People

Recent Graduates 

 

Otavio Barros

Otavio Barros otavio2@illinois.edu

 

Otavio is originally from Piauí, Brazil, and recently earned his M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. With over a decade of experience in education, he has taught English and Portuguese in Brazil, Chile, and the U.S., and worked in teacher training, academic consultancy, and bilingual school implementation. His interdisciplinary work focuses on race, gender, and public education policy.

 

 

 

Beatriz Carvalho

Beatriz Carvalho bc22@illinois.edu

 

Political Scientist and M.A.  in Latin American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Research Fellow at the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies (2022-23).  Interested in women in politics and mixed methods.

 

 

 

Larissa Miggoto

Larissa Miggoto larissa5@illinois.edu

Larissa Migotto Brandolt earned her M.A. in Latin American & Caribbean Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022. Her research focuses on neoliberal think tanks and their role in Brazilian politics. Larissa is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois. 

 

 

 

Lorena Chica

Lorena Chica lchica2@illinois.edu

Lorena Chica is pursuing her M.A. in Latin American & Caribbean Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a B.A. in History with minors in Women & Gender Studies and Sociology from Bradley University. Her research focuses on El Salvador, gendered violence, and state-sanctioned violence. She joined CLACS in 2021 and currently teaches discussion sections of LAST 170: Introduction to Latin America.

 

 

 

 

Leonardo Ventura

Leonardo E Silva Ventura lev4@illinois.edu

Leonardo earned his M.A. in Latin American & Caribbean Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on Black liberation movements and the political thought of Amílcar Cabral and Abdias Nascimento. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in History, with areas of study in African Diaspora, Black Studies, Afro-Brazilian Studies, and Afro-Brazilian intellectual history.