MALAS Students

Students in the MA in Latin American Studies (MALAS) program come from a diverse educational and cultural background. Each student designs an individualized, interdisciplinary plan of study that draws on the social and natural sciences, the humanities, and the professional schools. We encourage you to looks through the profiles of our students to learn more about their background and their current research.


Jessica Alvarez Starr

Hometown: Gainesville, FL

Education: B.A. in History and Spanish, Minor in Latin American Studies, Magna Cum Laude, University of Florida

Email: jalvarezstarr@ufl.edu

Learn more about Jessica!


Jorge L. Arcia Durán

Hometown: Barrancabermeja, Colombia

Education: B.A. in Anthropology, Universidad de Antioquia

Email: jarciaduran@ufl.edu

Learn more about Jorge!


Sofi-Nicole Barreiro

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Education: B.A. in Political Science, Minor in Latin American Studies, Cum Laude, University of Florida

Email: s.barreiro@ufl.edu

Learn more about Sofi-Nicole!


Laura Milena Botero

Hometown: Táchira / Caracas, Venezuela

Education: Psychologist - Universidad Católica Andrés Bello / Musician - Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory of Music

Email: laura.botero@ufl.edu

Learn more about Laura!


Donovan Carter

Hometown: Waxhaw, North Carolina

Education: B.A Political Science, B.A Spanish from Howard University

Email: donovan.carter@ufl.edu 

Learn more about Donovan!


Illyamani Castro

Hometown: Manhattan, New York

Education: B.A in Anthropology, minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies, Cum Laude, New York University

Email: castro.illyamani@ufl.edu

Learn more about Illyamani!


Ivy Chen

Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts

Education: B.A. in Asian Studies, Williams College; Artist Diploma in Cello Performance, The Boston Conservatory; M.A. in Museum Studies, University of Florida (candidate Fall 2022)

Email: ichen@ufl.edu

Learn more about Ivy!


Luísa Bridi Dacroce

Hometown: Chaves, Portugal / Palmitos, Brazil

Education: B.A. in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, Columbia University.

Email: ludacroce@ufl.edu

Learn more about Luísa!


Beatriz Domínguez Alemán

Hometown: Santiago, Chile / Miami, Florida

Education: BA in Anthropology with a minor in Cultural Politics, Cum Laude, Alberto Hurtado University, Chile

Email: beatrizdominguez@ufl.edu

Learn more about Beatriz!


Sarah Rebecca Dominguez

Hometown: Boca Raton, FL

Education: Bachelor's in International Studies focused on Latin America and the Caribbean and a minor in Art History from the University of Florida, Cum Laude

Email: sarahdominguez@ufl.edu

Learn more about Sarah!


Duvan Gulfo Perea

Hometown: Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia

Education: Bachelors of English and French - Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó / Graduate Studies in Active Methodologies and Learning in Education - Universidad Complutense, Madrid, España

Email: gulfopereaduvan@ufl.edu

Learn more about Duvan!


Daniela Hernandez-Gil

Hometown: Miami, FL

Education: B.A. Anthropology, B.A. Criminology student at the University of Florida

Email: dhernandez5@ufl.edu

Learn more about Daniela!


Seung Gi Kim

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Portuguese, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Korea

Email: seunggi.kim@ufl.edu

Learn more about Seung Gi!


Murielle Le Maire

Hometown: Micanopy, FL

Education: B.A. Environmental Studies, History, & Spanish, high honors, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL

Email: murielle.lemaire@ufl.edu

Learn more about Murielle!


Carrie Martins

Hometown: Pennsylvania, USA

Education: Honors B.A. in Spanish and Political Science, University of Delaware

Email: cmartins1@ufl.edu

Learn more about Carrie!


Rodrigo Mezarina Muriel

Hometown: Lima, Perú

Education: B.A in Sociology, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Email: rodrigo.mezarina@ufl.edu

Learn more about Rodrigo!


Juan Carlos Moreno Perea

Hometown: Quibdo-Choco, Colombia

Education: Bachelors degree in English and French

Email: jmorenoperea@ufl.edu 

Learn more about Juan Carlos!


Thacher Tracion Loutin

Hometown: St Catherine, Jamaica

Education: 

Master of Arts (Education) specialization (Educational Leadership) (Distinction).(University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus Barbados)

Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in Education (First Class Honors). (University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus Barbados)

Teaching Diploma Primary Spanish Education (Trained Teacher). (St Joseph Teacher’s College Jamaica)

Associate of Science Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. (The College of Agriculture Science and Education Jamaica)

Email: thacherloutin@ufl.edu

Learn more about Thacher!


Kleber Naula Yautibug

Hometown: Chimborazo, Ecuador

Education: B.Sc. in Agriculture and Minor in Liberal Arts, San Francisco de Quito University, Ecuador.
Graduate Studies in Human Rights, Indigenous Population and International Cooperation, Carlos III University, Madrid, Spain.

Email: knaula@ufl.edu 

Learn more about Kleber!


Jane Teresa Perez

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Education: B.A. in Political Science & History, Magna Cum Laude at the University of Florida

Email: janeperez@ufl.edu

Learn more about Jane!


Whitney Rodríguez Minda

Hometown: Quito, Ecuador

Education: Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Email: wrodriguez1@ufl.edu 

Learn more about Whitney!


Francisco Sánchez

Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela

Education: Clincal and Comunitarian Psychologist / Political Scientist

Email: franciscosanchez@ufl.edu

Learn more about Francisco!


Daniel Sarkela

Hometown: Greer, SC

Education: Bachelor of Music in string performance and Spanish, minor in Latin American studies. Magna Cum Laude. Furman University 2022

Email: Danielsarkela@ufl.edu

Learn more about Daniel!


YoVanna Hernandez Solomon

Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina

Education: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University graduate with a Bachelor's degree in International Studies and a minor in Spanish. I also hold both a Waste Management and a Global Studies Certificate. I studied abroad as a Gilman Scholar in Montevideo, Uruguay during the Fall semester of 2016.

Email: ysolomon@ufl.edu 

Learn more about YoVanna!


Maricarmen Torres Medina

Hometown: Bayamón, Puerto Rico

Education: M.A. Translation, University of Puerto Rico / B.A. Foreign Languages, University of Puerto Rico

Email: mtorresmedina@ufl.edu

Learn more about Maricarmen!


Tania Trejo-Mendez

Hometown: Lakeland, FL

Education: B.A. in History, Emory University 

Email: ttrejomendez@ufl.edu

Learn more about Tania!