Zulema Delacruz ALPFA Vice President ‘26-’27:
Q1:How has your Hispanic/Latinx identity shaped who you are today and what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
Z: Certain aspects that my heritage has shaped me, I think it really is understanding the country and the
community that I come from. My mother is an immigrant from Mexico. She came to the United States to
work and ultimately to provide better resources and opportunities for me and my brother. Um, I’ve gotten
the chance to go back to Mexico, visit family members and see exactly where she grew up. So
understanding like the history of Mexico understanding, like the different societal norms that over there
really has impacted me because I’m not doing everything I do just for myself. I’m doing it for my aunts,
uncles, cousins, my grandmother, my family members, and my mother. I’m really proud of the familial
aspect.It was a matter of respecting your elders. It was a matter of, you don’t think for yourself, you also
think for your family. Ultimately, I do it to provide a better life for me, but also for my mother, who
sacrificed so much for me, to be a mentor and to be an influence to other younger generations, younger
students. I have cousins who are going into college in the coming years, and so they often come to me for
questions and I have friends right now who talk to me, who call me and be like, hey, Zulema, like, I have
a question about this. I have community members who call me, say, Zulema, how did you do it? Like, can
you talk to my daughter? Can you talk to my son? So just coming to that strong, familial bond.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Towson University as a Hispanic
student? Are there any organizations, friendships, or experiences that you have made you feel
especially supported or represented?
Z: I found the community, one by being authentic to myself. I never want to enter a space where I want to
try to pretend or negate my Hispanic culture. On the contrary, I try to put down the front lines because
that is who I am as a person. In addition to that, I try to enter space with an open mind I try to take
advantage of every opportunity, even if I’m scared, even if I’m a little nervous, even if it means, you know,
doing something them alone, comfortable with, I always try to really put myself out there so that way I
can build that community because you can’t build bonds on nothing. You build bonds through talking with
other individuals and through sharing experiences. And I do want to highlight the Tigers Lead. They’re
the first program organization that I really got involved with. They were like my starting point here at TU.
It really helped me to develop my leadership skills and to help build that first community.The next ones
would be ALPFA; Association of Latino Professionals for America. I really want to highlight them
because they were the first student organization that I became a part of and the first executive board that I
joined here at TU and I’m still a part of ALPFA to this day as I enter my last semester. They really
provided that warm and welcoming community. And once I learned a little bit more about it, I was like,
it’s a no-brainer. back where I come from, the Eastern Shore, Maryland, like opportunities that are scarce.
So I really wanted to take advantage of them. And also, finally, LASO, I think there is a great resourcing
community. They really do everything they can to empower the, Latinx community here to you and
within the great Baltimore area as well.
Q3: What has your experience been like navigating at college as a Hispanic student? And what do you
wish more people understood about your experiences, identity, or community?
Z: I think my experience navigating college brought a different perspective in my eyes because I come
from an immigrant household. I come from a different culture. So I look at college through that lens, if
that makes sense. A lot of people say, I’m coming to college just to get the degree. I’m just coming to
college to live life and everything. For me, my personal reason is I’m coming to college for my family. I’m
calling to college because I really want that better opportunity. And it was finding a balance. It wasn’t just
me coming to college for myself and me alone. Let me find time to spend time with my family,
maintaining my relationships, connections, and also the work because I don’t have that privilege of just
going to school and solely focusing on education. I also have to work to cover you know, personal
expenses. So I have to know, it’s been a balance. Sometimes, you know, things get overthrown on the
scale. So it’s just navigating that. And also missing home. I mean, me and my mom are very close. I’m the
eldest daughter. I have a brother here, but, you know, I miss my mom. I miss my cousins. I miss my aunt
and uncle. So having that homesickness really has hit. and then something I wish people would
understand. As a 1st generation college student, the eldest child from an immigrant household, it’s a lot of
work to go into it. It’s not just like, oh, go to class, study, get good grades. No, it’s like study, work, think
of your family, and, you know, maintaining, maintaining your identity through all that because I’m not
forgetting my mom. I also, like, making time to see her, making time to see my brother. Um, just going
back to all that. So just understanding that, you know, there’s so many hidden challenges underneath. Um,
that people don’t see. It’s like, it’s not just going to classes and meeting them.
