Women’s History Month Guest Speaker: Maria Chávez

To celebrate Women’s History Month, Grays Harbor College is hosting guest speakers from Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau, Elise Hooper on March 4 and Maria Chávez on March 13. Both presentations will take place on GHC’s Aberdeen campus in room 4141 (1620 Edward P. Smith Dr. in the Schermer/4000 Building). The presentations are open to the public and free to attend.

“The Firsts: Latina Struggles in the United States”

Maria Chávez will lead the presentation on March 13 titled, “The Firsts: Latina Struggles in the United States.” GHC is cohosting this event with RISE Red de Inclusion Solidaridad y Empoderamiento.

Many Latinas face extraordinary challenges in their professions and personal lives. They are often first-generation college students whose parents may have little experience with higher education. This results in a difficult balancing act: they are trying not to let the process of earning a college education change them in ways that are antithetical to traditional Latino values, yet they are often expected to help with family care and responsibilities that can take priority over their studies and careers. In a talk that draws from interviews of Latinas from across a wide range of professions, as well as from her own personal experiences, Chávez explores the complicated challenges Latina professionals face. Chávez also offers ideas for how to provide Latinas with support and solutions.

About Maria Chávez

Maria Chávez is a professor of political science at Pacific Lutheran University specializing in American government, public policy, and Latino Politics. As a first-generation college graduate herself, her work centers on the progress of and barriers to Latinos in the U.S. She was awarded the American Political Science Association’s Best Book in Latino Politics twice: first for Everyday Injustice, and most recently for Latino Professionals in America.

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