M.A. Students

View Center Staff or M.A. Graduates

2007-2009
	Maria Burns-Ortiz is a first year student in the Latin American Studies master's program. Originally from Santa Monica, Calif., Maria graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Journalism. She has worked for the Tico Times in San José, Costa Rica, Sports Illustrated and The (Fort Wayne, Ind.) News-Sentinel. Named the 2007 Emerging Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Maria is a sports reporter and covers college soccer for ESPN.com. The focus of her research is the social, cultural and economic impact of baseball in the Dominican Republic.
	Nathan Moore is a first year graduate student in the Latin American Studies Program. He obtained a Political Science major and a Spanish minor at the University of Vermont for Undergraduate. He studied one year abroad in Valparaíso, Chile 2000-01. As a representative of the Center for Economic Research and Social Change (CERSC) he participated in the Social Forum of the Americas in Quito, Ecuador, 2004 and in the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2005. In 2005, he taught English as a Second Language at Wizard School of Languages in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. His interests are politics and development issues in Latin America with a focus on Brazil.
	Juan Carlos Rosa is a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico.  He earned his bachelors degree from The Ohio State University majoring in International Studies with a concentration in development, from a social anthropological perspective.  He is a first year MA Graduate student with research interests in social movements, indigenous rights and Latin American political processes.
	David Rottblatt is a first year graduate student at the Program for Latin American and Caribean Studies. He was born in Connecticut. He attended George Washington University and obtained a B.A. in International Affairs. His academic interests include socio-economic development of Latin America. His previous experience includes living for small periouds of time in Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica for a year total. While living in these countries he led health awareness programs, taught English and participated in community service outreach programs. He also enjoy being a pilot for angel flight in his free time.
2006-2008
	Iris Chang was born in Taichung, Taiwan and moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil at age of four. She received her B.A. in Foreign Trade from The Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo. She is second-year graduate student in Latin American Studies program. She is interested in social development and human rights in Latin America, in respect to the issues of drug trafficking and poverty in the urban slum in Brazil. She expects to apply her knowledge toward poverty alleviation in Latin America.
	Luz Minerva Colon-Rodriguez was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico but have been living in the United States for many years with her mother and younger sisters. She  received her Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross where she majored in History and completed a concentration in Latin American and Latino Studies. After graduation, she worked in a variety of non-profits in the Worcester community until January, 2007  when she  returned to the College of the Holy Cross as the Assistant Director in the Office of Multicultural Education and the Chair of the Bishop Healy Committee of the General Alumni Association. Currently, she is a second year student in the Latin American Studies M.A program with a focus in History. Her goals are to become a professor, tour  Latin America, and teach at a small college where she can continue to be involved with issues of diversity. She is extremely excited to be at UCONN and look forward to completing her time here.
	María Cristina Durango Chávez was born in Quito, Ecuador. She is a second year graduate student in the Latin American Studies program, with a concentration in social development. She obtained a B.A. in Organizational Communications at Universidad Internacional del Ecuador. Her professional experience focuses on social and economic development related issues. She worked for nine years at CARE International in Ecuador. Her last position there was as Communications Officer. Other positions include Assistant to the Country Office Director and Resource Mobilization Coordinator; and Assistant to the Health Sector.
	Caroline Napoli is a second year graduate student inf the Latin American Studies graduate program. She was born in New York, NY and grew up in New Jersey. She attended the University of Rhode Island for her undergraduate studies and received a BA in Latin American Studies and International Development Studies. She lived for two years in Manta, Ecuador teaching in a colegio there. She has also spent extensive time in Costa Rica and Spain. Caroline is interested in developmental issues of Latin America, specifically education.
	Jorge Hernández Hernández is a second year Latin American Studies graduate student from Oaxaca, Mexico. He received his B.A. in International Relations from the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. He is currently engaged in exploring issues that arise from Mexico – U.S. migration, transnational migration process, and the politics of citizenship and immigration law. His assistantship at the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies currently entails being the instructor for the LAMS 190 Perspective on Latin America course at the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut. He is the Mead Graduate Fellowship award recipient for the year 2007.
	Laurie Vega-Boulay is a first generation American daughter to parents from Spain and Colombia. She was born and raised in Connecticut, and currently lives in Coventry with her husband Tim and 16 month old son, Max. She attended UCONN her freshman year, but ultimately recieved a BA in Spanish Language and Literature from Arizona State University in 1998. She is currently a high school Spanish teacher at RHAM High School in Hebron, Connecticut. She hopes to graduate from UCONN's graduate program with a MA in Latin American Studies while focusing on Anthropology.