The Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University attracts a diverse group of highly qualified students. Some students join LACC directly from an undergraduate program and others bring with them years of professional experience.
Audrey McDonough graduated from the University of Mississippi in December 2021 with a BA in International Studies and Spanish. She began her MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies in January 2022 after deciding she wanted to continue building her knowledge on the region. Her main area of focus is in indigenous mobilization studies in the Andes with an interest in political science and anthropology. She is currently working as a TA and is the president of MALOKA, the program's student organization, for the 2022-2023 year.
My undergraduate degree was from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN where I majored in Mathematics and Fine Arts.
I chose the LACS MA program because I felt it would allow me to study Haiti in a greater detail and in a multidisciplinary manner. My main interest was international development in Haiti. No, I am not currently working. I hoped to gain greater insight into how international development was done in Haiti, the US and international policies that informed these decisions, what development methods are effective, and which ones are not. Finally, how to improve the development policies and methods in regard to Haiti to increase effectiveness and end cycles of poverty without perpetuating a system of paternalism towards the country and its people. My career plans included hopes to positively contribute to international development in Haiti through research, policy analysis and change, or in-country support of local initiatives.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Asian Studies, Japan, and Chinese migration to Latin America.
Elisa Romulo was began in LACC in the Spring of 2018, and she works full-time at Florida International University. She has an academic background in Asian Studies with a concentration in Japan and decided to complete a master’s degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies to broaden her field of research.
Elisa chose Global and Sociocultural Studies as the main disciplinary focus for this degree in order to draw connections between Latin America and East Asia. Although her main research focus is Chinese immigration to Cuba, she will continue researching immigration waves from East Asia to Latin America and explore the social impact they have had in the region throughout different historical periods.She was attracted to the LACC program, in part because of the highly regarded faculty. After she completes this degree, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest:
Cindy received her Bachelor of Arts in History at York College (CUNY) in May 2017. She is interested in the migration of people of Afro-descent from the Anglo Caribbean to the Dominican Republic in the late 19th and early 20th Century as well as sociolinguistics in Hispaniola during that time. She has successfully completed a FLAS Fellowship in Haitian Creole, Summer 2018 at Florida International University.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Foreign Affairs and Environmental Sustainability.
Arielle Melville is from Trinidad and Tobago. Her primary areas of interest within Latin American and Caribbean Studies are Foreign Affairs and Environmental Sustainability. She recently graduated from Georgia State University with a B.A in Political Science with a concentration in International Affairs and a B.A in Spanish. In the long run, she aspires to work in an environment that allows her to research and implement sustainable strategies that aid in the development of the Latin American and Caribbean region. Apart from FIU’s cultural diversity, location played a large role in her decision to pursue the MALACS program at FIU. Arielle considers Miami to be the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, and as a result she firmly believes that FIU and the MALACS program are the best fit based on her goals.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Latin American History, Security Studies and International Relations
Daniel Perez is a first year master’s student in the LACC program. He has studied International Relations and Latin American and Caribbean studies at FIU for his Bachelors. He is an avid golfer and billiards player and a Vicky Bakery connoisseur. Daniel currently work at USSOUTHCOM in Doral, but his ultimate goal is to become a teacher.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Political Science, Philosophy, International Relations, and gender-based violence in Latin America.
Gema is a first semester graduate student. She has a B.A in Political Science with Philosophy as a second major, and International Relations as a minor. She is interested in researching gender-based violence in Latin America with the intention of developing and promoting international policies against it. One of her future goals is to become an international advocate for women and other minorities. I decided to follow this program because it allows me to integrate multiple disciplines to a complex problem that requires different approaches to mediate solutions.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Security studies, youth and gang related violence in Latin America.
Josue Sanchez is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He has already completed a double major at FIU in Logistics and International Business, and this is his first semester as a Masters student. He is looking forward to learning more about Latin America and the Caribbean. He will be serving as a Research Assistant in the MALACS program, primarily focused on crime and drugs in the Central American region. In his free time, he likes to run, play tennis, and hang out with friends.
His ultimate goal is to serve others through research, hoping to make Honduras a better place. He is a strong advocate of change and believes that through education the Latin American region can be transformed into a world power.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Colombia, political economy, public policy, entrepreneurship, and foreign direct investment.
