Students interested in finding out more about the Latin American Studies certificate and our funding opportunities can make an appointment on WASS with Program Manager Rosalia Rivera, 311 Burr Hall.

Standing times are Mon. 10-11am, Tue. 3-4pm, Thurs. 11am-12pm, or by appointment (rrivera@princeton.edu).

Combined with a departmental concentration, the undergraduate certificate in Latin American Studies allows students to explore the diversity of culture, history, socioeconomic conditions, politics, and society in Latin America and the Caribbean. Senior thesis work is supervised by a faculty adviser and is combined with a departmental major.

Please refer to the Undergraduate Announcement for a complete list of certificate requirements.

Stephanie Alvarez was born in Galloway, New Jersey. She currently lives in Naples, Florida with her parents and younger sister. At Princeton she is a politics major, and spends her (free) time working at Community House and dancing salsa.

My name is Lydia Arias and I am a half-Cuban, pole vaulter from Atlanta, Ga. I am majoring in Comparative Literature and pursuing a certificate in Latin American Studies. When I'm not studying or competing for the track team I love to salsa dancing, cooking, and enjoying the outdoors.

Luciana Chamorro is a Senior in the Anthropology Department earning Certificates in Latin American Studies and Visual Arts. She is from Managua, Nicaragua. Thanks to PLAS funding, Luciana interned at CIPPEC in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the summer of 2010, and conducted field research for her thesis on the memories of the nicaraguan revolution/contra war in the summer of 2011. She also spent a semester studying abroad in Cuba, during which she researched the experience of people starting self-employment businesses.

Lindsay von Clemm is a Junior in the Economics Department pursuing certificates in Finance and Latin American Studies. She is from San Francisco, California and enjoys reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez in her free time.

Addie Darling is a Junior from Chesapeake, VA studying Comparative Literature. She is interested in the intersection of religion, the arts, and development in the region.

I'm PJ Das, a senior in the Economics department and a Latin American Studies Concentrator. I originally hail from India but currently live in China, though a lot of my time my past three summers as a Princeton student were spent in Brazil. Other than my fascination with Latin America, I am also interested in urban affairs. On campus, I am involved in student government, Princeton Women in Business and two dance groups, in addition to having co-founded the Brazil Club last year.

I am very grateful to PLAS for allowing me to cultivate my interest in Brazil through generous financial support over the last two years. The summer after my sophomore year, as a PLAS Sigmund Scholar, I was able to go to Rio to film a short documentary about the FIFA football world cup and the impacts of the tournament, and football in general, on people from different socioeconomic classes in the city. Last summer, PLAS funded my senior thesis research in Rio, which allowed me to collect first hand data from the favela Vidigal. Without this support, I would not have access to such rich raw data directly from the field.

Over my Princeton career, PLAS has been almost like a second home department, and one that has truly allowed me to mature academically through experience.

Briyana Davis '13 is a vegan sociology major from South Jersey, concentrating in African American Studies, Urban Studies, and Latin American Studies. She can't stay away from the stage, performing with Umqombothi, Off the Record, Triangle, and bac|drama. She is also a mentor, a Carl A. Fields Center Fellow, and an LGBT Peer Educator. She loves black beans, rain, and cities. She will be spending her junior spring semester studying in Salvador da Bahia.

Flora Thomson-DeVeaux is a junior from Virginia majoring in Spanish and Portuguese. She participated in Princeton in Spain and is spending junior year abroad in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. In Rio, she is pursuing research at the Instituto Moreira Salles, putting together a film, occasionally setting off citywide controversies, and completing a translation of the first volume of Victoria Ocampo's autobiography. Her interests (as you might have gleaned) include translation, Brazilian popular music, Argentine literature, and, of course, Botafogo.

Hi, my name is Carrie and I am a junior, majoring in the Spanish and Portuguese Department, pursuing a certificate in Neuroscience and the Latin American Studies Program from Hershey, Pennsylvania. When I'm not studying I enjoy playing soccer, field hockey and hang-gliding.

