Edith Tovar
Assistant Program Director
2011 - Summer 2019
About
She / Her / Hers
Edith Tovar joined the LCC team in 2011. Her position has changed from Program Coordinator to Assistant Program Director, where she continues to work with UIC students by enhancing their knowledge and appreciation for Latinx cultures through various program initiatives. SpecificallyNoche de Poetas(Poetry Night), a series that invites students and community members from diverse backgrounds to share and compare their life, experiences through their own poetic words and sound. Each Open Mic is in partnership with four student organizations: MeSA, SAFEHR, SJP, and UPRS.
Edith has also developed the LCC’s internship program, a yearlong opportunity for students to improve or develop specific skills like public speaking, intercultural understanding, writing, digital marketing, and etc. through particular assigned projects. The internship program allows students to use their skills and assets to think creatively on how to address and complete their project(s).
Tovar was born and raised in Chicago’s La Villita community. As a first generation Mexican-American and youngest of four, she was the second in her family to graduate from a university. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish-Economics with a minor in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Currently, Edith is seeking a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy at UIC with a concentration in Environmental Planning and Policy. During the 2017 Urban Planning and Policy Student Association’s 7th annual Urban Innovation Symposium Networked [for Good], she was part of the committee that led her to develop the Water for a Region panel. This session allowed guests to explore the different approaches of environmental justice through various lenses such as academia, government agencies, and community organizing. Her research interests include, cultural planning, Place Lab’s ethical redevelopment, water remediation efforts of the Chicago River and entrepreneurship through a green economy.