Because of your support, the Inaugural High School Student Symposium on Latina, Latino, and Latin American Studies was a success.

Thank you to all the students who shared with us their time, research, presentations, and insight into the value of Latin@ and Latin American Studies at the high school level.

Thank you to Professor Alishia Galvez, Director of the Institute of Mexican Studies. Professor Galvez unflinchingly supported the idea of this symposium from the very beginning.

Thank you to Dr. Frank Sanchez, CUNY’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, for providing a welcoming atmosphere for participants, attendees and volunteers.

ISLAS was staffed by amazing volunteers. Jonathan Hill, Adjunct Professor of Latin American History at Lehman College, along with Lehman undergraduate students Shabel Castro and Melissa Garcia, as well as Marina Garcia-Vasquez, served as amazing moderators. Brian Basik Lewis and Guesnerth Josue Perea were truly remarkable in their trouble-shooting on the day of the symposium, liaising with the Lehman facilities personnel and providing technical support.

What better way to conclude an academic symposium than with an Afro Brazilian dance workshop? Thanks to the Program of Latino and Latin American Studies at Queens College, Mestre Irenio Ginga da Bahia led participants, volunteers, and the public through a heart-pumping and spirit-lifting session of samba.

Our partner organizations were wonderful. Tertulia Resolana, NYCoRE, Mex and the City, the Afro Latin@ Forum, and the Latino and Latin American Studies Program at Queens College believed in the need of this symposium, and their support was essential in bringing ISLAS to fruition.

Again, a thousand thanks.

SEE YOU AT QUEENS COLLEGE FOR THE 2ND ANNUAL! More details to come…

The program for ISLAS (The Inaugural High School Student Symposium on Latina, Latino, and Latin American Studies) is available here:

Program for Islas[1]

 We are looking forward to a great day of dialogue and intersections at Lehman College on Friday, June 21st.

See you there!

The Inaugural High School Student Symposium on Latina, Latino, and Latin American Studies (ISLAS) is less than two weeks away! We are expecting 30 students from the five boroughs of New York City to gather at Lehman College next Friday, June 21st, to share their research on topics ranging from U.S. immigration policy to the relationship between multinational corporations and natural resources in Latin America.

Symposium organizers again want to thank the students and teachers who have been hard at work in preparation for the day’s events. We understand the many demands on high schools at the end of the school year, from testing to graduation.  We honor your commitment to pushing yourselves and your students to do more, to dig deeper, and to participate in the intellectual and civic life of the city beyond the classroom walls. We are extremely excited to hear the presentations and conversations generated by the student work.

We are finalizing the panel groups this week and will post that information here by this Friday.

*Please note: all final papers should be in by this Friday, June 14th. We also ask that students using powerpoint or other multimedia email us those files in advance of the symposium.

The deadline for abstracts and research topic descriptions has been extended. We ask that students and educators interested in participating get in contact with ISLAS organizers to ensure that space is made available and that our resources can best meet the needs of the students. We have been giving workshops and presentations at schools throughout the city, and are gearing up for a series of workshops at La Casa Azul Bookstore to be of support to students and their teachers interested in being a part of ISLAS on June 21st at Lehman College.

We do expect to have all research papers in final draft form no later than June 14th to allow for panel moderators the opportunity to read the works prior to the symposium.

La Casa Azul Bookstore has generously offered to share their space and walls of words by hosting a series of workshops for high school students which will break down Latina/o and Latin American Studies, and research writing.

The workshops at La Casa Azul will run from 4pm to 6pm, Thursdays in May, the 9th, 16th, and May 23rd, facilitated by Gabriel Higuera, director of Tertulia Resolana, in association with the CUNY Institute of Mexican Studies. Participants are welcome to bring their work, research, and ideas as we build on the physical resources within the bookstore, considering the literature and context of East Harlem as a launching point. Specific activities will include quick writes and worksheet/writing prompt exercises.

The symposium is a unique opportunity to share research and contribute questions to greater discussions. The use of new media applications and means of communication have rapidly and dramatically influenced how forums are held, and how information is communicated. We will discuss the use of media as a tool in pubic communication, and relate the various applications and programs with our own research interests, and how to integrate some aspect/s into the presentation at ISLAS.

Reserve your spot. Email La Casa Azul at  info.lacasaazul@gmail.com

Workshop resources will be made available here shortly.

Music Building, Lehman College

High school students will be gathering at Lehman College from around New York City to discuss their research on Latina, Latino, and Latin American Studies on Friday, June 21st, 2013.

The CUNY Institute of Mexican Studies is hosting the Inaugural High School Student Symposium on Latina, Latino, and Latin American Studies, or ISLAS. ISLAS is an opportunity for students to meet with their peers from throughout the city and share their work in a public forum moderated by college students, community leaders, and professors. The purpose of the symposium is to recognize the brilliance of New York City youth, hear their voices, and engage in discussion on themes relating to Latin American Studies and the Latina/o experience in the U.S. This symposium moves forward in the spirit of those CUNY students who led the fight to establish the Department of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, as it was first called in 1969.