I am from Northern California and I am in the Anthropology Department and receiving a certificate in PLAS and Latino Studies. I love to travel and am interested in urban education and Brazil.

Aseneth Garza is a Junior in the Anthropology Department and pursuing a certificate in Latin American Studies. She is from Port Isabel, Texas and participated in a summer study abroad in Bordeaux, France the summer before Junior year. She is interested in Immigration, Religion, and Gender Studies. She wishes to conduct interviews in Latin America for her senior thesis.

Cybil Sanzetenea is a Spanish major from New York who is interested in education, illustration, and children´s literature. She will be creating an original illustrated children's book as part of her thesis, which she was able to work on in La Paz, Bolivia, thanks to the Paul E. Sigmund Scholar Award. In the future she hopes to teach young children and illustrate children's stories in Bolivia.

Ricardo López was born and raised in sunny California. As a concentrator in the Spanish department, he is interested in literature as a medium to embarking on Latin American Studies. One day, he hopes to become a professor and continue analyzing how literature can reflect Latin American history, culture, politics, etc.

Amy Olivero is a member of the class of 2013 pursuing a degree in the Woodrow Wilson department with a certificate in PLAS. She is from Alexandria, Virginia and is proud of her military family upbringing and Dominican heritage. She has had the opportunity to live, study, and volunteer in Costa Rica over the summers and loved it. At Princeton, Amy is also involved with the club lacrosse team, Circle of Women, and works in the Frist ticketing office. She will be spending her junior spring semester abroad at the University of Havana.

My name is Daniela Perea, and currently a Junior in the Politics Department. I am originally from Chicago, where I have pursued internships in the past couple summers. I am pursuing a degree in comparative politics as well as fulfilling the pre-med requirements. In addition to the PLAS certificate, I am hoping to attain a Neuroscience certificate.

Lauren Prastien is a sophomore from Fair Lawn, New Jersey. At Princeton, she lives in Whitman and intends to major in anthropology. She enjoys taking classes with the creative writing department, specifically fiction, and is an active member of Princeton Faith and Action and LeTS.

Grecia Rivas 2013 - A native of Los Angeles, CA is also a member of the Comparative Literature department at Princeton. She is very interested in immigration policies in Latin America and how they compare to the current immigration policies in the United States. She hopes to spend the upcoming summer in Brazil practicing her Portuguese and learning more about the unaccompanied minor asylum policies not only in Brazil but also in other parts of Latin America. When she is neither studying nor dancing Ballet Folklórico, Grecia can be found mentoring with the Women's Center, working at ODUS, working with the Carl Fields Center’s mentoring programs, taking a nap, or spending time with friends at Frist.

Emily VanderLinden, class of 2013, is from Des Moines, Iowa. She hopes to supplement her studies of Latin America with other International Relations. She is involved with American Foreign Policy Magazine, International Relations Council, College Democrats, and TapCats. After Princeton, she hopes to go to law school.

Erick Walsh is a Junior in the Economics department pursuing certificates in Finance, Political Economy and Latin American Studies. He is from San Salvador, El Salvador and is interested in serving his country in the future. This summer Erick interned for Ernst and Young in El Salvador where he was part of their Transaction Advisory Services Division. Additionally, Erick conducted fiscal policy research for the Inter-American Development Bank's Sustainable Emerging Cities Platform. This year Erick's independent research focuses on the relationship between market liberalization policies in Latin America during the 1990s and the current level of corruption in each country.

Tiffania Wiletts is a junior in the Economics department from Tampa, Florida. She will be studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina in spring 2011, and her independent work is focusing on income inequality in Latin America.

Erica Zendell is a member of the class of 2012, majoring in Comparative Literature. Within Latin American Studies, her interests include the Modern Latin American fiction and poetry, Brazilian music and film history, and Sino-Brazilian political relations. In addition to her work in foreign languages and literatures, she is a member of Princeton's International Food Co-op, where she has prepared feijoadas, empanadas, and loads of other global goodies.

• Undergraduate Announcement
• Study Abroad
• International Internships
• University Travel
• Guide to Library Resources for Latin America