About “El Centro”
The South Carolina Centro Latino or “El Centro” bridges cultures statewide through linguistic awareness and accessibility. Our three pillars create institutional space for belonging, civility, wellness and equity: Latinx Interdisciplinary Studies and Civic Leadership and Mentoring, the Public Humanities and Translation and Community Interpreting. We invite you to explore the for a growing archive of articles, presentations, publications and more.
Mission
El Centro brings visibility to Latinx Interdisciplinary Studies, thought leadership on authentic community outreach and inclusion by strengthening Hispanic and Latino recruitment, increasing mentoring, promoting civic leadership, engaging bilingual and Spanish-speaking community members in the multilingual public humanities and expanding translation and community interpreting studies and certifications for students and bilingual professionals to further equip the Hispanic and Latino workforce locally and globally.
Vision Statement
El Centro is nationally and internationally recognized for its collaborative, community-based, cultural and linguistic approach to increasing the visibility of Latinx Interdisciplinary Studies, the Public Humanities, Translation and Community Interpreting and talent in all spheres of higher education and civic life.
South Carolina Centro Latino Initiatives
- Organizing Latina/o Interdisciplinary Studies and Talks on Civic Leadership and Mentoring
- Hosting a 鈥淟atinas in Higher Ed Summit鈥
- Hosting research forums on local and global impacts of migration
- Expanding a Global Studies minor and certificate
- Increasing interdisciplinary and multilingual public humanities scholarship
- Sponsoring podcasts, interactive lectures and other public-facing work in other languages
- Expanding the Alicante Study Abroad Program
- Expanding a Service Learning in Translation and Interpreting Studies Minor
- Training state professionals for Translation and Interpreting in School Settings
- Offering Translation and Interpreting courses for school districts in South Carolina
- Developing Translation and Interpreting certificate courses for law enforcement
- Hosting an annual international Translation and Interpreting Conference
- Supporting Scholarship in Translation and Interpreting Studies.
- Building on the legacy of UnidosUS L铆deres Avanzando through College Program
- Providing services to parents in English, Spanish and other languages
- Supporting a Latino/a Employee Resource Group
Events
See , or website for latest updates, added virtual events links, and other types of engagement such as recruitment on and off-campus.
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厂别别听,听听or website for latest updates, added virtual events links, and other types of engagement such as recruitment on and off-campus.
January
Saturday, January 11: Modern Language Association Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana
- El Centro鈥檚 Director co-presents on multilingualism and the university, sponsored by MLA committee on K-16 Alliances, chaired by Dr. Christian Rubio of Bentley University
January 15-18: 2025 Education Community of Practice Convening, UnidosUS /Avanzando at the University of Texas El Paso
- El Centro鈥檚 director and Dr. Susannah Waldrop (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Success) train for Avanzando Through College and Avanzando for Success programs
Wednesday, January 22: Winter Blast
- Stop by El Centro鈥檚 table from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the CLC Ballroom
February
Wednesday, February 5: Nuevo Sur: The Wondrous Journey of a Latino Advocate in SC
- , Executive Director of Palmetto Luna Arts & Director of Multicultural Affairs for the SC Commission for Minority Affairs, 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m., in Room 117 in the CASB
- This event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program
Wednesday, February 19: From Mexico to Arizona: Educational Trajectories of Transnational Students in Arizona Universities- Dr. , PhD Transborder Studies Arizona State University, 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. in Room 117 in the CASB
- This event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program
March
Wednesday, March 5: Give Yourself Permission to Dream as an Immigrant
- Join us to hear from , CEO, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of听 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. in Room 150 (BMW Classroom) at the George Dean Johnson College of Business and Economics (JCBE), 160 East St. John Street, Spartanburg, 29302. D铆a Internacional de la mujer. Co-sponsored with Prof. Brian Brady, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at JCBE.
- This event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program
- This event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program
Wednesday, March 19: 10th听Annual Translation & Interpreting Conference
- Join us from 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. in the Olin B. Sansbury Campus Life Center (CLC) Ballroom 310. This is a hybrid event. Contact Maria Francisco-Montes贸 for more information.
- This event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program
- This event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program
Saturday, March 22: Learn about El Centro @ 黑料正能量’s Open House
- Register here: /admissions/visit-campus/open-house/
Monday, March 24: Building the Higher Education Pipeline in the Southeast for Hispanics and Latinos Summit
- Russell House, 黑料正能量, 1400 Greene St., Columbia, SC, 29208. Registration to be posted .
