2022-23 A Year In Review

Posted on: Aug 19th, 2023

We are endlessly thankful to our fantastic BULAC familia for all their efforts in fostering our growing Brown Latinx community! In 2022-2023 over 120 alumni volunteered to promote BULAC’s goals. Here’s a snapshot of some of the things they did: 

Thank you to all the alumni who contributed their time and talents. We look forward to another year of successful community building with the support of our BULAC familia! 

Join the 2022-24 BULAC E-Board!

Posted on: May 23rd, 2022

BULAC is looking for committed individuals to serve on the 2022-2024 board. We are a growing organization seeking to expand the efforts put forth in our mission: maximizing the Brown experience for the Latinx community, serving as a representative voice for Latinx alumni and assisting in the unification of alumni efforts to further and support the interests of Brown University.  If you are interested in having a more active voice, consider serving on BULAC’s National Board!

Why join BULAC’s Executive Board? 

Please submit your nominations via this form by Friday, June 17, 2022 at 5pm PST. Feel free to direct any questions to president@bulac.org. 

Open Positions & Responsibilities

All positions start July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024. 

President

VP of Communications

VP of Finance & Development

VP of Campus Programs

VP of Regional Engagement

Regional Representative

BULAC Reps are at the forefront of our Brown Latino Alumni community. Representatives host community building events within their regions and represent their chapter’s interests and needs at the national level. 

Our main regions are Boston, Chicago, DC, Los Angeles, & Miami, but we are open to adding new regions. Apply to be a part of our BULAC familia!

Responsibilities include:

2022 BULAC Matriculation Campaign

Posted on: Feb 14th, 2022

BULAC is proud to launch its Annual Spring Matriculation Campaign to influence the number of admitted Latinx students that attend Brown and we are seeking your help to make this a reality.

Our mission is to recruit BULAC volunteers to personally welcome Latinx students to Brown, talk to them about the Latinx experience at Brown and help answer any of their, or their family’s, questions. We are searching for volunteers for our Outreach Campaign & Welcome to Brown events.

Outreach Campaign

Brown regular admission applicants will receive their acceptance letters on April 6th and volunteers will have a 3-week window to call and/or email admitted students before the matriculation deadline. All you have to do is share your Brown experience and answer any questions they might have. 

Please help us in obtaining our goal of getting 70+ volunteers to help out with this outreach campaign. This means volunteers would contact about 4-5 prospects each with conversations ranging from 10-15 minutes. 

Welcome to Brown 

We’ll be hosting a series of events in the spring and summer to help admitted students in their transition to Brown. Currently, our plans are to host panels of alumni speaking on the Latinx experience at Brown and meet and greets to welcome students. We are seeking help from alumni to help represent the variety of experiences at Brown. Additionally, we are hoping to host some of these events in Spanish for students and their families and hope those who feel comfortable speaking Spanish will volunteer. 

Whether you’re interested in one or both opportunities, sign up to volunteer here. Deadline is April 8, 2022.

Think of the impact you can make, and not only for the students you’re calling but for our Brown community as well.

Soundtrack Secrets + More

Posted on: Oct 04th, 2021

Described as “somewhere between a comforting whisper and a cogent declaration” by  The New York Times, Lauren Henderson EMBA ‘19 music resonates with listeners around the world.  

Henderson uncovers the layers of her diverse background in both English and Spanish.  Her compositions paint stories, reflecting journeys imposed through the African Diaspora that interplay Henderson’s Panamanian, Montserratian, and vast Caribbean roots with her North American upbringing.  

Jazz, Latin jazz, flamenco, R&B and soul music roots aid an exploration of culture, society, race relations, and the complexities encountered as we navigate life’s obstacles. 

Join members of the Inman Page Black Alumni Council and Brown University Latino Alumni Council on October 20, 7:30 PM ET for a fireside chat with Lauren Henderson EMBA ‘19 that will feature stories about her work and performances.

October 20, 2021

7:30 PM ET 

Register Here

We want to thank our generous BULAC familia for helping us host a very virtual year of programming.  Over 80 alumni volunteered their time and talents to our community in 2020-21.  Here is a small snapshot of the BULAC programming made possible by your support: 


Thank you for continuing to give back to the Brown University Latino Alumni Community! See our archive of events here.

