Iowa Memorial Union
2nd Floor Ballroom

Luis F. Aranda, co-chair
Alma Bernal, co-chair
Dr. Elizabeth Tovar, executive director and associate vice president, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Denise Martinez, MD, is the Interim Associate VP for Health Parity for UI Health Care and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

Dr. Martinez is a faculty member and clinician in the Department of Family Medicine. She brings a substantive skill set to this position. She is currently the faculty advisor for the Student National Medical Association. She also led the charge to create and advise the Latino Medical Student Association and the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students, of which both groups thrive today. Through her work with students, she earned the prestigious Hawkeye Award for Faculty Adviser of the Year for the entire University of Iowa in 2014.

Dr. Martinez leads the University of Iowa Health Care by implementing and incorporating CultureVision, a cultural competency software to help create a more inclusive healthcare network for patients. Dr. Martinez has championed cultural competence within the University of Iowa Health Care.

HOMECOMING ROOM | IMU 345

Unperceived : Latino/a/e/x Students During the Pandemic
Katryn Duarte, University of Iowa, RVAP

A conversation about the impact of loss, and grief, during the pandemic on students' wellbeing. The conversation will be centering Latina/o/e/x experiences.

Katryn Duarte has worked directly with individuals harmed by violence by providing bilingual/bicultural sexual assault advocacy and counseling services for over sixteen years. Katryn is passionate about social justice, identities, equity, inclusion, belonging, and in-between spaces. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of Sexual Assault Services at the Rape Victim Advocacy at UI.

47 THINGS ROOM | IMU 346

Love Your Nature
Carolina Kaufman, University of Iowa, Pentacrest Museums

Explore your identity and self-motivation through interactions with nature. Open-ended activities will occur outdoors and provide opportunities to express your growth mindset using observation, interaction, reflection, and creativity.

Carolina Kaufman directs inclusive and engaging creative inter-disciplinary 21st-century learning environments for all audiences in K-12, museum, after-school, university, and non-profit sectors.

Currently, Ms. Kaufman is the director of education and engagement at the UI Pentacrest Museums.

OLD CAPITOL ROOM | IMU 347

Bienestar en la Universidad: How to Thrive in College
Cassie Walizer, University of Iowa, CIAE

Learn what it's like to be a Latinx college student at the University of Iowa! In this session, Latinx University of Iowa students will share their experiences on campus. They will also share what they have learned about maintaining personal well-being as a young adult. Participants will have the opportunity to ask students questions.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ROOM | IMU 351

This interactive session will introduce you to the concept of a growth mindset and how you can apply it to become an effective and successful student. We will define mindset, share the exciting research in psychology and neuroscience that supports it, and discuss why it matters. We will then apply the concepts to our lives and learn how to embrace a growth mindset when experiencing challenges or obstacles.

Anat Levtov is the Program Manager for the Learning at Iowa project. Anat grew up as a “Third Culture Kid”, living in Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Israel, and Italy. She has been living in Iowa since 2015 and previously worked as an academic advisor to first-year students.

HOMECOMING ROOM IMU 345

Think Parks & Rec is a Wild Depiction of Local Government? Think again!
Paola Jaramillo, Johnson County DEI Marlen Mendoza, LULAC

Have you ever wondered how decisions are made locally and how policies impact your quality of life? This 45-minute interactive session will walk you through key principles of good leadership, negotiating, and problem-solving in the public sector. Using realistic scenarios as examples, participants will walk away with realistic expectations of local government and how they can get involved to advocate for local policy. Marlén Mendoza is an independent policy consultant and has worked with various non-profits in Washington, DC – Center for Law and Social Policy, The Forum for Youth Investment, and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. Paola Jaramillo Guayara is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion coordinator passionate about organizational psychology and program development.  She helps coordinate pieces of training, creates programs, and provides services to promote inclusive employee cultures and equitable community access and participation in Johnson County.  

47 THINGS ROOM | IMU 346

Do You Like Language and Helping Others? Here's How to Start a Career as a Speech Therapist
Philip Combiths, Camila Morales, Evita Woolsey, Emily Garcia, Maria Martinez Rangel University of Iowa, Comm. Sciences & Disorders 

Speech and language therapists or speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are clinicians who assess communication abilities and provide interventions for individuals who have an impairment affecting their communication. Working as an SLP is an exciting and rewarding career. As a Latinx SLP, you can be a language advocate for the 18 million Latinx children in this country. Your lived experiences in your family and community make you uniquely prepared to support and advocate the communication health of Latinx children. This interactive workshop will teach you what it's like to work as a Latinx SLP and to get started on this career path. During the workshop, we also plan to have a Q&A with one or more current and graduated Latinx SLP students to share their experiences.

Philip Combiths, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a biracial Mexican American, a bilingual speech-language pathologist, and an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa. He is also Director of the Clinical Linguistics and Disparities Lab, where he seeks to understand language diversity and bilingual development better to reduce health disparities in speech-language pathology. Bianca Robles-Muñoz, Camila Morales, Evita Woolsey, Emily Garcia, and Maria Martínez Rangel are Latinx students or graduates of Speech-Language Pathology and Global Health and members of the Clinical Linguistics and Disparities Lab at the University of Iowa.

