Being part of a community means actively engaging the unique perspectives of our many members on their own terms and through their own voices. The following programs, resources, and involvement opportunities represent only a portion of what Rutgers has to offer as a beloved community and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. It’s all part of the university’s commitment to have students, alumni, faculty, staff, and partners work together to embody, reflect, and respect the complexities of all our parts.
Stay Informed
Find out how Rutgers’ faculty, students, and publications are advancing knowledge and giving a voice to issues that impact the community.
Oral History: Latino New Jersey History Project
Latinos make up nearly 20 percent of the Garden State’s population. Professor Lilia Fernandez and Rutgers students have spent several summers exploring and documenting this population’s history through the Latino New Jersey History Project, a student-led, community-based research project. Launched by Professor Fernandez in 2016, the project aims to document the histories of New Jersey’s diverse Latino/a communities by identifying archival materials and conducting oral histories with residents. On the Research section of this project’s homepage, you will also find links to related research, publications, and projects, including faculty publications.
Videos: Voices of a Pandemic
The Latino community has been disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus for several reasons. Many Latinos and Latinas work in essential jobs that involve contact, which may lead to infection. Others are affected by a lack of quality health care or have underlying health problems. As this crisis unfolds, the Voces Oral History Center seeks to record, archive, and disseminate interviews about the pandemic’s effect on the larger Latino/a community in a series called Voces of a Pandemic. This oral history project, which is accessible to the public, seeks to examine the life of each person interviewed, looking for insights into the effects of the COVID-19 public health crisis. The complete series can be accessed on YouTube.
Article: Culture, Identity, and Community in the Workplace
In this article, produced by Rutgers Alumni Career Services and Rutgers Alumni Workplace Engagement, you’ll gain insights from Jennifer Rodrigues UCN’99, a longtime Rutgers partner and student mentor who is vice president and business ethics officer at Prudential Financial. She shares how to weave together corporate and personal culture, avoid a common pitfall of employee resource groups, and be deliberate about seeking diversity as both a mentor and mentee.
Attend an Event
Learn about upcoming events available to Rutgers alumni and register for those that speak to your personal and professional interests.
Zimmerli Art Museum Virtual Highlights Tour in Spanish with Carla Zurita SAS’17
Acompáñenos para un recorrido virtual en español de obras destacadas de las colecciones del Museo de Arte Zimmerli con Carla Zurita, coordinadora de educación. El Museo de Arte Zimmerli es uno de los museos universitarios de arte más grandes del país, cuyas áreas de colección incluyen arte de las Américas, Arte Europeo y la colección más grande del mundo de arte inconformista de la Unión Soviética.
On Tuesday, October 19, join Zimmerli Art Museum’s education coordinator Carla Zurita for a virtual tour in Spanish of the museum’s outstanding works. As one of the largest university art museums in the country, the Zimmerli’s collections include art of the Americas, European art, and the world’s largest collection of nonconformist art from the Soviet Union.
Get Involved
Connect with Rutgers alumni, expand your social and professional networks, or offer advice to students by getting involved with an alumni group that is meaningful to you.
Latino Alumni Association of Rutgers University (LAARU)
The mission of the Latino Alumni Association of Rutgers University is to serve as a voice for the Latino community and to provide educational, vocational, and mentoring partnerships. This group fosters cultural awareness and networking opportunities to undergraduates, graduates, and alumni of Rutgers. For more information (such as how you can be a mentor), contact LAARU at Rulatinoalumni@gmail.com.
Black and Latinx Career Community on Student-Alumni Career Connect
The Black and Latinx Career Community is a safe place to share how one’s cultural identity and background add value to the workplace. It is part of Rutgers Student-Alumni Career Connect, which brings together members of the Rutgers community in a virtual space for networking, job opportunities, and meaningful discussions. Alumni can share career advice with current students; recruit students for jobs, projects, or internships; seek out fellow alumni for assistance with professional projects; or expand their network. You will also find industry resources, workshops, events, and advisers to help you meet your personal career goals.
Support a Fund
Connect with the causes and communities you care about most by supporting the advancement of research, access, and awareness. You can search for any type of fund you would like to support and make a gift to make an impact.
Center for Latino Arts and Culture (CLAC) Student Excellence Fund
The CLAC Student Excellence Fund supports a variety of opportunities that advance students’ ability to prepare for and succeed in their academic and career objectives, including:
- Leadership development—support for conferences, workshops, retreats, and other activities that bolster Latinx student leadership at Rutgers
- Travel and study abroad
- Mentoring and career networking
- Graduate support
For more information, contact CLAC director Carlos Fernandez at cafernan@rutgers.edu.
This resource guide is part of the Diversity Matters Series, which seeks to openly explore different perspectives by thoughtfully recognizing the beauty of individual differences as honored through a collective experience rooted in acknowledgement, understanding, and celebration.
