Program: INT Undergraduate
Year of graduation: 2008
Concentration: International Business
How did the International Studies Program impact you?
After studying in the International Studies Program, I have come to understand that we can all take action to promote equality of rights like education, health and the pursuit of happiness, which will lead to a better quality of life for everyone.
The INT class, “Identities and Boundaries” changed my perspective of life. During that class, I researched the segregation of minority groups around the world; I chose to study and report on the Roma community in Eastern Europe. I was drawn to this subject because I had previously studied abroad in Budapest, Hungary, and took classes there at the Corvinus University of Economics and Public Administration.
What are some of your major accomplishments since graduating from INT?
I co-founded an independent publishing house called 7Vientos. 7V is a literary collective, formed by editors from different nationalities, that promotes alternative literary platforms in Chicago as a creative option for people who reject the status quo. The first publication, And the Hippies Came, released by 7Vientos is a Latin American literary cult-classic that was lost and out of print for over thirty years. With 7V, I have been able to promote the work of writers that have never before been exposed to an English speaking audience and that very well deserve to transcend language boundaries. In addition, I have been Coordinator of Spanish Book Fairs in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles.
What are you doing now?
I am the editorial director of 7Vientos Press. I am currently working on the release of 7V’s next three publications coordinating with writers, editors, and graphic artists.
Is there anything you’d like to say to current or prospective INT students?
While doing my research about the program I was going to study, I realized that a multidisciplinary program would give me the opportunity to understand our society from a global perspective, and give me the tools to promote creative and critical thinking. That is my passion, and it is only when we follow our passion that we are being truthful to ourselves; speak truth to power.