Q4: if you could give yourself, like, your younger self, a word of advice before starting college,
what would it be and why?
Z: would be to stay humble. I think I came to TU thinking, I finally made it. I’m going to go college, like,
well, once a dream. Like I put in the hard work, it’s time. It was a very humbling experience. It was
balancing being homesick. It was balancing stress. It was, you know, navigating, going from a rural area
to a big, almost city-like campus. Navigating relationships, friendships, meeting new people,
understanding burnout. Now the next steps are grad school as well. So I would just remind myself, stay
humble and rely on your community because they were with you before you even had college. They’re
with you during the process and they’re gonna be with you long after. So always, always keep that in
mind.
————-
Nayeli Alonzo ~ La Voz Latina Secretary ‘26-’27
Q1:how has the Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today, and what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
N: So might let you know in Hispanic culture has shaped who I am entirely, I would say, it goes into
every part of who I am, like, whether it be, like, eating what I am, watching, or, like, the reason why I’m
studying, like, I think being Hispanic has grown to be such a big part of who I am. You can’t see me or
know me without knowing that I’m also Hispanic and part of what my culture is. My mom is Salvadorian
and my dad’s Guatemalan, so I grew up there. I ate traditional food every single day, like, I did not miss a
day where I did not have Spanish food. It was very important in my culture to eat from house food. So
I’ve grown accustomed to that. I also speak Spanish, which takes part in my everyday life, whether I’m
interviewed for a job, whether I’m going somewhere outside, when I’m at my job, I use Spanish, There’s a
big Spanish community in Maryland. So I feel like knowing Spanish is very, very helpful and it has
helped me throughout life.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Towson University as a Hispanic/Latinx
student, any organizations, friendships, experience you had that especially feel supported or
represented?
N:I will say when I first came to Towson in my freshman year, I had a hard time making Hispanic
friends. I couldn’t find any Latinos, to be honest. That was partially me because I wasn’t looking. I was so
wrapped up in my classes and being a freshman. I wasn’t looking for the clubs. And my sophomore year,
1st semester, I went to the mask booth at the career fair, and I found La Voz Latina, which is a bilingual
newspaper here at Towson, and that’s right up my alley as a journalism student. I found a newspaper
article that was in English and Spanish, but I really connected with the president and vice president. They
were so nice. I think we talked for like 30 minutes and we just clicked off the bat because growing up
Hispanics, like, there’s a lot of similarities in how we grew up and like a lot of niche things just from the
music we listen to. So the shows we watched, how our parents act, being foreign, from a different country.
And so I joined the club and everyone else was also Hispanic or from a different culture. And we all
clicked very well, and luckily, thanks to them, I’ve been able to connect with the other Spanish orcs
because all the Spanish orgs here are very connected. We are reposting each other’s events. We already
post each other’s fundraisers and everybody knows everybody. So it’s really nice that we’re all like one big
family.
Q3: What has your experience been like navigating college as a Hispanic or a Latinx student? And
what do you wish more people understood about your experience, identity, or community?
N: So, firstly, I would say that my experience has been very good because I was able to meet other people
like me. Not all, but a lot of Hispanics are 1st gen, like me. So I am the 1st one to go to college, and when
you meet another Hispanic, it’s usually their 1st time at college too. So it feels kind of like, you know,
like, oh, they’re like me too. It’s their 1st time too. Like, they didn’t have help either. Like when they were
applying, like they didn’t know what to do either. I wish people weren’t so hateful. I wouldn’t say
everyone is, especially Towson. It’s a very diverse school, but with our current presidential administration
I feel like it’s opened up so much hate and he allows for there to be hate for the Spanish community and
all of the foreign communities. And, yeah, just understand that, like, you know, we’re trying to… We’re
just as capable. But that’s not too tossed, and that’s more to our current government, I would say. Towson
does a really good job making the communities. Especially the Spanish community, because we have
found so many Spanish clubs around tossing and they made it easy for our clubs to prosper.
Q4: If you could give your younger self a word of advice before starting college, what would it be
and why?
