Contributions and Challenges of the Latinx Community in Kalamazoo

These educators inspire Latinx higher education students in Kalamazoo

By Juan C. Ibarra

This story is part of the New/Nueva Opinion’s series Contributions and Challenges of Latinx Community in Kalamazoo series. The Kalamazoo Community Foundation founds this series.

Kalamazoo, MI – Higher education across the United States is dominated by white professors and faculty, while people of the Latinx community and other marginalized groups are underrepresented and under-hired. According to DATAUSA, 67% of the estimated 21,000 students at Western Michigan University are white. DATAUSA also states that 54.8% of Kalamazoo college students are white. So how do the Latinx students in our community navigate higher education when they do not see themselves represented? What obstacles and challenges do they face? To understand the challenges and resources available, I interviewed three Latina professors who have recently completed their academic journeys and are now working in Kalamazoo as positive role models for the community.

Dr. Ivett Lopez Malagamba is currently in her fifth year as an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Kalamazoo College. She is from a small southern town in Guerrero, Mexico. Her family then moved to California in the 1990s as a survival effort from losing their family business; Malagamba proceeded to finish her adolescence and schooling in Orange County. As a first-generation student, she was proud of her work yet unsure of what she was doing. Dr. Malagamba did not immediately apply for college after high school; she did not have a social security number yet and felt marginalized by the application process. However, she was fortunate to have someone who encouraged her to continue her education through community college, where she could nourish her love for reading and learning.

“There was always some sort of advocate that I had in college. Whether it was a Latinx professor I could rely on or ask questions I didn’t know the answer to, I always had a professor who saw something in”.

Driven by her love for literature, she completed her PhD. at the University of California Berkeley. However, transitioning into her career has also been challenging.

Foto: Juan Grillo - New/Nueva Opinión

“Academia is very precarious. Some humanities fields are deemed more important or less important than others. Jobs aren’t available, and it’s tough to find them”.

After receiving the opportunity to interview for a position at Kalamazoo College, she has since been working as a professor in the Spanish department. As a professor, she communicates her passion for literature and film in a beneficial and meaningful way for her students.

When reflecting on the challenges she has faced throughout her academic journey, Dr. Malagamba tries to convey quality material for her students that resonates.

“Through my job as a professor, it is essential to me that students, especially Latinx students, feel that their interests and voices are heard. This college - and other institutions in Michigan - can be a cold place, a hard place to navigate. So, one of the things that I take seriously is making sure Latinx students feel that they have something they can connect with, whether that is using me as a resource or just knowing that I’m there for them. It is important that whatever I teach makes connections with all students.”

As a professor, Dr. Malagamba teaches material that challenges her students’ critical thinking abilities and allows them to speak to their histories and cultures. Through film and literature, all students, regardless of their backgrounds, can explore the worlds they grew up with and allow them to feel seen

Dr. Ángela Pérez-Villa is an Assistant Professor of History at Western Michigan University. Originally from Colombia, her family moved to New York when she was a teenager. She lived in New York for a decade before coming to Michigan for a graduate program. Dr. Pérez-Villa has treasured her academic journey – one that was relatively traditional and linear. She participated in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, obtaining support and guidance as she navigated higher education. However, one of the biggest obstacles for Dr. Pérez-Villa was imagining herself completing a PhD. program while completing an original dissertation. She has always been interested in learning and researching historical archives, but completing such an important project was daunting.

She went to college at CUNY (The City University of New York), where she met people from several different countries and social statuses. Once in Michigan, Dr. Pérez-Villa discovered what higher education could look like outside of larger cities; she was not feeling represented on her campus as a Latinx student. Despite the resources she had access to at the time, it was still difficult to face the reality of experiencing higher education as an underrepresented student. Now that she is a professor at Western Michigan University, Dr. Pérez-Villa has noticed the hard work students are putting in to create concrete change.

Foto: Juan Grillo - New/Nueva Opinión

“A decent number of Latinx students on this campus are proactive and are coming together to share their cultural values and push our university to consider investing in the Latinx community through student scholarships and other forms of academic support. In addition, Latinx students are coming up with ideas for supporting DREAMers and seasonal agricultural workers. I always hear from students about how more can be done and how financial help and inclusion can be expanded on campus, and I admire them for that”.

Dr. Pérez-Villa has experienced being both a first-generation college student and professor. Through her journey, she has realized how important it is for Latinx students to get to know professors who look like them, or at least someone who can empathize with their experiences. Dr. Pérez-Villa, like many first-generation students and academics, has benefited from that type of support. She is committed to providing the same support for her students.

“It can be overwhelming when we don’t see ourselves widely represented in these academic circles. This can trigger feelings of doubt in one’s own intelligence. Therefore, it is important to constantly remind ourselves that we are doing the work and continue feeding our creativity”.

Dr. Pérez-Villa is an advocate for speaking up and making room for original thoughts and ideas. Although it can be difficult to express oneself as an underrepresented student in the classroom, her advice is to believe you have something to say regardless of the circumstance.

Dr. Cyndy García-Weyandt is an Assistant Professor of Critical Ethnic Studies at Kalamazoo College. Although her family is originally from Oaxaca, she was born in Sinaloa, Mexico. Dr. García-Weyandt grew up between Mazatlán, Mexico City, and Tijuana before moving to the United States when she was 15. When she came to the United States, she didn’t have legal status or know English; both became barriers as she attempted to access higher education. She is a proud community college transfer student, eventually ending up at her dream school – the University of California Los Angeles. In her undergraduate education, Dr. García-Weyandt studied linguistic anthropology; her interest in the field stemmed from maintaining a connection to Mexico and her heritage. After completing research with the Zapotec community in Santa Monica, CA, she has continued her research with the indigenous Wixàrika communities in Nayarit. Dr. García-Weyandt is interested in the process of maintaining cultural connections to land, as well as aspects of autonomy as an indigenous nation-state. Her educational path has never been linear.

“I always say that I am a non-traditional student. I was a transfer student, and then I got married and had a child. When I applied to grad school was also the first year that I had my daughter. My entire graduation program was done with my baby. I did fieldwork with her and attended school - I did everything with my daughter. My family, professors, and the people in my department supported me, but I know it wasn’t very traditional. I’ve never had a traditional journey in academics. For example, since I took my daughter to school, it was hard to find accessible bathrooms for families. It was also hard carrying a stroller around campus; there wasn’t any access. We overlook hardships until we go through them”.

In addition to the challenges Dr. García-Weyandt faced as a mother in graduate school, she didn’t know which resources she had access to. For example, some of her peers had access to editors and tutors, something she never got to experience as a first-generation student. Fortunately, her advisor was also first-generation.

Foto: Juan Grillo - New/Nueva Opinión

“My parents didn’t go to college, so I often didn’t know which resources were available. My advisor was also first-generation, which helped me so much because he understood my perspective”.

When asked how she felt about working with students from different communities, the first feeling that Dr. García-Weyandt mentioned was joy.

“It brings me so much joy to be around students of color, first-gen, Latinx, indigenous students… Now that I see there are a lot of students from different communities, I feel like we relate on so many different levels. I want to encourage them, to make them feel welcome, that they are in the right place, and learn how to advocate and ask for the things they need. My mentors always encouraged me to do the same. I know we can feel very isolated when we don’t see that we are represented”.

Through her role as a professor, Dr. García-Weyandt makes an effort to support students and their career paths, understanding their struggles and unique perspectives. Understanding the adverse effects of underrepresentation and limited resources for Latinx students, she works as a helpful role model for students from all communities.