Our Graduate Program

 I came to UC Irvine because of the congenial atmosphere at the welcome visit and because I left wanting to work with the people (professors and graduate students) I met. In the past five years, I have enjoyed taking courses in different departments; TA-ing and co-teaching in teaching practicums; taking academic courses as well as those focused on methods/practice. Prof. Torres’ pedagogical training is invaluable. I took some time preparing my qualifying exams, but the Independent Studies and Directed Readings leading up to the exam and the exams themselves definitely improved my project. 

Everyone will tell you how busy UCI’s academic life is. Some places I recommend for getting help and staying sane (ish) while jumping the hoops of PhD study: writing counseling and dissertation boot camps at the Graduate & Postdoctoral Scholar Resource Center; workshops at the Department of Teaching Innovation and Excellence; the Humanities Center for application workshops and reviews as well as grants for travel, language study and research; the UC Humanities Research Institute for fascinating research but also collaborative and/or UC-wide project funding; UCI’s counseling center and CARE center for mental health resources; FRESH hub for food and emergency funding; the Derrida papers at UCI’s special collections; the Académiques Latinx writing group and colloquia at our Spanish and Portuguese department; the union which organizes 48 000 academic workers at all ten UCs; the UC Natural Reserves System; the psychoanalytic consortium organized by UC faculty, the IPA and LA’s New Center for Psychoanalysis. Off campus, this area is gorgeous for rest and fun. For me, that is the breathtaking nature close and far, the theaters and galleries in LA and Long Beach, and Tijuana and its airport less than two hours away.

I am excited to be working toward my MA and PhD in Spanish and Portuguese here at UC Irvine, after having completed my BA at Fordham University in 2019. There, I studied comparative literature and international political economy, with minors in Spanish and philosophy. As such, it was important to me to continue my studies in a similarly interdisciplinary environment. One of the reasons I chose to attend UC Irvine’s graduate program was that the program structure and faculty attitudes encourage interdisciplinary studies, meaning that I can take courses in any department and pursue a variety of graduate emphases.

At the moment, I am just beginning my studies at UC Irvine. The faculty here boasts diverse areas of expertise, and it is great to know that my current interests are well represented but still have room to expand. Further, attending a UC school gives me access to the course offerings and libraries of the entire UC system, providing even more potential for growth. At the moment, my research interests center on the cultural moment in Colombia and Chile following state violence in the late 20th century. I seek to investigate how oppressed groups like queer and indigenous people use narrative, visual art and film to create alternate memories and archives in the wake of the silences and erasures that constitute an inherited legacy of that violence. 

Coming from the East Coast, this was a big move to consider. The culture of the Spanish and Portuguese department was one of the biggest factors that went into my decision. The faculty are supportive and friendly, and the graduate students uplift each other. So far, I will say that the West Coast does have its perks. On top of continuing to pursue sailing and skiing I will be spending a lot of time reading on the beach, year round.