N: I would say… don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. And try, try it even if you don’t like it. Like, be
comfortable with making yourself uncomfortable. That’s what I would say.
———–
Carson Kelly LASO Social Chair ‘26-’27
Q1:How has your Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today and what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
C: I’m a Dominican. I’m happy with it. Being Dominican has shaped my identity in a different way. Not
being able to speak the languages. So it’s kind of a disconnect in certain ways, but it’s also good in other
ways, because I’m with the culture, and the shame of identity in a way, I’m like, I’m proud to be from
where I’m from. And being Dominican is, like, they’re very proud and very proud people.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Towson University as a Hispanic or
Latinx student? Are there any organizations, friendships, or experiences that you have that made
you feel supportive or represented? Well, the biggest, pull up representation, I will say, is going to
LASO. My friend and my cousin recommended this to me last year when we first started, as freshmen.
And then I went to LASSO, and saw a lot of other Hispanic students.They’re, like, conversing, having
fun, like talking about real experiences. Like, it really spoke to me, and, like, that’s the community I
would want to be a part of. Like, students want to strive to be something more together than I look the
same.
Q3: What has your experience been like navigating college as a Hispanic or Latin student? And
what do you wish that more people understood about your experiences, identity, and community?
C: My experience as a Hispanic student has been, it’s been pretty okay, ’cause I think I’ve met, and I’ve
talked to my people, from both of my backgrounds, being Black and Hispanic. So, to feel comfortable in
this space and feel like I’m really good for it, If more people would come to the community and have
more of a say, then you would get more things done, the stance of, like, we’re talking about voting in one
of our own meetings. And we’re talking about how more of us, like I said, people need to go on board to
make a change for the world, right?
Q4: If you could give yourself, if you could give your younger self one word of advice before
starting college, what would it be? To learn some Spanish because being a No Sabo kid, is, like, what
they call, you as a Hispanic individual who doesn’t know Spanish, like, it’s always been, like, it’s been,
like, something people laugh at, you know? So, like, what I would tell my younger self was to pick up a
book, or pick up some Duolingo, figure out some Spanish, and figure it out, because in the real world, this
morning, you know, Spanish is, like, a good thing to have. It’s a good, um, skill to have.
———
Aldo González La Voz Latina Website Manager ‘26-’27 & Pasión Latin Dance President ‘26-’27
Q1: How has your Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today? And what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
A: I’m Mexican, so it’s definitely, the cultural impact has always been there since the 1st day I was born
through, religious aspects, traditional aspects, um, culture aspects, just, our food, the way we
speak.certain things they do. It’s always been part of my life, and it’s just shaped me who I am by, like, by
the same things, by the food I eat, by the music I listen to, by the people I talk to, people I relate to,
because I can relate a lot within people around my culture.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Towson as a Hispanic or Latinx student?
Any organizations, friendships, or experiences that made you feel supported and represented?
A: I noticed that the, you know, community was small, so I really made an effort to go find what we had
on campus, and the 1st thing that really got my attention was, Pasión Latin Dance, which is a dancing
year on campus. I’ve been on that since my freshman year. It’s something that I’ve been able to be a part
of. I’ve grown to be able to get their president. It’s really important for me to continue this sense of
community just because the same way they welcome me in. I want to do that same thing for the next
generation of 1000 students. So I just want to keep it going. And overall, just the unity between all the
Latin orgs, that being Bastion, La Voz Latina, LASO, ALPFA, even the Greek life that’s here on campus.
And that’s another reason why I was happy to join La Voz this semester too. Um, then, then being a
platform to advocate for our own people and writing articles in English and Spanish. So just having that
community around us and all us, just being united in general, just gives me that warm feeling and makes
me feel good about what we’re building here at Towson.
Q4: if you could give your younger self one word of advice before starting college, what would it be
and why?
A: If I were to give them one I’d say. transcend the community, transcend, whatever you’re doing, make
yourself known. being, being in a community that I’m part of, it’s, it’s not common to have many people
in, in these, like, positions and do what we’re doing here at Towson, and it’s, I really, I really, sometimes I
feel like I have a chip on my shoulder, not only for myself, but, like, but for everyone around me and just
representing our community in the best way possible. And I would just tell my younger self to transcend
that and keep pushing it forward and keep doing as much as, as much as he can to, you know, grow with,
grow for himself, grow for the community.
