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.

They/Them/Theirs Ellx/Ella

nunzue2@uic.edu

Ireri Unzueta Carrasco was born in Mexico DF and has lived and grown up in La Villita since the age of seven. Despite having lived in the US for 12 years, Ireri did not really start to feel at home until 2006, after joining a group of artisans and musicians who organized free art and music classes for the kids in Little Village. The group called itself Arte y Realidad, and the classes took place in a church garage, behind a cafe, and in public parks in Little Village, working with kids as young as two and as old as who ever showed up. It was a space that encouraged people to try to learn new skills, and held the central idea that everyone has something to teach and learn from one another. Ireri continues to hold this view as central to their work with young people, with immigrant communities, and with plants and ecosystems.

Ireri started out at UIC in 2005 through the College of Architecture, Design and the Arts, joining the Industrial Design program. Even though Ireri did not graduate with that degree, the Industrial Design program left them with an appreciation of how different peoples have practiced and still practice the cultivation of a relationship to the ecosystems around us of reciprocity, generosity, and community building, rather than the mainstream relationship of extraction, expendability, and individualism. And it was in the Gender and Women’s Studies Department that Ireri was able to delve deep into discussions of identity, class, gender, citizenship or lack of, migration, through a historical and cultural lense that helped them make sense of the injustices they saw in their daily life. These lenses continue to shape how Ireri analyses and sees the world. Ireri graduated from UIC with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Women’s Studies in 2009.

In 2009, tired of the frustrations and obstacles placed by a lack of immigration status, Ireri joined the Immigrant Youth Justice League, a group composed of young undocumented people working to diversify the narratives about being undocumented and creating spaces and resources for undocumented young people to navigate different aspects of life. Now, Ireri still collaborates with groups that uplift the organizing of undocumented immigrant communities, particularly working with Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), and collaborating with Chicago Community and Workers Rights (CCWR). Ireri is also a proud worker owner of the workers’ cooperative Catatumbo Cooperative Farm in Chicago.

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.

He / Him / His

azamar4@uic.edu

Alonzo Zamarrón started as a Graphic Designer for the UIC Latino Cultural Center from Spring 2014 to Spring 2017, while pursuing a BFA in Graphic Design from UIC, and he continues to contribute his artistic eye to LCC promotional materials and more. Born and raised in Rochelle, IL and transplanted to Chicago, Alonzo became involved with many social justice movements by designing and printing their promotional material. After graduating, Alonzo was hired full-time in a roll that currently supports several UIC diversity units including the Latino Cultural Center, Office of Diversity, and the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center.

During his spare time and on weekends, Alonzo plays the trumpet, saxophone, and guitar, as a member of Banda San Guillermo, Fuerte Arranke, and UIC’s Mariachi Fuego. His musical performances have taken him to many cities across Illinois and the midwest which has exposed him to the many different ways the Latinx communities come together to celebrate.

She / Her / Hers

Mechiya Jamison is a senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago studying Urban Planning and Public Policy. She is a leader of the Heritage Garden internship program and a Student Educator at the Latino Cultural Center. She is also an artist, dedicated to sustainable living, and the fight for liberation.

She / Her/ Hers

A Chicago native, Wilmarie graduated from Roosevelt University with a BA in Sustainability Studies. She is a graduate student in UIC’s Museum and Exhibition Studies program. As a cultural worker, Wilmarie’s interests lie in museum accessibility and representation for BIPOC individuals. She also is interested in the evolution and sustainability of museums as it relates to collections and climate change. As a graduate assistant at the LCC, Wilmarie enjoys being able to amplify the voices in the Latinx community.

She / Her / Hers

Student Organization Leader Intern

Daniela is a Lead. Create. Change. Intern that started in Fall 2019. She is a current undergraduate student at UIC studying Urban Education with a minor in Public Policy and is apart of a local sorority on campus; Chi Sigma Omega and holds the Diversity and Inclusion chair. Daniela has developed a passion for social justice, community outreach, and civic engagement through attending protests and interning at local nonprofits.

She / Her / Hers

Yazmin Jimenez is a bilingual student at UIC pursuing a Bachelor’s in Psychology. Yazmin has been an intern with the Latino Cultural Center since 2019 assisting with archival work including reorganizing archives and transcribing oral histories. Yazmin is interested in the arts and humanities. Before the LCC, she’s had experience working with various community artists.