Camilo was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from Rosario University at Bogota, Colombia. Before joining the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Camilo worked as a consultant (from 2014 to 2015) at the Border Plan for Prosperity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombia. He moved to Miami, Florida in the summer of 2017 to pursue the masters in Latin American & Caribbean Studies beginning in the Fall. His interests include Political Economy, Public Policy, Entrepreneurship, and Foreign Direct Investment. Camilo is fascinated by sports (Soccer and tennis) and music (drummer). In Summer 2018, he started an internship in Prospera a nonprofit organization that helps Hispanic entrepreneurs in Florida.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies-PhD in International Relations
Areas of interest: Venezuela, Caribbean, Anthropology
Imdat Oner joined FIU in the fall of 2017 and is pursuing a combined M.A./PhD program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (M.A.) and International Relations (PhD). Before joining this program, he served as a career diplomat for six years in the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and he spent the last two years of his tenure in Caracas, Venezuela. He completed his B.A. in Political Science at Bilkent University, his M.A. in International Relations at Hacettepe University in Turkey. His research interests include Latin American politics, foreign policy, mediation and conflict resolution.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Colombia, Gender, Politics, and Journalism
Cindy received a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Florida International University in April 2017. She graduated cum laude and majored in Broadcast Journalism and minored in Hospitality. Cindy has worked for Yahoo News, The Miami Herald, and Viacom International. Her M.A. Latin American & Caribbean Studies research interests include race relations, representation, and stereotypes in the media. Cindy is also a Knight Foundation fellow at The City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. She was born in Bogota, Colombia and raised in Miami, Florida.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies-PhD in History
Areas of interest: Gender, Legal History, Queer History
Andres is a lawyer from Universidad Icesi (Cali, Colombia). He was born and raised in Cali, Colombia. He was an adjunct professor at that same university, where he taught Ethics and Democracy, Ethics and Diversity, and Constitutional Law. His dissertation project is about the intersection of law, medicine, and religion in the construction of the modern identity of homosexuality during the second part of the twentieth century in Colombia.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies-PhD in GSS
Areas of interest: Disasters studies, Political Ecology, Caribbean, Puerto Rico
Tom received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies - Policy and Management from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in 1999. He went on to study Environmental and Resource Engineering, also at SUNY-ESF, earning a Masters degree in 2004. His interests include photography, travel, and philosophy. Upon completion of his M.A. in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Tom will continue toward a PhD in Global Sociocultural Studies - Geography at FIU.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Central America, Security, Diplomacy
Christian earned his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the Florida International University in May of 2015. Since then, he has continued to study Spanish and Latin American language and culture at the graduate level in the MALACS program, Christian worked as a Foreign Area Officer in training at the US Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay. His academic interests include transnational security cooperation and diplomacy.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies-PhD in International Relations
Areas of interest: Central America, Security Studies.
Vierelina joined MALACS in the Fall of 2016 as a McNair Fellow. She completed her undergraduate degree in Chicago at DePaul University and is currently completing a combined M.A./Ph.D. program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (M.A.) and International Relations (Ph.D.). She has studied and collaborated with various universities across Latin America, including the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), the Universidad Panamericana (Guadalajara), and the Universidad Piloto de Colombia. Her research interests focus on international political economy, security and violence, and gender in Latin America. She served as treasurer for MALOKA (the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Student Association) during the 2017-2018 school year. Vierelina was also recently awarded a three-year graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: Race, literature and the African Diaspora in the Caribbean.
Danielle is an educator, graduate student, social justice advocate, and philanthropist who earned her Bachelor of Arts from Georgia State University in 2009. She furthered her creative writing studies at the University of Miami in 2014 through the Glazer Lorton Writing Institute before undertaking the Master of Arts program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (MALACS) at Florida International University in the Fall of 2015. Danielle's academic interest in the interconnectedness between literature, community and identity, gender, and diaspora have fueled her research here at FIU. Not only is she an outstanding student, she has worked in the Miami-Dade County Public School system and earned the Rookie Teacher of the Year award at Miami Jackson High School in the Language Arts Department, and subsequently, she was recognized as the runner-up for Teacher of the Year at her succeeding school. She currently teaches at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove, FL. As Danielle nears completion of her MALACS degree in historical anthropology, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in History.
Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Areas of interest: economic development, the disparity of income & wealth in the region, and political corruption, especially in Mexico.
Edward O. Kennedy, Jr. (MBA, 2008) officially retired in July 2018 after 38 years as a commercial lines insurance premium auditor.
Ed is currently completing a Master's degree in Latin American & Caribbean Studies at FIU. This would be his second Master's degree, the first being an MBA from FIU in 2008. After completing the MALACS, he hopes to continue his studies and is applying to FIU for a PhD and professor's assistantship in History at FIU. Ed hopes to launch a second career as a teacher/researcher in Latin American political economy and/or work for a Latin American political consulting/public opinion polling firm.
