I’m a Berkelyan: Hector M. Callejas on finding communities that support Latinx research

“At the end of the day, despite all the trials and tribulations we go through as Latinx students, it’s our communities and identities that ground us as we pursue our research projects,” Ph.D. candidate Hector Callejas said. (Photo by Edgar Castrejón)

For many first-generation Latinx students, our traditions and culture are what connect us to our family’s homeland. Reaffirming that cultural identity can be difficult because we don’t have the personal experiences of growing up in those countries.

When I was an undergrad at UC Berkeley in 2014, I got the opportunity to travel to El Salvador, the country my mother emigrated from, to research Indigenous identities and politics.