Celebrating National Latinx/e Heritage Month 2024
Each year, the United States observes National Hispanic Heritage Month, also known as National Latinx/e Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15. This month celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of those with roots in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. We’re highlighting just a few of the people, organizations, and events connected to Latinx/e communities that enrich the Northwestern University community.
Championing Equal Access for All Patients
As a Latina growing up in Detroit, Melissa A. Simon ’06 GME witnessed healthcare discrimination firsthand. After recognizing how her grandmother and aunties were unfairly treated in healthcare settings, Simon set out to become a doctor, and an advocate for all patients, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
Simon arrived at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine in 2006 as an obstetrics and gynecology fellow. Since then, she has become a leading voice in community-engaged research as well as director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation and a mentor to more than 200 students—from high school through postdoctoral fellows and early career faculty. She has mentored a diverse group of residents, fellows, and medical students in the Prentice Ambulatory Care Clinic, an outpatient obstetrics and gynecology practice for women who have public insurance. For this work, Northwestern’s Medical Faculty Council honored Simon as a Mentor of the Year in 2020. Check out the video to learn how her work has improved the health of thousands of low-income individuals.
Alumni Author CATalogue Talk with Xelena González
Thursday, October 3
1–2 p.m. CDT
Virtual (Zoom)
Join the Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA) for a discussion with alumni author Xelena González ’01 on her new project Lotería Remedios Oracle, which reimagines a beloved, centuries-old Mexican card game as a tool for self-healing.
In this conversation with Latino Alumni of Northwestern University (LANU) copresident Elizabeth (Ely) Velazquez ’13, ’14 MS, Gonzáles will discuss her award-winning, exquisitely illustrated picture books, which have been featured on NPR and in the New York Times. She will also explore the fascinating history of Mexico’s Lotería tradition and how her new Lotería Remedios Oracle: Soulful Remedies & Affirmations from Mexican Lotería adds a new dimension to the beloved card deck. The session will end with a virtual Lotería game.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Isa Gutierrez ’17
Isa Gutierrez has won Emmy nominations and made the 2022 “Forbes 30 Under 30” list as the youngest-ever national correspondent for NBC News. She has also been featured in award-winning reports on MSNBC and on the news shows Dateline and TODAY. Join us as we discuss her skillful storytelling.
Listen to "Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Isa Gutierrez ’17" on Spreaker. EXPLORE MORE EPISODESSugar Skulls for Departed Souls
Genesis Garcia ’18, ’19 MS honors her ancestors by crafting decorative sugar skulls for Día de los Muertos. “I feel really connected to my grandparents’ legacy,” says Garcia in the Fall 2024 issue of Northwestern magazine. “They were always the makers for this holiday. But I’m the first in my family to actually make the sugar skulls from scratch.”
Strength in Numbers
Dulce Vasquez ’08, a formerly undocumented Mexican American woman, says the Northwestern experience was transformative for her and her husband, David Leuchter ’07. Vasquez relied on scholarships to fund her education. Now, she and Leuchter are paving the way for future generations with gifts to the Wildcat Fund and University Scholarships, as well as start-up funding for Mariachi Northwestern, a student performance group made up of mostly Latinx/e undergaduates. Find out why these alumni are unwavering in their support in the latest issue of Northwestern magazine.
About the Latino Alumni of Northwestern University
LANU’s mission is to establish and nurture relationships among Latinx/e alumni and students, thereby fostering personal success and enriching the Latinx/e community. LANU offers great social, networking, and mentoring opportunities aimed at keeping alumni connected to one another and to Northwestern.
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