Latinas en Educación speaker: ‘There’s work to be done’
One of the most difficult days of Minerva Cordero’s life was when she left her small hometown in Puerto Rico for the United States in pursuit of her graduate degrees. Her sacrifice was not only for herself and her family, but also for the larger cause of advancing Latinas in the education field.
“These stereotypes of what Latinos and Latinas can or can’t do—that’s what motivates me every day,” said Cordero, interim vice provost for faculty success and a professor of mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington. “And I stayed here because I figured there’s work to be done.”
Cordero told her story as part of a panel event titled “Latinas en Educación (Latinas in Education),” hosted by UTA’s Department of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives. She was joined by Elsa Camargo, assistant professor of educational leadership and policies studies and Teresa Ayala, president of the Tarrant County College Board of Trustees.
The panelists discussed what it was like to navigate the educational landscape as Latina women and gave tips on how current students can be successful in higher education. All of the panelists agreed that women, especially Latinas, need a strong support system and have to face down stereotypes to be successful.
Camargo said her motivation to keep succeeding has been her parents, both of whom did not go to college but pushed her to get a college degree. Many times she felt like she didn’t belong, she said, because of where she came from and what she looked like.
“What motivates me to foster change in higher education is thinking about my parents’ sacrifices,” Camargo said. “I don’t want other kids from immigrant families to experience these things in higher education.”
The panelists also touched on the importance of celebrating Women’s History Month.
“Women’s History Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate those contributions of people who had been before us,” Ayala said. “We all stand on the shoulders of somebody.”
Cordero said Women’s History Month provides a platform to talk about bringing more women into the STEM fields, especially Latinas. In 2022, President Joe Biden named Cordero a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, making her one of only 12 individuals selected for the honor that year.
“This country is No. 1 in the world, and we wouldn't be here if it weren’t for all the hard work that so many women have done,” she said.
The month allows people to look back and honor the women before them but also think about those who haven’t been recognized, especially women of color, Camargo said.
“It allows us to have an intergenerational connection with the past and the current success of women,” she said. “It’s important to understand our history, and it’s often not something that we have access to. This allows us to close some of those knowledge gaps that exist.”