———–
Monica Ramos Flores ~ La Voz Latina President ‘26-’27
Q1: how has your Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today? And what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
M: My, like, heritage has definitely shaped me to be more of a person with ambition. as a minority, and
honestly, as a female in general, but speaking to my roots, and, minorities in general, we have to work
twice as hard just to prove ourselves in the academic spaces. So, I do take pride in my Latino heritage. I’m
also a 1st generation student. My parents travel from Los Salvador, so that has a lot to do. With my
motivations and just it’s shaped my morales and all of that.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Taos University as a Hispanic or Latinx
student? Are there any organizations, friendships, or experiences that made you feel supportive or
represented?
M: I’m president for La Voz Latina here at Towson University. Our space is, it’s a space of advocacy, but
it’s really to allow anybody who’s a minority or anybody at that measure, but specifically minorities. be
able to speak on whatever they feel needs to be spoken on, things that are either too quiet here, things that
need rallying, like, just anything really. And so when I was Latina, I feel like, um, being part of it, I have
created a space for people to lift each other up and to just share their experiences and things of that sort.
Navigation is also bilingual, so we do get, you know, not twice the exposure, but we do target twice, I
guess, as many, um, communities because it’s not just stuff in English. A lot of the stuff that is written, we
also try to translate for the people who did get rid because of La Voz Latina, we don’t have specific writers
for us. We have, it’s kind of a, if you want to write, you come. So a lot of people do get proud of these
types of things. A lot of the people are 1st generation students who do get to write. And so their parents a
lot of the time, so speak English. So we just, I take pride in that too, that we get to publish things in
English, but also publish in Spanish, so these people can go ahead and share it back with their families
too.
Q3: What has your experience been like navigating as a Hispanic or Latinx student? And what do
you wish for more? Do people understand your experience, identity, or community?
M: As a first generation student, and as somebody whose parents first, I mean, they were born, somebody,
somewhere else, and obviously English isn’t their first language. It was a little bit harder for me, even just
applying to schools. There wasn’t somebody before me who could help me out or anything like that. I
kind of just had to navigate stuff on my own. And even now, with all my classes, all of this stuff, you
know, I’m in my senior years, so I’m trying to get things, um, in place for graduation. These are things that
not a lot of people understand that I just didn’t get all that help. So I wish that that’s something that needs,
like, a little bit more, I think, assistance,
Q4: If you could give your younger self one word of advice before starting college, what would it be
and why?
M: The same way that I was super scared coming in and that I didn’t really feel like I had a community up
until I put myself out there. Um, I would just tell her that, just put yourself out there. You’ll find your
community and you’ll find your own, you know, your own home.
——————-
Coenia Sanchez ~ La Voz Latina Vice President ‘26-’27
Q1:How has your Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today? And what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
C: In a sense, it’s made me have pretty unique, um, perspectives of the world around me. I’m specifically
Caribbean. So I think being Caribbean and being a part of the Latin American community has shaped my
experiences in many different ways from how I navigate the world around me. just because of how rich
the culture, history, and the people are. In that way, it’s kind of shaped how I view everything in my life.
Q2: What has your experience been like navigating college as a Hispanic or Latinx student? And
what do you wish more people understood about your experience, identity or community?
C: I think, in a way, joining, um, communities on campus, like, uh, whether that be joining a CSD
workshop that Dr. Mondalgo, facilitates or something that LASO is doing or La Voz Latina, being in La
Voz Latina is just a huge in which I found a community here at Towson.
Q3: If you could give your younger self a word of advice before starting college, what would it be
and why?
C: Don’t be afraid to branch out and ask for help. I think coming into college, I had this insecurity or fear
of asking for guidance and help because I thought that I could just figure it out on my own. But I think I
definitely say don’t be afraid to ask when you need help from anything. Does it matter what it is? And
also, um, I guess reaching out and getting outside of your comfort zone can also help you build, um,
character and also grow as a person in every aspect of your life.