OLD CAPITOL ROOM IMU 347

Utilizing Community for Success:  How to Hack College
Jeffrey Grim, Univ. of Iowa, College of Education Emily Rodriguez, University of Iowa, Senior

No one gets into or completes college without the support of the community. This session will provide a brief overview of research on how to find and utilize campus resources, along with a panel of upper-class Latinx students at the University of Iowa to share how they built, sustained, and utilized community support systems. \

Jeff Grim, Ph.D. is a visiting assistant professor of higher education and student affairs in the College of Education at the University of Iowa. Dr. Grim was the first in his family to attend college and recently earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He researches how higher education organizational structures, policies, and practices can create more justice-oriented and equitable experiences and outcomes for all faculty, staff, and students.

Emily Rodriguez is a graduate of the class of 2019 from West Liberty, Iowa. She is a first-generation Latina who is heavily involved on campus and is majoring in Educational Studies and Human Relations, along with a minor in Latino/a/x Studies.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ROOM IMU 351

YOU Decide: Finding YOUR Academic Fit 
Gabriela Rivera, University of Iowa, Tippie Mark Archibald, University of Iowa, Tippie

There is mystery and confusion about what it means to study business, who should study business, and for what purpose. Come find out your passion and fit for considering business and entrepreneurship. We will use examples to illustrate the usefulness and application of each business major offered at Tippie. We will articulate the things current business students do to set themselves up for long-term success and provide practical tips for things to consider when finding the right "fit" for YOU in business.

Gabriela Rivera, Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Tippie College of Business is a Mexican immigrant, an only child, mother of three children, and dog Jack. She earned her Associates degree in psychology from Scott Community College, her Bachelor's in interdisciplinary studies from Central College, and a Master's in Higher Education from the University of Iowa.

Mark Archibald, Associate Director for First-Year Experiences in the Tippie College of Business, earned his Bachelor’s degree in English and Philosophy from the University of Iowa and his Master’s degree in Higher Education from Loyola University.  He is pursuing his Doctoral degree in Higher Education from the University of Iowa and studies issues surrounding access and inclusion for underrepresented populations in higher education. 

Iowa Memorial Union
2nd Floor Ballroom

HOMECOMING ROOM | IMU 345

Love for Self & Culture: The Importance of You
Erin Elizalde, University of Iowa, Junior
Tiffany Bolaños, University of Iowa, Senior

Our workshop is focused on recognizing our self-worth within the various identities we carry. By recognizing the diversity, we bring and contribute to society, we can appreciate our worth. This interactive workshop will be divided into three parts--an introduction of the presenters, a small group activity, and a game! Learn about yourself and find love within yourself!

Erin Elizalde is a third-year biochemistry student at the University of Iowa. She is an Iowa Edge peer leader, Research Assistant at the Department of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health, CIAE student assistant, Mobile Clinic & Food Pantry Volunteer, TRIO SSS tutor, and Founder of Paws at Iowa. Erin is heavily involved in the Latinx and Queer communities and DEI initiatives at the University of Iowa. She enjoys trying new food and playing with Tiffany's dog Oso.

Tiffany Bolaños is a fourth-year Human Health and Physiology student on the health studies track with a certificate in Disability Studies. She is a CIAE student assistant, Iowa Edge Peer Leader, and member of Paws at Iowa. Tiffany enjoys going to the gym and playing with her dog Oso. 

47 THINGS ROOM | IMU 346

What's Your Passion for Well-Being?
Dr. Erin Stresow, University of Iowa, IESI

In this session, we will find ways to improve well-being, identify positive mental health habits, and study their importance. Explore activities for well-being through our passions - culture, music, food, sports, family, culture, and more. Practice affirmations and own our accomplishments. Students will develop a well-being calendar for October.

Dr. Erin (Carrillo) Stresow has a Ph.D. In Business Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership and Development. She has worked with nonprofits, corporations, government, state, and higher education agencies. She worked for six years in human resources, leading employee well-being initiatives that included coaching and consultations. Her dissertation studied the well-being needs of leaders and followers and their impact on individuals, teams, and organizations. Erin has been a business instructor for over a decade.

OLD CAPITOL ROOM | IMU 347

"Am I Doing This Right?"  Developing Strengths-based Leadership Among High School Students
Tristan Schmidt, University of Iowa, TRIO Upward Bound

With everchanging access to technology and media, many of us have been subconscious or unconsciously told what leadership looks like and how we are supposed to look at it. Using the Anti-Deficit/Strengths-Based model of leadership, this session will go over common issues, themes, myths, misconceptions in leadership development, strategies for developing Anti-Deficit/Strengths-Based and provide interactive opportunities for students to probe their values, beliefs, and strengths as growing leaders in society. The session will include an interactive component and some brief breakout/table groups to create an engaging and enlightening experience.

A through-and-through Hawkeye, Tristan is an alumnus of the University of Iowa and joined TRIO Upward Bound in March 2021. They received their Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies with a Certificate in Critical Cultural Competence in May 2019. Tristan is working towards their Master of Public Affairs degree from Indiana University, focusing on educational & social policy analysis, econometric methods, college access policy, education reform, and public financial administration, graduating in May 2023.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ROOMm | IMU 351

In Conversation with Health Professional Students: Future Careers in STEM and Ownership of your Health Decisions
Johanna Castillo Aguirre, UI Mobile Clinic, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Health professional students run this workshop from the Carver College of Medicine. We are interested in talking with you about possibilities for careers in STEM fields, our experiences as medical or physician assistant students, and what it means to take ownership of your health in your teenage years and beyond. Come and join us for interactive STEM-related activities and small-group conversations.

The presenters are a mixture of health professional students from Carver College of Medicine. Volunteers from the free mobile clinic, the Latino Medical Student Association, and the Medical Student Ambassador Program partnered to host this event.

Iowa Memorial Union
2nd Floor Ballroom