April
Wednesday, April 2: Global South and Interdisciplinary Studies
- Presented by Dr. Chitra Akkoor (Greenville Technical College) and Buck C. Cooke and Dr. Colleen O鈥橞rien (黑料正能量)
- 2:00 p.m. – 3:15pm, CASB 117
- This event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program
- This event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program
Saturday, April 5: 37th Annual Carolina Association of Translators & Interpreters (CATI) Conference
- Campus Life Center (CLC) Ballroom and CASB 117 – more information coming soon.
April 11-12: Southeastern Immigration Studies Association Annual Conference听(SEISA)
- Located at the College of Charleston and The Citadel
- Proposals are due by January 31, 2025 and registration will available听
Tuesday, April 15: Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Women’s & Gender Studies Career Fair at 黑料正能量
- Stop by El Centro鈥檚 table from 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. in the CLC Ballroom
Wednesday, April 23: Celebrating Graduating El Centro Public Scholars
- Join us and L铆deres Avanzando from 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. in the CLC Ballroom
听
Other
: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 pm, LIB 238 by RSVP
- Jan. 23, Feb. 6 & 20, March 6, 20 & 28, April 3 & 23 at 2:00 p.m.
- April 23 is open to the public
- April 23 is open to the public
Avanzando For Success: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 pm, LIB 238 by RSVP
- Jan. 30, Feb. 13 & 27, March 20 & 28, April 3, 10 & 23听
- April 23 is open to the public
- El Centro鈥檚 Director co-presents on multilingualism and the university, sponsored by MLA committee on K-16 Alliances, chaired by Dr. Christian Rubio of Bentley University
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August
Download student-faculty co-authored . Sign up for monthly newsletters to be published during the first week of every month. Keep up by visiting El Centro鈥檚 .
September
National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 2024
鈥Recognizing Your Voice: Embracing Your Experience,鈥 Panel, Wednesday, September 18, 5-6:15pm, HEC Smith Boardroom (2086), refreshments served, counts for El Centro Public Scholars Program. Hispanic Heritage Month event and Open Classroom Speaker Series.
Panelists: Lety Arnold, Marketing Professional, Class of 2015, Nora Curiel, Associate Director 鈥 Upstate Family Resource Center, Paula Garcia de la Vega, CEO Expolatina Business, President WEF SC, Yasmin Juarez Carrera, Teacher, Class of 2024, and Itzel Tello Lennon, Sales Support Specialist, Transales, Inc., Class of 2019.
鈥Empowering Communities: A Latina鈥檚 View on Language Access,鈥 Jeannette Houchens, President and Founder of , Wednesday, September 25, 5-6:15pm. HEC Smith Boardroom (2086), refreshments served, counts for El Centro Public Scholars Program. Hispanic Heritage Month event and Open Classroom Speaker Series.
International Translators Day, September 30, 2024
October
鈥Give Yourself Permission to Dream as an Immigrant,鈥 by , Founder & Editor-in-Chief of , CEO, Wednesday, October 2, 5-6:15pm. HEC Smith Boardroom (2086), refreshments served, counts for El Centro Public Scholars Program. Hispanic Heritage Month event and Open Classroom Speaker Series.
Latina Equal Pay Day, October 3, 2024
, El Centro鈥檚 Director is a Guest Seminar Speaker alongside , serving Beaufort County School District and recently named the South Carolina 2025 Superintendent of the Year, Saturday, October 5, Bluffton, SC.
El Centro Tabling @ SCW Career Fair, Tuesday, October 8, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM, CLC Ballroom.
National Voter Education Week, October 7-11, 2024
Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day / D铆a de la Raza, October 14, 2024
鈥Feminist Perspectives from Spain and Latin America,鈥 by Dr. Bego帽a Caballero-Garc铆a, Professor at Wofford College, Wednesday, October 30, 5-6:15pm, HEC Smith Boardroom (2086), refreshments served, counts for El Centro Public Scholars Program. Hispanic Heritage Month event and Open Classroom Speaker Series.
November
Talk on 鈥Education & the Youth,鈥 by Hope Blackley, CEO and Governmental Liaison for South Carolina State University, Wednesday, November 13, 5-6:15pm, HEC Smith Boardroom (2086), refreshments served, counts for El Centro Public Scholars Program. Open Classroom Speaker Series.
Talk on 鈥A Survey of Latino Contributions in the US,鈥 by Jos茅 Pereira Gonz谩lez, Bilingual Outreach at the Spartanburg Library, Thursday, November 14, 3:30-4:30pm, Humanities & Performing Arts Center (HPAC) Room 120, counts for El Centro Public Scholars Program. RSPV or questions, contact Tracy Stapleton, Adjunct Instructor of Spanish: TS84@uscupstate.edu.