Adwoa Ampofo
October 15th Thursday 2026
Zulema Delacruz ALPFA Vice President ‘26-’27:
Q1:How has your Hispanic/Latinx identity shaped who you are today and what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
Z: Certain aspects that my heritage has shaped me, I think it really is understanding the country and the
community that I come from. My mother is an immigrant from Mexico. She came to the United States to
work and ultimately to provide better resources and opportunities for me and my brother. Um, I’ve gotten
the chance to go back to Mexico, visit family members and see exactly where she grew up. So
understanding like the history of Mexico understanding, like the different societal norms that over there
really has impacted me because I’m not doing everything I do just for myself. I’m doing it for my aunts,
uncles, cousins, my grandmother, my family members, and my mother. I’m really proud of the familial
aspect.It was a matter of respecting your elders. It was a matter of, you don’t think for yourself, you also
think for your family. Ultimately, I do it to provide a better life for me, but also for my mother, who
sacrificed so much for me, to be a mentor and to be an influence to other younger generations, younger
students. I have cousins who are going into college in the coming years, and so they often come to me for
questions and I have friends right now who talk to me, who call me and be like, hey, Zulema, like, I have
a question about this. I have community members who call me, say, Zulema, how did you do it? Like, can
you talk to my daughter? Can you talk to my son? So just coming to that strong, familial bond.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Towson University as a Hispanic
student? Are there any organizations, friendships, or experiences that you have made you feel
especially supported or represented?
Z: I found the community, one by being authentic to myself. I never want to enter a space where I want to
try to pretend or negate my Hispanic culture. On the contrary, I try to put down the front lines because
that is who I am as a person. In addition to that, I try to enter space with an open mind I try to take
advantage of every opportunity, even if I’m scared, even if I’m a little nervous, even if it means, you know,
doing something them alone, comfortable with, I always try to really put myself out there so that way I
can build that community because you can’t build bonds on nothing. You build bonds through talking with
other individuals and through sharing experiences. And I do want to highlight the Tigers Lead. They’re
the first program organization that I really got involved with. They were like my starting point here at TU.
It really helped me to develop my leadership skills and to help build that first community.The next ones
would be ALPFA; Association of Latino Professionals for America. I really want to highlight them
because they were the first student organization that I became a part of and the first executive board that I
joined here at TU and I’m still a part of ALPFA to this day as I enter my last semester. They really
provided that warm and welcoming community. And once I learned a little bit more about it, I was like,
it’s a no-brainer. back where I come from, the Eastern Shore, Maryland, like opportunities that are scarce.
So I really wanted to take advantage of them. And also, finally, LASO, I think there is a great resourcing
community. They really do everything they can to empower the, Latinx community here to you and
within the great Baltimore area as well.
Q3: What has your experience been like navigating at college as a Hispanic student? And what do you
wish more people understood about your experiences, identity, or community?
Z: I think my experience navigating college brought a different perspective in my eyes because I come
from an immigrant household. I come from a different culture. So I look at college through that lens, if
that makes sense. A lot of people say, I’m coming to college just to get the degree. I’m just coming to
college to live life and everything. For me, my personal reason is I’m coming to college for my family. I’m
calling to college because I really want that better opportunity. And it was finding a balance. It wasn’t just
me coming to college for myself and me alone. Let me find time to spend time with my family,
maintaining my relationships, connections, and also the work because I don’t have that privilege of just
going to school and solely focusing on education. I also have to work to cover you know, personal
expenses. So I have to know, it’s been a balance. Sometimes, you know, things get overthrown on the
scale. So it’s just navigating that. And also missing home. I mean, me and my mom are very close. I’m the
eldest daughter. I have a brother here, but, you know, I miss my mom. I miss my cousins. I miss my aunt
and uncle. So having that homesickness really has hit. and then something I wish people would
understand. As a 1st generation college student, the eldest child from an immigrant household, it’s a lot of
work to go into it. It’s not just like, oh, go to class, study, get good grades. No, it’s like study, work, think
of your family, and, you know, maintaining, maintaining your identity through all that because I’m not
forgetting my mom. I also, like, making time to see her, making time to see my brother. Um, just going
back to all that. So just understanding that, you know, there’s so many hidden challenges underneath. Um,
that people don’t see. It’s like, it’s not just going to classes and meeting them.
