LAS Convocation Celebrates 2019 Graduates

May 1, 2019

LAS Convocation Celebrates 2019 Graduates


Each spring, the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute (LAII) holds a departmental convocation to celebrate its graduating students. In completing the Latin American Studies (LAS) program, these students join the ranks of UNM's distinguished alumni and become part of UNM's long history of dedication to Latin America.

This year, the departmental convocation will take place on Friday, May 10, at 1:30 pm in the UNM Hibben Center atrium. All are welcome to join us for this celebration of 2019 Latin American Studies (LAS) graduate and undergraduate students. This year's keynote speaker will be Patrick Schaefer, a UNM LAS alumnus and Executive Director of the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness at the University of Texas at El Paso.

UNM has been granting LAS undergraduate and graduate degrees since 1941. The LAS program is administered by the LAII in partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences, which confers LAS degrees. The LAS program draws on UNM's cross-campus excellence in research, scholarship and teaching on Latin America, and is dedicated to advancing knowledge in, and service to, the field.

As one of the top institutions in the US for Latin American studies, the LAII provides a comprehensive and engaging environment for the study and research of Latin America. Graduates of the LAS program have held positions as city planners, data analysts, economists, health care workers, lawyers and legal advocates, librarians, professors, program directors, social workers, and teachers, among many others.

In 2019, the LAII recognizes the following individuals as they complete a BA, MA, or PhD in Latin American Studies:

  • Mirna Cacho, BA
  • Santiago Carrasco García, MALAS
  • Arial Deherrera, BA
  • Ursula Freire Castro, PhD
  • Natalie Gulan, BA
  • Nora Lamm, MALAS/MCRP
  • Amber Martinez, BA
  • Faith Myers, BA
  • Hayley Pedrick, MALAS
  • Raquel Sanchez, BA
  • Pamela Simmons, BA
  • Denisse Vásquez-Guevara, PhD
  • Javier Venegas, BA
To learn more about the graduating class, see our undergraduate and graduate profiles, or visit the LAII's Instagram account, where many of our recent photos highlight the students' parting thoughts and memories. Below, too, are selected photos of our graduates.