Roundtable on 鈥The Data Landscape of Public Humanities,鈥 , Providence RI, November 16, 3:20 pm-4:15 pm, co-presenters, Roopika Risam (Dartmouth), Matt Farley (Campus Compact), Jim McGrath (Salem State U), Katherine Stevens (Mass Humanities Council), Scott Wands (Connecticut Humanities), and El Centro鈥檚 Director.
Women鈥檚 Entrepreneurship Day, November 19, 2024
December
鈥 Graduating El Centro Public Scholars,鈥 the Honorable Sarai Melendez (City of Walhalla) and Gabrielle Drake (assistant chair), Wednesday, December 4, 5-6:15pm, HEC Smith Boardroom (2086), refreshments served, counts for El Centro Public Scholars Program.
Other
- Las Profesoras y T煤, demystifying the college experience for Spanish-speaking families, monthly dates and topics TBD and posted .
- , 5:30-7:30 pm, LIB 238 by Cohort Invitation, Sept. 19, Oct. 3 & 24, Nov. 7 & 21 (See Dec. 4 event above as it is open to the public).
- The Alicante, Spain Summer 2025 Program is open! Visit the Alicante faculty led study abroad page for more information.
- Las Profesoras y T煤, demystifying the college experience for Spanish-speaking families, monthly dates and topics TBD and posted .
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January
- El Centro Hub is open, Humanities and Performing Arts Center (HPAC 227). Students in any major and from all cultures, ask us about . Get credit for attending events, volunteering, presenting & publishing with , and get recognized at graduation!
- Call for Proposals due by Jan. 31 . Southeastern Immigration Studies Association Annual Conference (SEISA), April 19-20, 2024, Wofford College. Theme: 鈥淢ovement, Disruptions & Opportunities: Stories of Migration.鈥 Register .
February
- 2024 Education Community of Practice Convening, UnidosUS /Avanzando, February 4-5, 2024, Arizona State University.
- El Centro Advisory Council Meeting, Monday, February 12, 3:30 pm 鈥 5:00 pm, Zoom.
- Global Feminism Panel, Monday, February 19, 5:30 pm 鈥 7:00 pm, Rutland Institute for Ethics, Clemson University.
March
- Las Profesoras y T煤, demystifying the college experience for Spanish-speaking families from Charleston to the Upstate. Topic on Valuing the Public Humanities in all majors. March 1, 3 p.m., link to be posted
- GSA Women of Influence, El Centro鈥檚 director is one of the honorees. March 13, 11:30 a.m., Hyatt Regency Greenville. Purchase tickets .
- Uplifting Your Story with Cassie Tanks (Northeastern U) & Jasmin Elizalde (LASO President), Interactive, Hands-On Digital Public Humanities Black Paris & El Centro Public Scholars Workshop, Thursday, March 14, 5:30-6:45 p.m., Campus Life Center (CLC) Ballroom.
- Second Annual Anderson School District One, Your Future is Bright Fest, A Day Devoted to Shine a Light on Our Multilingual Students鈥 Future, Saturday, March 16, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Palmetto Middle School Gym, 140 Middle School Rd, Williamston, SC, 29697
- Check out El Centro @ 黑料正能量 Career Fair, March 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CLC Ballroom.
- El Centro engages families at Fairforest Elementary School鈥檚 STEAM night, March 19, 5-6:30 p.m.
- El Centro engages high school students at the World Cultures Day, March 22, URC.
- Sharing our Stories as Women of Color Full Professors, (Drs. Carmen V. Harris, Esther Liu Godfrey and Araceli Hern谩ndez-Laroche), Moderator: Gabrielle Drake, LLC Assistant Chair, World Language Coordinator, Women鈥檚 History Month, March 26, 12:30-1:30 PM, Location HEC 2023. Light Refreshments served.
- Columbia College Voter Registration Ed Panel, Multicultural Affairs & Community Resources, March 26, 6-7:30 p.m.
- 9th Annual Translation & Interpreting Conference, Wednesday, March 27, 3-4:15 p.m. This is a hybrid event. Attend in-person at the Campus Life Center (CLC) Ballroom. Join virtually .
April
- McMahon Lecture on El Centro & Importance of Languages at Awards Ceremony, April 3-4, East Carolina University, NC.
- El Centro鈥檚 Tentacularity: Extending the Importance of Language Learning Beyond the Boundaries of the Language Program, April 11, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Vista Higher Learning Webinar. Register for the webinar .
- CUMU panel for the , April 17, 12-1:30 p.m. EST (Virtual) 鈥淢aking our Work Public.鈥 Storytelling, Celebrating and Elevating Our Campus and Community Partners Through South Carolina Centro Latino. Presenters: Araceli Hern谩ndez-Laroche & Maria Francisco-Montes贸 with El Centro Marketing Student Interns, Danna Lopez, Zaray Lopez, and Dalexander Zegarra
- (Story) Mapping El Sur Latinx with Dr. Tim Monreal, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, April 18, 5-6:15 p.m., HPAC 234.