Q4: if you could give yourself, like, your younger self, a word of advice before starting college,
what would it be and why?
Z: would be to stay humble. I think I came to TU thinking, I finally made it. I’m going to go college, like,
well, once a dream. Like I put in the hard work, it’s time. It was a very humbling experience. It was
balancing being homesick. It was balancing stress. It was, you know, navigating, going from a rural area
to a big, almost city-like campus. Navigating relationships, friendships, meeting new people,
understanding burnout. Now the next steps are grad school as well. So I would just remind myself, stay
humble and rely on your community because they were with you before you even had college. They’re
with you during the process and they’re gonna be with you long after. So always, always keep that in
mind.
————-
Nayeli Alonzo ~ La Voz Latina Secretary ‘26-’27
Q1:how has the Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today, and what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
N: So might let you know in Hispanic culture has shaped who I am entirely, I would say, it goes into
every part of who I am, like, whether it be, like, eating what I am, watching, or, like, the reason why I’m
studying, like, I think being Hispanic has grown to be such a big part of who I am. You can’t see me or
know me without knowing that I’m also Hispanic and part of what my culture is. My mom is Salvadorian
and my dad’s Guatemalan, so I grew up there. I ate traditional food every single day, like, I did not miss a
day where I did not have Spanish food. It was very important in my culture to eat from house food. So
I’ve grown accustomed to that. I also speak Spanish, which takes part in my everyday life, whether I’m
interviewed for a job, whether I’m going somewhere outside, when I’m at my job, I use Spanish, There’s a
big Spanish community in Maryland. So I feel like knowing Spanish is very, very helpful and it has
helped me throughout life.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Towson University as a Hispanic/Latinx
student, any organizations, friendships, experience you had that especially feel supported or
represented?
N:I will say when I first came to Towson in my freshman year, I had a hard time making Hispanic
friends. I couldn’t find any Latinos, to be honest. That was partially me because I wasn’t looking. I was so
wrapped up in my classes and being a freshman. I wasn’t looking for the clubs. And my sophomore year,
1st semester, I went to the mask booth at the career fair, and I found La Voz Latina, which is a bilingual
newspaper here at Towson, and that’s right up my alley as a journalism student. I found a newspaper
article that was in English and Spanish, but I really connected with the president and vice president. They
were so nice. I think we talked for like 30 minutes and we just clicked off the bat because growing up
Hispanics, like, there’s a lot of similarities in how we grew up and like a lot of niche things just from the
music we listen to. So the shows we watched, how our parents act, being foreign, from a different country.
And so I joined the club and everyone else was also Hispanic or from a different culture. And we all
clicked very well, and luckily, thanks to them, I’ve been able to connect with the other Spanish orcs
because all the Spanish orgs here are very connected. We are reposting each other’s events. We already
post each other’s fundraisers and everybody knows everybody. So it’s really nice that we’re all like one big
family.
Q3: What has your experience been like navigating college as a Hispanic or a Latinx student? And
what do you wish more people understood about your experience, identity, or community?
N: So, firstly, I would say that my experience has been very good because I was able to meet other people
like me. Not all, but a lot of Hispanics are 1st gen, like me. So I am the 1st one to go to college, and when
you meet another Hispanic, it’s usually their 1st time at college too. So it feels kind of like, you know,
like, oh, they’re like me too. It’s their 1st time too. Like, they didn’t have help either. Like when they were
applying, like they didn’t know what to do either. I wish people weren’t so hateful. I wouldn’t say
everyone is, especially Towson. It’s a very diverse school, but with our current presidential administration
I feel like it’s opened up so much hate and he allows for there to be hate for the Spanish community and
all of the foreign communities. And, yeah, just understand that, like, you know, we’re trying to… We’re
just as capable. But that’s not too tossed, and that’s more to our current government, I would say. Towson
does a really good job making the communities. Especially the Spanish community, because we have
found so many Spanish clubs around tossing and they made it easy for our clubs to prosper.
Q4: If you could give your younger self a word of advice before starting college, what would it be
and why?
N: I would say… don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. And try, try it even if you don’t like it. Like, be
comfortable with making yourself uncomfortable. That’s what I would say.