She / Her / Hers

Nancy Morales is a South Side Chicago native, born and raised in the Brighton Park neighborhood. She recently transferred to UIC as an undergraduate student majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Life Science Visualization. She is a strong advocate for healthcare equity in Latinx communities. She has volunteered as a Spanish interpreter at the CommunityHealth Clinic and as a Surgical Services Volunteer at UI Health. In her free time she enjoys making art of all types of mediums such as pencil sketches, watercolor, paint, and more recently she has become interested in digital art. She hopes to combine her knowledge of science, knowledge from the LCC, and her art skills to bring awareness to healthcare disparities. She also hopes to take her knowledge into her process and goal of applying to medical school.

She / Her / Hers

Samantha has lived almost her entire life in Little Village. She has seen how much her community has changed throughout the years. She has seen the bad and the good, but one thing for certain is she has always spoken her mind on issues that matter. It is through that persistence that she found herself being involved with the LCC, hoping to learn more and be a better advocate for Latinx communities. She hopes to obtain her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology in late 2022, and travel the world.

She / Her / Hers

Ashley is a freshman at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is a first generation student from the Northwest Suburbs. Her major is pre-nursing and her academic goal is to graduate with a nursing degree. She joined the LCC team in order to be more active within the Latinx community.

She / Her / Hers

Isabel Tamas is a third-year Honors College student at UIC and a proud Mexican-Romanian. Her passion for addressing mental health issues and advocacy of underrepresented communities have led her to pursue degrees in Anthropology and Psychology. Isabel has experience conducting on-campus research at the Institute of Public Health, where she studied youth mentoring. She is currently an Ambassador of UIC’s Gender and Sexuality Center. Outside UIC, Isabel works as a volunteer with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a nonprofit organization that supports children in Latin America and the Caribbean. As an intern, she hopes to spread awareness surrounding the relationship between environmental justice and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

She / Her / Hers

Nancy M. Ramirez Blancas was born in México and has been an intern at the Rafael Cintrón Ortiz Latino Cultural Center since the beginning of the Spring semester 2020. She is a DACA recipient and is currently focused on completing her Psychology degree with a Pre-law focus. Most of her work focuses on U.S. immigration politics and immigrant rights. Her achievements led her to be recognized by Senator Scott Bennett with a 2017 Immigrant Welcome Award for Student Leadership.

She has collaborated and worked alongside The Latino Cultural Center in Urbana-Champaign, student organization I-CAUSE (Illinois-Coalition Assisting Undocumented Students’ Education), Reclaim Chicago, Chicago Burds for Justice, and many others.

As a twice award-winning leader and co-founder of I-CAUSE she is currently involved in service and with advocacy organizations that work in solidarity with the undocumented community, focusing primarily on equal secondary educational opportunities for all students. She has worked hard to educate University students, staff, and community members about issues of immigration such as DACA/undocumented students, and educational access.

She looks forward to graduating this fall 2020. She is considering going to law school and begin a prosperous law career.

She / Her / Hers

Yesenia Garcia is a first year Public Policy student at UIC and has worked most of her life in the STEM field. She enjoys advocating for others and making sure that youth are exposed to as many opportunities to succeed in the future. Her passion is teaching and educating others about the LGBTQIA+ and minority communities. She hopes to make a difference in her community by advocating for those who have gone voiceless.

Outside of her classes, Yesenia is a musician and enjoys listening to jazz. Throughout her years, she has learned how to play both saxophone and flute. She was able to participate in competitions with her high school band. She hopes for communities to come together through music and make a difference in today’s society.

Yesenia is excited to work with the LCC to combine her experiences growing up in the West Lawn neighborhood and her community organizing.

She / Her / Hers

Andrea is a Junior at UIC who was born and raised in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago. Andrea is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences where she is pursuing a degree in Latin American and Latinos Studies with a minor in Communication. As a first-generation student her goals in life includes helping other people like her to make an advancement in representation in all types of media whether it be art media or social media. Many times, Andrea feels that Latinx students are not encouraged enough to pursue literature and writing which can be an amazing experience. Andrea also enjoys working out going on long walks and binging new tv shows. She joined as an intern to the LCC because she wanted to get more involved with Latinx communities and people like her. Andrea hopes to learn a lot more about herself and the way we can advocate better for ourselves.

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