- Southeastern Immigration Studies Association Annual Conference (SEISA), April 19-20, 2024, Wofford College. Theme: 鈥Movement, Disruptions & Opportunities: Stories of Migration.鈥 Register .
- El Centro engages new families at Admitted Students Day, April 26, 9-10 a.m., G.B. Hodge Center.
- El Centro engages the business community at Power Up Spartanburg鈥檚 1-Year Celebration, April 29, 5-7 p.m., Fr8 Yard, Downtown Spartanburg.
Other
- Las Profesoras y T煤, demystifying the college experience for Spanish-speaking families, monthly dates and topics TBD and posted .
- , 5:30-7:30 pm, LIB 238 by RSVP, Jan. 25, Feb. 8 & 22, March 14 & 28, April 11 (See March 14 event above as it is open to the public).
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June and July
- Alicante, Spain Study Abroad, June 1-29, 2024
- Certificate Course on Professional Spanish Interpreting in Schools Settings, July 2024
Leadership
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Araceli Hern谩ndez-Laroche, PhD
Director, South Carolina Centro Latino
864-503-5221 | hernan49@uscupstate.edu |Dr. Araceli Hern谩ndez-Laroche is a professor of modern languages and the of South Carolina Centro Latino (El Centro) at 黑料正能量. The first Mexican-American professor in 黑料正能量 history, as well as the first Hispanic to earn full professor, Hern谩ndez-Laroche serves on the of the Chapman Cultural Center, the Spartanburg Academic Movement, and the ACLU of SC. She also serves on IME Becas through the Mexican Consulate in the Carolinas, Alianza Spartanburg鈥檚 Leadership & Steering Committee, the LGBT Advisory Fund, Live Healthy Spartanburg Policy Committee, the Program Committee at the Mary Black Foundation, the Education Council at the United Way of the Piedmont, and the City of Spartanburg Comprehensive Plan Think Tank. Hern谩ndez-Laroche was named the 2020 Career Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women of South Carolina and the 2020 Inclusion Advocate of the Year by OneSpartanburg. She was selected to participate in the 2020-2021 cohort of the Emerging Leaders Program through the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Hern谩ndez-Laroche received a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in French and Francophone studies and Italian studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned her Master of Arts and Ph.D. in French from the University of California.
She coedited a on World War I with Routledge UK in 2021. Her book chapters, articles, and reviews on existentialist French and North African writers and the multilingual public humanities have appeared in publications by Routledge, Palgrave Macmillan, Lexington Books, the French Literature Series with Brill Academic Publishers, The French Review, and the ASAP/Journal, a peer-reviewed journal published by John Hopkins University Press on the study of the arts of the present. She is coauthoring a book in Spanish with Mexican scholars on migration and has work forthcoming on Simone de Beauvoir, as well as essays on the public humanities in the journal of French Politics, Culture, and Society and the joint issue of the ADE and ADFL Bulletins, refereed journals published by the Modern Language Association (MLA). She serves as co-president of the MLA鈥檚 Association of Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL) Executive Committee and the MLA鈥檚 Ad Hoc Committee Valuing the Public Humanities. She is a former president of the SC chapter of AATF.
A multilingual professor, she has directed study abroad in C谩diz, Spain, taught Spanish in prison, high school, and as an assistant professor in NJ. Her public scholarship on the growing Latino community in South Carolina is mostly in or .
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Maria Francisco-Montes贸
Assistant Director, South Carolina Centro Latino
864-503-5203 | francis4@uscupstate.eduMaria Francisco-Montes贸 is a senior instructor in Spanish at 黑料正能量. Montes贸 graduated from Universitat Jaume I, Spain, and earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in translation and interpreting studies in Spanish, Catalan, English, and German. She has more than 10 years of experience teaching Spanish and translation & interpreting courses. Montes贸 is a Ph.D. candidate. Her research interests center on educational interpreting and pedagogy in translation and interpreting studies. She incorporates in-class pedagogical innovative projects and technology-intensive teaching-learning methodologies as part of the Quality Enhancement Plan and Active Learning cohorts. Montes贸 creates a service-learning component in her translation and interpreting courses, through which her students provide translation and interpretation services in the South Carolina Upstate in order to support non-profit organizations鈥 outreach into the area鈥檚 Hispanic community. She also created a unique certificate course to train bilinguals in English and Spanish to become professional interpreters in educational settings.
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