———–
Carson Kelly LASO Social Chair ‘26-’27
Q1:How has your Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today and what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
C: I’m a Dominican. I’m happy with it. Being Dominican has shaped my identity in a different way. Not
being able to speak the languages. So it’s kind of a disconnect in certain ways, but it’s also good in other
ways, because I’m with the culture, and the shame of identity in a way, I’m like, I’m proud to be from
where I’m from. And being Dominican is, like, they’re very proud and very proud people.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Towson University as a Hispanic or
Latinx student? Are there any organizations, friendships, or experiences that you have that made
you feel supportive or represented? Well, the biggest, pull up representation, I will say, is going to
LASO. My friend and my cousin recommended this to me last year when we first started, as freshmen.
And then I went to LASSO, and saw a lot of other Hispanic students.They’re, like, conversing, having
fun, like talking about real experiences. Like, it really spoke to me, and, like, that’s the community I
would want to be a part of. Like, students want to strive to be something more together than I look the
same.
Q3: What has your experience been like navigating college as a Hispanic or Latin student? And
what do you wish that more people understood about your experiences, identity, and community?
C: My experience as a Hispanic student has been, it’s been pretty okay, ’cause I think I’ve met, and I’ve
talked to my people, from both of my backgrounds, being Black and Hispanic. So, to feel comfortable in
this space and feel like I’m really good for it, If more people would come to the community and have
more of a say, then you would get more things done, the stance of, like, we’re talking about voting in one
of our own meetings. And we’re talking about how more of us, like I said, people need to go on board to
make a change for the world, right?
Q4: If you could give yourself, if you could give your younger self one word of advice before
starting college, what would it be? To learn some Spanish because being a No Sabo kid, is, like, what
they call, you as a Hispanic individual who doesn’t know Spanish, like, it’s always been, like, it’s been,
like, something people laugh at, you know? So, like, what I would tell my younger self was to pick up a
book, or pick up some Duolingo, figure out some Spanish, and figure it out, because in the real world, this
morning, you know, Spanish is, like, a good thing to have. It’s a good, um, skill to have.
———
Aldo González La Voz Latina Website Manager ‘26-’27 & Pasión Latin Dance President ‘26-’27
Q1: How has your Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today? And what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
A: I’m Mexican, so it’s definitely, the cultural impact has always been there since the 1st day I was born
through, religious aspects, traditional aspects, um, culture aspects, just, our food, the way we
speak.certain things they do. It’s always been part of my life, and it’s just shaped me who I am by, like, by
the same things, by the food I eat, by the music I listen to, by the people I talk to, people I relate to,
because I can relate a lot within people around my culture.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Towson as a Hispanic or Latinx student?
Any organizations, friendships, or experiences that made you feel supported and represented?
A: I noticed that the, you know, community was small, so I really made an effort to go find what we had
on campus, and the 1st thing that really got my attention was, Pasión Latin Dance, which is a dancing
year on campus. I’ve been on that since my freshman year. It’s something that I’ve been able to be a part
of. I’ve grown to be able to get their president. It’s really important for me to continue this sense of
community just because the same way they welcome me in. I want to do that same thing for the next
generation of 1000 students. So I just want to keep it going. And overall, just the unity between all the
Latin orgs, that being Bastion, La Voz Latina, LASO, ALPFA, even the Greek life that’s here on campus.
And that’s another reason why I was happy to join La Voz this semester too. Um, then, then being a
platform to advocate for our own people and writing articles in English and Spanish. So just having that
community around us and all us, just being united in general, just gives me that warm feeling and makes
me feel good about what we’re building here at Towson.
Q4: if you could give your younger self one word of advice before starting college, what would it be
and why?
A: If I were to give them one I’d say. transcend the community, transcend, whatever you’re doing, make
yourself known. being, being in a community that I’m part of, it’s, it’s not common to have many people
in, in these, like, positions and do what we’re doing here at Towson, and it’s, I really, I really, sometimes I
feel like I have a chip on my shoulder, not only for myself, but, like, but for everyone around me and just
representing our community in the best way possible. And I would just tell my younger self to transcend
that and keep pushing it forward and keep doing as much as, as much as he can to, you know, grow with,
grow for himself, grow for the community.
