In her own words
Rachel Moreno
I have had the dream to pursue higher education since a young age, and my ultimate goal is to become a professor of Anthropology. Although, I have always had that dream, it was not until my involvement with the Latinx Student Union (LSU) and taking more LatinX courses that I became more motivated to become a professor. Being involved in the Latinx community at UMKC has given me a space to recognize and vocalize the struggles that I have encountered while being a Latina student. Learning about my history as a member of the Latinx community by taking Latinx courses has empowered me because I believe that courses like this recognize and affirm the experiences of being Latinx. I want to become a professor of Anthropology to contribute research that will help the Latinx community. If I can accomplish my goals, I will help other people of color (POC) who seek to continue in higher education. I believe helping other POC in this pursuit is important because the number of POC who teach in colleges and universities is small. I also believe that if we, as a society, hope to break down racial inequality then the voices of POC need to be included in academia because higher education is a legitimate platform from where ideas by POC will be taken seriously. I want to be a part of that, and I want others like me to be a part of that.