El Centro Presents:
UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA - SANTA CRUZ
Program/Programa
Order of Procession
Orden de Procesion
Blessing/Bendicion
Mariachi Eterno de UCSC
White Hawk Indian Council for the Children
Masters of Ceremony
Welcome & Land
Acknowledgment/Bienvenida
Keynote Speakers
Orador Principales
Joselyn Salgado Lomeli and Nashaly Pari-Candia
Olga Talamante
VIP Speaker TBA
Student Speaker
Orador Estudiantil
Presentation of Degree
Presentacion de Diplomas
Closing & Turning of the Tassel
Anahi Matias Santiago
B.A. Politics
B.A. Latin American & Latino Studies
B.A. Education, Democracy & Justice
Minor in Linguistics
UCSC Faculty and Staff
Facultad de UCSC
Xiomara Lopez, M.Ed. Director, El Centro
TheChicanxLatinxResourceCenterwasestablishedin1995asa responsetotheeducationalneedsofChicaneLatinestudentsattheUC SantaCruz.Betterknownas"ELCENTRO",theCenterservesasahubof organizedactivitiesandresourcesthatsupportstudenttransition, retention,graduationandacademicadvancement.Throughcampusand communitypartnerships,themissionofELCENTROistopromotea criticalunderstandingofChicaneandLatinecommunitieswithinthe UnitedStatesandinternationally.
Tolearnmorevisitelcentro.ucsc.edu.
Chicane Latine Clase del
On it’s 54th year of existence, El Centro celebrates the legacy of the first students who began this tradition in order to honor their cultural background, persistence, pride, and dedication.
CHICANELATINEGRAD2026
KeyNoteSpeaker/OradorPrincipal
Olga Talamante (She/Her/ELla)
Internationally recognized Activist and UCSC Alumni
Olga Talamante is Executive Director Emerita of the Chicana Latina Foundation, serving as its first Executive Director from 2003–2018. Born into a migrant farmworker family in Gilroy, California, her early experiences inspired her lifelong activism, including support for the United Farm Workers. In the 1970s, she became known as a political prisoner in Argentina and was released after 16 months through a grassroots campaign. She has since remained active in Chicano, Latin American solidarity, LGBTQ, and progressive movements, and later served as Interim President/CEO of the Greenlining Institute. She holds a B.A. from UC Santa Cruz and an honorary doctorate from the University of San Francisco.
CHICANELATINEGRAD2026
KeyNoteSpeaker/OradorPrincipal
TO BE ANNOUNCED
Globally recognized artist, and immigrant rights advocate
El Centro and the Dolores Huerta Research Center have a special surprise for the graduates of the Chicane Latiné Year-End Ceremony. Two legends will take the stage: An internationally recognized activist, Olga Talamante, and a globally beloved artist will be revealed at the ceremony.
CHICANELATINEGRAD2025 StudentSpeakers/AnahiMatiasSantiago
Anahi Matias Santiago (She/her/Ella)
B.A. Politics
B.A. Latin American & Latino Studies
B.A. Education, Democracy & Justice Minor in Linguistics
Anahi is graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a B.A. in Politics and a combined B.A. in Latin American & Latino Studies and Education, Democracy and Justice, along with a minor in Linguistics. Throughout her time at UCSC, Anahi dedicated her studies, advocacy, and leadership to advancing opportunities for undocumented students and historically marginalized communities. She co-created spaces such as Estudiantes Oaxaqueños de Ahora (EODA) and Improving Dreams, Equity, Access, and Success (IDEAS), hoping to foster belonging and visibility for Oaxacan and undocumented students on campus. After graduation, Anahi plans to pursue her Master's of Public Policy at UCLA and continue working towards more equitable systems.
Blessing/Bendición
WhiteHawkIndianCouncilfortheChildren
Since 1983, White Hawk Indian Council for Children, a non-profit organization has existed in Watsonville, CA to engage the youth of our communityinindigenouspracticesprimarilythroughdanzaAzteca.
PerformancebyMariachiEterno
Mariachi Eterno de UCSC is an inclusive and diverse student organization at UC Santa Cruz, founded in 2018. Our mission is to create a safe space to gather as students to practice mariachi music and Mexican expressive culture for both the university and the local Santa Cruz community.
CHICANELATINEGRAD2026
TheChicaneLatineYear-EndCeremony PlanningCommittee
A huge thank you to the El Centro student program coordinators
Joselyn, Areli, Dulce, Nashaly, Marleny, Felix, and Sol, who committed their time to make this ceremony memorable. UCSC thanks them for their dedication and passion for planning this ceremony. Additionally, we want to recognize Xiomara López, Des Velázquez, and Camila Cárdenas.
Acknowledgments/Reconocimientos
ElCentroStudentProgramCoordinators CommitteeonEthnicProgramming
StudentFeeAdvisoryCommittee(SFAC)
DoloresHuertaResearchCenterfortheAmericas LatinAmericanandLatinxStudies(LALS)
WhiteHawkIndianCouncilfortheChildren
KarinaOrocioandQuetzalliShop(@QuetzalliShop) LuisCubas,Photography&CemillitasPhotobooth(@cemillitas )
MariachiEternodeUCSC
UCSCResourceCenters
StudentSuccess&Equity DivisionofStudentAffairs&Success
LatinxAlumniNetwork
CLYECVolunteers,Custodians,andWorkers
Dr. Joe Alicea
Dr. Valeria Jacqueline Alonso Blanco
Dr. Jenny Figueroa
Dr. Lizett Jackeline Gonzalez Carreon
Dr. Gloriana Lopez-Leon
Dr. Ciclón Olivares
Dr. Katherine Nicole Quinteros
Dr. S. Sylvane Vaccarino
Dr. Alejandra Watanabe Farro
StageParty: Congradualtions / Felicidades Ph.D. Grauduates
Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success
Ebonee Williams, Associate, Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Equity
Xiomara Lopez, Director of El Centro and Latiné Student Success
Amy Argenal, Sociology
Marcela Alfaro Córdoba, Statistics
Carlos Martinez, Latin American & Latino Studies
Eduardo Mosqueda, Education
Cecilia M. Rivas, Latin American & Latino Studies
Margarita Azmitia, Psychology
Michelle Aguilera, Education
Juan M. Pedroza, Sociology
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, Astronomy and Astrophysics
Alli Moreno, Ocean Sciences
Saskias Casanova, Psychology
Justin Perez, Latin American & Latino Studies
Jessica Taft, Latin American & Latino Studies
Sylvanna Falcón, Latin American & Latino Studies
Lily Ballofet, Latin American & Latino Studies
EL ENTRO CLASS OF 2026