———–
Monica Ramos Flores ~ La Voz Latina President ‘26-’27
Q1: how has your Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today? And what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
M: My, like, heritage has definitely shaped me to be more of a person with ambition. as a minority, and
honestly, as a female in general, but speaking to my roots, and, minorities in general, we have to work
twice as hard just to prove ourselves in the academic spaces. So, I do take pride in my Latino heritage. I’m
also a 1st generation student. My parents travel from Los Salvador, so that has a lot to do. With my
motivations and just it’s shaped my morales and all of that.
Q2: How have you found or built a sense of community at Taos University as a Hispanic or Latinx
student? Are there any organizations, friendships, or experiences that made you feel supportive or
represented?
M: I’m president for La Voz Latina here at Towson University. Our space is, it’s a space of advocacy, but
it’s really to allow anybody who’s a minority or anybody at that measure, but specifically minorities. be
able to speak on whatever they feel needs to be spoken on, things that are either too quiet here, things that
need rallying, like, just anything really. And so when I was Latina, I feel like, um, being part of it, I have
created a space for people to lift each other up and to just share their experiences and things of that sort.
Navigation is also bilingual, so we do get, you know, not twice the exposure, but we do target twice, I
guess, as many, um, communities because it’s not just stuff in English. A lot of the stuff that is written, we
also try to translate for the people who did get rid because of La Voz Latina, we don’t have specific writers
for us. We have, it’s kind of a, if you want to write, you come. So a lot of people do get proud of these
types of things. A lot of the people are 1st generation students who do get to write. And so their parents a
lot of the time, so speak English. So we just, I take pride in that too, that we get to publish things in
English, but also publish in Spanish, so these people can go ahead and share it back with their families
too.
Q3: What has your experience been like navigating as a Hispanic or Latinx student? And what do
you wish for more? Do people understand your experience, identity, or community?
M: As a first generation student, and as somebody whose parents first, I mean, they were born, somebody,
somewhere else, and obviously English isn’t their first language. It was a little bit harder for me, even just
applying to schools. There wasn’t somebody before me who could help me out or anything like that. I
kind of just had to navigate stuff on my own. And even now, with all my classes, all of this stuff, you
know, I’m in my senior years, so I’m trying to get things, um, in place for graduation. These are things that
not a lot of people understand that I just didn’t get all that help. So I wish that that’s something that needs,
like, a little bit more, I think, assistance,
Q4: If you could give your younger self one word of advice before starting college, what would it be
and why?
M: The same way that I was super scared coming in and that I didn’t really feel like I had a community up
until I put myself out there. Um, I would just tell her that, just put yourself out there. You’ll find your
community and you’ll find your own, you know, your own home.
——————-
Coenia Sanchez ~ La Voz Latina Vice President ‘26-’27
Q1:How has your Hispanic or Latinx identity shaped who you are today? And what aspects of your
culture or heritage are you most proud of?
C: In a sense, it’s made me have pretty unique, um, perspectives of the world around me. I’m specifically
Caribbean. So I think being Caribbean and being a part of the Latin American community has shaped my
experiences in many different ways from how I navigate the world around me. just because of how rich
the culture, history, and the people are. In that way, it’s kind of shaped how I view everything in my life.
Q2: What has your experience been like navigating college as a Hispanic or Latinx student? And
what do you wish more people understood about your experience, identity or community?
C: I think, in a way, joining, um, communities on campus, like, uh, whether that be joining a CSD
workshop that Dr. Mondalgo, facilitates or something that LASO is doing or La Voz Latina, being in La
Voz Latina is just a huge in which I found a community here at Towson.
Q3: If you could give your younger self a word of advice before starting college, what would it be
and why?
C: Don’t be afraid to branch out and ask for help. I think coming into college, I had this insecurity or fear
of asking for guidance and help because I thought that I could just figure it out on my own. But I think I
definitely say don’t be afraid to ask when you need help from anything. Does it matter what it is? And
also, um, I guess reaching out and getting outside of your comfort zone can also help you build, um,
character and also grow as a person in every aspect of your life.