By Amanda A. Taylor-Uchoa

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – UTRGV’s Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) and the B3 Institute recently received a $741,469 grant for the UTRGV CMAS Latinx Museum Internship and Fellowship Program.

The program, with goals to provide UTRGV students with paid undergrad internships and graduate fellowships at U.S. Latinx museums, is a partnership with the Texas Conjunto museum and Hall of Fame in San Benito and the National Hispanic Cultural Center in New Mexico.

The program will help students participate in fellowships and internships to further advance Latino history and culture. The program will include creation of a new transdisciplinary museum studies course, expansion of outreach for students to enroll in internships and fellowships, and development of a family engagement plan to involve students’ families in the internship application process.

Stephanie Alvarez, principal investigator on the project and professor of Mexican American Studies, said while the funding for this program is available immediately, the first major priorities of the grant will be to plan and establish a sustainable infrastructure model.

“Years two and three, our UTRGV students will participate in the paid internships and fellowships,” she said. “Many students are unable to participate in unpaid museum internships due to financial stress, so this will alleviate some of the financial burden.”

The overall grant will last for three years. Co-PI’s on the program are Andrés Amado, Alejandra Ramírez, Christen García, and Milena Melo.

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Alvarez said that, aside from the financial burden being a factor in the inability to participate in opportunities of this sort, some students are hindered by the fear their families have of their children leaving the Valley. To help alleviate those fears, the program will incorporate substantial family engagement.

“We have included a robust family engagement plan to help ease the fears families may have,” Alvarez said. “It also benefits the local community because we are providing needed support to the Conjunto Music Museum and Hall of Fame, and they will bring new skill sets to the Valley, and the knowledge acquired during their time at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.”

SUPPORTING LOCAL STUDENTS

The motivation behind applying for the grant was sparked from an experience Alvarez had with one of her students, whom she was assisting with her application for a paid internship at the Smithsonian Institute. Unfortunately, Alvarez said, she didn’t get the position.

“Our students should not have to depend on an extremely competitive Smithsonian internship to receive paid internships,” she said.

Grants like the UTRGV CMAS Latinx Museum Internship and Fellowship Program will help local students garner the same experiences with broader access and opportunities that are invaluable to the local community, she said.

“These grants are important to the university and the Valley community because they afford our students with opportunities that would not be available to them otherwise,” she said. “Those experiences benefit the community directly, as students will bring the knowledge and skills developed during the internship back to their communities.”

For more information about the upcoming program, visit the link here.