

Jocelyn Gamarra is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Sociology and minoring in Criminal Justice. She was born and raised in Chicago’s Northwest side and is a first-generation student, and home for her is also Cuernavaca, Morelos. Jocelyn is interested in prison abolition, race and class, and immigration. For her, it’s important to include everyone in the process of social justice activism and liberation. Jocelyn aspires to get her MSW (Masters in Social Work) and support juveniles in detention centers. She is also a first year member of MeSA (Mexican Students at Aztlan) and is looking to find more community at UIC to connect with folks who share her culture. Her hobbies include thrifting, photography, and writing.

They/them/Any pronouns

Angel Gonzalez is a second-year undergraduate student studying the Teaching of History as well as Latin American and Latino Studies. A proud Chicano, Angel was born and raised in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago to Mexican and Ecuadorian parents. Their passion for activism began through organizing various high school walkouts with their friends at Little Village Lawndale High School. Today, Angel is on campus organizing with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at UIC and is a proud member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

She/Her/Hers

Karen Martinez is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Fine Arts. Karen is a first-generation student who identifies as Mexican-American. She was born and raised in Chicago, more specifically, the neighborhood of Belmont Cragin. She feels connected to her Mexican culture and would like to incorporate it more into her artwork. She likes exploring different ways of creating art, and her favorite medium at the moment is filmmaking. She was part of After School Matters programs in her last year of high school and is currently a student member of Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services (LARES). Karen’s interests include drawing, watching shows/movies, shopping, getting coffee, listening to music, and hanging out with friends.

He/Them

Rodrigo is currently a sophomore majoring in Mathematics. As a transfer student from Richard Daley Community College, they graduated last year with an AS in Natural Sciences and a certificate in Cannabis Dispensary Operations. Rodrigo specializes in the sciences, has a background in indigenous Mexican history, social and environmental justice, philosophical and spiritual knowledge, and natural medicine. He has worked with Chicago Public Schools as a math tutor and participated with the Yollocalli Arts Reach Program. He spends free time refining cooking recipes, practicing Mitohtilistli Mexica-Chichimeca and Nahua instruments, studying the body and holistic remedies, reading about abolishment and revolutionary practices, and playing Pokémon.

He/His/Him

Edwin Regalado is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Anthropology. Edwin is a first-generation student who identifies as Mexican-American. Edwin was born and raised in Pilsen, Chicago, before the neighborhood was gentrified. Edwin later had to move down South with his family to Back of The Yards. Edwin wants to learn more about Latine communities dealing with gentrification as he went through gentrification in his hometown. He is the oldest sibling out of the three and the first one to go to college. He likes to meet new people and watch Studio Ghibli movies. He loves his cat, Coco; the two are inseparable at home. In his free time, he loves to hang out with his friends and play video games. He secretly has a shopping addiction to clothes.

she/her/hers

Alenis Cuzco is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Marketing with a concentration in digital marketing. Born and raised in Albany Park, Chicago, she is a first-generation student with big dreams to join the fashion industry as a company marketing manager. She identifies as Ecuadorian-American with a passion for community justice and helping the Latino community. Alenis loves to visit museums, learn about art and cultural history, and uses social justice issues to inspire her art. She has an older brother and a three-year-old dog named Lyla. During her free time, Alenis likes to get sweet treats, binge-watch t.v shows, and shop.

Heritage Garden project efforts are carried out through the activities of the internship program, which runs in Fall, Spring and Summer and adapts to the season. Interns sustain the planting of the satellite gardens and offer public programs, tours of the gardens, and volunteer days. The UIC Sustainability Fee has funded paid internships since its inception in the summer of 2013.

To see a list of current and past interns and leaders, visit the Heritage Garden website.

Lead. Create. Change. Internship Program

UIC Heritage Garden Internship Program