Lightning Talks, Lasting Impact: Reflecting on the 2025 Graduate Research Celebration

CLACS Honors Student Scholarship in Latin American & Caribbean Studies

Each spring, the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CLACS) at the University of Kansas shines a spotlight on the vibrant research being conducted by graduate students across campus. The 2025 Graduate Research Celebration, held on Friday, April 11 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., continued this cherished tradition with an evening of rapid-fire presentations, community connection, and scholarly pride.

Now in its 18th year, the Celebration has evolved from humble beginnings in the basement of Peter and Laura Herlihy’s home to a dynamic showcase of 5-minute lightning talks. What began as a full-day competition has transformed into a two-hour event that prioritizes collaboration, curiosity, and camaraderie over contest. The format allows students to share their work, discover intersections across disciplines, and build lasting connections within the CLACS community.

Following the presentations, many attendees capped off the evening with dinner at La Tropicana—a fitting end to a night of intellectual nourishment.

Graduate Presenters & Research Topics

This year’s lineup featured a diverse array of projects spanning anthropology, history, geography, and more. Here’s a look at the scholars and their work:

Group 1

• David Martinez (PhD, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies)

La Ruta Maya: A Study of the Perception of Mayan Instructors in Mexico and Guatemala

• Kiera Eckhardt (PhD, Anthropology)

50 Years of Migration Policy in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela

• Margarita Rivera Arrivillaga (PhD, Anthropology)

Exploring Multi-sectoral Responses to Forced Internal Displacement and Health in Latin America

• Christa Osarczuk (MA, Anthropology)

Equine Welfare in Guatemala

• Guillermina Peña-Sandoval (PhD, Spanish & Portuguese)

Indigenous Feminism, Activism and Literary Collaborations in Nahua Communities

Group 2 

• Emmanuel Ofon-ikot (MA, African & African American Studies)

Media Representation of African Traditional Religion in Salvador and Ile-Ife: A Comparative Analysis

• Adedolapo Adenike Adewuyi (PhD, History)

Transatlantic Connections:  African Heritage in Brazil Festivals

• Ridwan Muhammed (PhD, History)

Constructing Reproductive Identities in Nigeria and Brazil, 1830-1988

• Matheus Romanetto (PhD, Sociology)

Love Thy Father, Hate Thy Brother: Political Conflict within Families in Brazil

• Laryssa Rodrigues (MA, Spanish & Portuguese)

The Politics of Afro-Brazilian Music and Religion: Contemporary Female Afro-Brazilian Singers and Their Novel Representations of Candomblé

Group 3

• Nate Blum (MA, Geography)

Pragmatism and Care: Feeding Bellies, Healing Hearts

• Mary Self (MA, Global & International Studies)

Un País Sin Indios

• Margarita Alely Nunez Arroyo (PhD, American Studies)

Gothic Injuries: Tracing Gothic Conventions in the Literary Works of Latinx Authors

• Cap McLiney (MA, Geography)

The Amazon Mennonites of Masisea, Peru

• Jennifer Ramos Doval (PhD, EEB)  

Using Ecological Niche Models to Predict Areas of Distribution of Bat Species in Mexico