Paula Alejandra NoratoEditor in ChiefI am a first year MPA student at The University of Connecticut, focusing on Public Policy, Diversity, and Inclusion. I graduated from The University of Connecticut with a Bachelors of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology, and a minor in Latino Studies in 2020. I co-founded MURAL as a way to address the rift within my own Latinx community in order to then stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. I recognize that as a white Latina I have privilege, and want to use my resources and platforms to elevate Black voices of all ethnicities.
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Eduardo Abreu PiñaResearch ConsultantI recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in biological sciences following the pre-PA track. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico before my family moved to NJ during my high school years. This sudden change of lifestyle and culture led me to develop a stronger passion for the Latinx culture. I co-founded MURAL to help raise awareness in the multidimensional facets of Latinx and Hispanic identities and the interconnectedness our cultures have with ongoing current events such as the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Alejandro Raúl RodríguezResearch ConsultantI recently graduated from the University of Connecticut (May 2020) with a Bachelors of Arts in History and a double minor in Philosophy and Latin American Studies. As a white Latino raised in Puerto Rico and currently residing in Connecticut, I have developed a profound interest in analyzing the nuances of race, ethnicity, and nationality as they pertain to establishing identity. Empowered with the knowledge I acquired during my undergraduate career and subsequently galvanized by the Black Lives Matter Movement, I co-founded MURAL as an educational and activist platform in order to elevate Afro-descendant voices and help make the study of Blackness in and through Latin American and Latinx history accessible and empowering.
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Victoria AlmodovarResearch ConsultantI am a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut’s El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean and Latin American Studies. I earned my Master’s Degree in International Studies with a Latinx Studies concentration. As an Afro-Puerto Rican woman I spent much of my coursework exploring my own identity and Afro-Latinidad more broadly. I have a passion for making education more accessible for everyone and for empowering others to tell their stories.
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Nanami Gonzalez-KamekawaMarketing DirectorI am senior at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana majoring in Recreation, Sport, & Tourism with a focus in Sports Management. Growing up in a diverse background and community, I found myself wanting to constantly be involved in cultural organizations that rose awareness. I co-founded MURAL as a way to educate and help elevate the voices of my fellow Latinx.
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