​​On April 13, Southwestern University’s Upsilon Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), hosted its AKA Spirit of Giving Virtual Awards Ceremony. The awards were presented to faculty members and a deserving student leader for their commitment to supporting students of color on the Southwestern University campus. The awards are given in honor of the philanthropic deeds of Vice President for University Relations and Strategic Initiatives Paul Secord and his family. This year’s recipients were Eugenia Gabrielle Agobe ’22, psychologist and Assistant Director of the Counseling and Health Center Rachel McNally, Professor of Anthropology Melissa Johnson, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Lamiyah Bahrainwala, Professor of Spanish and Chair of Latin American and Border Studies Carlos De Oro, Professor of Sociology Reggie Byron, Associate Professor of Education Alicia Moore, and Assistant Professor of Sociology Erika Grajeda. For more details, see the event program.

Staff Instructor in Spanish Noelia Cigarroa-Cooke and Professor of Spanish Carlos de Oro copresented the paper “En el Umbral de la Pubertad: Viaje al Interior Femenino en Niña Errantede Rubén Mendoza” at the Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies 69th Annual Meeting, held March 10–12 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Associate Professor of Spanish Carlos de Oro published the article “Cine de Guerra, Drama, Comedia y Thriller: Representaciones del Trauma, La Violencia, y la Insuficiencia Estatal en el Cine Colombiano” in the peer-reviewed journal Hispanófila.

Associate Professor of Spanish Carlos de Oro published an article titled “Traveling Narratives, Neorealism, and Marginalization: Ciro Guerra’s Cinema of Denunciation and Resistance” in the peer-reviewed journal Latin American Perspectives. He also presented a paper about the same topic at the 2020 Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies conference in Austin, TX.

Associate Professor of Spanish Carlos de Oro published a chapter titled “Between Armed Conflict, Social Awareness and the Neoliberal Market: The Case of Alias María” in Contemporary Latin American Cinema: Resisting Neoliberalism?, eds. Claudia Sandberg and Carolina Rocha (Palgrave Macmillan). He also presented a paper about the same topic at the 2018 annual Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies (SECOLAS) conference at Vanderbilt University.