Diversity Digest Spotlight - UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center: Research for Community with Veronica Terriquez, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’09
Denise Pacheco, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’11, Senior Director for UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives connected with professor and Director for the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA, Veronica Terriquez, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’09 to learn about her work with the Center and its impact on community.
T
he Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) emerged in the midst of social protest against profound disparities in educational access for the Mexican-descent population in the United States. Established in 1969 as a result of student organizing, the CSRC formalized a directorship in 1971. Today, that director is alumna Veronica Terriquez, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’09.
From the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, Veronica Terriquez earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Sociology from UCLA. She now proudly works toward advancing ethnic and racial justice on campus and in the greater California community as the director of the Chicano Studies Research Center. As a graduate student, Terriquez worked in the school of education’s Institute for Democracy Education and Access conducting quantitative research benefiting the public. The skills Terriquez gained through her graduate studies have served her well in leading a center that conducts research to advance public knowledge and non-partisan civic engagement.
“The CSRC is accountable to the university and broader community. I am a public servant and have been trained in conducting research for societal benefit,” says Terriquez.
She takes great pride in the Center’s commitment to foster multidisciplinary research efforts. One priority of hers is to promote diversity in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM).
“There is so much opportunity to make UCLA the number one institution in STEM for Latinx, first-generation and other scholars of color.”
In other work, the CSRC has led collaborative, cross-disciplinary research on young people and their experiences in California. Latinx youth outnumber their peers in other racial and ethnic groups in California making the Center’s sponsored research even more critical for the state.
“The COVID 19 pandemic really laid bare how much young people were suffering in the lowest income communities which are disproportionately Latinx, African American, Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander and American Indian. Our participatory action research addresses educational disparities, health and mental health issues, workforce development and labor rights, as well as opportunities for civic engagement.”
The CSRC's initiatives aim to address social inequalities and promote a healthy multiracial democracy. This work includes the California Freedom Summer (CFS) Participatory-Action Research Project and the Latina Futures, 2050 Lab. Through university-community partnerships, CFS trained 114 college and high school students as Summer 2022 fellows and youth action researchers in 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations to mentor other young leaders, conduct voter education and exploratory research that could inform future grassroots campaigns. In collaboration with the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, in 2022 the CSRC launched the Latina Futures, 2050 Lab( LFL), which envisions a society in which Latinas have an equal opportunity to lead and everyone thrives. This initiative is driven in part by the fact that Latinas experience a significant wage gap and also remain extremely underrepresented in critical fields that will determine the future of our state, our country and our planet.
“Through our initiatives, we are supporting research, community programing and leadership development opportunities that center equity and inclusion,” said Terriquez.
Learn more about and contribute to the Chicano Studies Research Center and the programs highlighted by Dr. Terriquez in this article by visiting the following websites:
- Chicano Studies Research Center
- California Freedom Summer Action-Research Project
- Donate to the California Freedom Summer
- Read a feature story on the California Freedom Summer Action-Research Project
- Latina Futures, 2050 Lab
- Latina Futures Law & Policy Symposium
- Latina Equal Pay Day study analysis and handout
- Contribute to the CRSC Director’s Fund (select CRSC Director’s Fund from the dropdown menu)
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