Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which honors the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latin American communities. 

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, on Thursday, October 19 the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will host an event with keynote speaker Mariana Atencio and a panel discussion with area Latine leaders.

Mariana Atencio took the world by storm in 2017 when her TEDx talk on authenticity, "What makes YOU special?" went viral. It has over 23 million views and has been translated into 13 languages.

In the last decade, Mariana worked at Univision and NBC News as an anchor and reporter and wrote a best selling book "Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real". She also delved into true crime, with "Lost in Panama," an investigative podcast about two women who go missing on a trail, which tackles femicide in Latin America.

Mariana is featured in the award-winning HBO series "Habla Now" as one of the leaders defining the Latinx Experience in the U.S. Her work has been honored with a Peabody, a Gracie Award, Columbia University’s “First Decade Award” and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Presidential Award.

About the discussion panel:

• German Chiriboga, Program Director Health Equity and Story Telling, UMass Medical School
• Elena Quiroz-Livanis, Chief of Staff and Assistant Commissioner of Academic Policy and Student Success, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.
• Dr. Lorna Rivera, Director, Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development & Public Policy, UMass Boston

Registration is required and can be found here: qcc.edu/event

This month's Campus Connections was also in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Check it out for stories from your colleagues!