#PolicyProfile: Valeria Torres-Olivares ’22
Jun 03 2022
By
Staff
Source
Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
My family created Festival Cultural Latino to provide a space for Latine artisans, musicians, dancers, and restaurants to celebrate and be recognized.
When my family and I moved to Princeton from Mexico in 2007, we saw the lack of Latine representation in the community. This inspired us to get involved. My mom, sister, and I started volunteering at the Princeton Public Library for story time. We read in Spanish to encourage families to keep their language and culture alive. For the past 14 years, we’ve worked with the Arts Council of Princeton to host a Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. It has grown into a massive, month-long celebration where we make paper Cempasuchil flowers (Mexican marigolds), sugar skulls, an altar, and more. It’s an important celebration in Latin America, but it’s for anyone who wants to learn, appreciate, and celebrate the culture.
I chose SPIA so that I could combine my passions of Latin American studies and computer science.Valeria Torres-Olivares
These cultural spaces were crucial in helping my sister and I grow to be proud of our heritage in a place that was not always the most welcoming. Growing up, we also noticed the lack of female Latine representation in the classroom, specifically our computer science classes. To help break down the stigma around women in STEM, we created our own nonprofit, Code Equal, in 2017. We provide free computer science courses, mentors, workshops, and tools that self-identifying girls and underrepresented minorities need to enter computer science fields.
Through my thesis, I am researching how new and evolving technologies on the U.S.-Mexico border have impacted migration routes. Being here at Princeton, I have so many opportunities, but my takeaway from all my experiences is to make the spaces that you are in better, not just for yourself but for those who may not have the ability or support to speak up for themselves.
At SPIA, We Care
Our Community
We are committed to ensuring that all members of our diverse community feel respected, supported, and valued both inside and outside the classroom. We seek to strengthen the capacity of our students to promote equity and foster inclusion while here and in the broader world.