Our executive board has been hard at work over the last year and  looks forward to serving the BULAC community through Summer ‘22.  We are looking for volunteers to join our Nomination Committee, which seeks recommendations from our membership-at-large for candidates to fill open positions of the E-Board.  If you would like to participate or to learn more about this committee, please e-mail president@bulac.org.

Monica Muñoz Martinez ’06 was named a MacArthur Fellow for her work in bringing to light long-obscured cases of racial violence along the U.S.-Mexico border and their reverberations in the present. 

Years ago, an unlikely mentor put Carlos Lejnieks ‘00 on a new path.  Today, he’s going to bat for young people as president of a Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter and the first Latino president of Brown University’s Alumni Association. Read more on Hispanic Executive. 

Dania Matos ‘03 will ‘lead with love’ as UC Berkeley’s new Vice Chancellor of Equity & Inclusion (read here).  Read about her work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in this Skimm Her Career feature. 

We’re celebrating Suzanne M. Rivera ’91 P’22 as she is inaugurated at Macalester College as its 17th president.  Sue Rivera is the first woman and first Latina to lead the nationally recognized St. Paul liberal arts school.  Join the ceremony virtually October 9 at 10:30 AM CT to hear her remarks. 

Andrés Acebo ‘08 was compelled to succeed on behalf of his immigrant parents, but now he’s found his true calling: helping those who need him most.  Read the Hispanic Executive feature here.

Bernadette Aulestia ’94, P’23 is among the founders of a new coalition of food industry veterans, startup founders, investors and influencers seeking to increase funding and opportunities for historically underrepresented entrepreneurs.  The New American Table honors the intersection of food & culture & celebrating the new American palate & the next generation of iconic food brands.  Learn more here. 

Share news and connect with friends on the BULAC Facebook Group. 

A Year In Review

Posted on: Oct 03rd, 2021

We want to thank our generous BULAC familia for helping us host a very virtual year of programming. Over 80 alumni volunteered their time and talents to our community in 2020-21. Here is a small snapshot of the BULAC programming made possible due to your support:

Thank you for continuing to give back to the Brown University Latino Alumni Community!

2020-21 Archive

Thank You To Our Volunteers

Thank you to all the alumni who contributed their time and talents.

Agueda Hernandez ‘92 MD’96
Alexalee Gonzalez ’23
Alexandra Ocampo ‘06
Alfie Zarate ’05
Alfredo Freyre ’93
Andrea Giese ’99
Andrea Martinez ’14
Ashley Leiva ’20
Aurea Hernandez – Webster ’88
Besenia Rodriguez ‘00
Bianca Camacho ’16
Carlos Lejnieks ‘00
Carmen Rodriguez ’83
César Garcia Hernandez ’02
Christian Martell ’10
Christina Tapia ’99
Cristina McQuistion ’86
Cynthia Saenz ’93
Dania Matos ‘03
Daniela Serna ’15
David Gutierrez ’19
Dr. Angela X. Ocampo ’10
Dr. Tony Affigne ’76, AM ’91, PhD ’92
Edith Moreno ’07
Gabi Gonzalez ’20, MD ’25, MPH ’25
Gabriel Reyes ’18
Gabriela Raffucci ’11
Geno Rodriguez ’00
Giovanna Cavallo ’94
Guillermo de los Santos EMBA ‘20
Ivon Rodriguez ’00, EMBA ’16
Jennifer Welch ’92
Jerry Maldonado ’96
Jimmy Richmond ’22
Joanne Sharma ’03
Joe Rosales ’14
Jonathon Acosta ’11, AM ’16, AM ’16, PhD ’23
Jordi Torres ’10
Jose Estabil ‘84 ScM ‘88
Juan Nunez-Martinez ’03
Juanita Ortiz ’95
Julia Sepulveda Avalos ’20
Julieta Cardenas ’14
Keben Perez ’15
Kim Davila ’20
Laura Muñoz ’20
Leora Johnson ’01
Leticia Flores DeWilde ’94
Louis Trujillo ’09
Lourdes Blanco ’91
Luis Campillo ’04
Manuel Avalos ’19, MPA ’20
Manuel Contreras ’16
Marco Martinez ’08
Maria Gomez ’18, MAT ’19
Maria Paredes ’17
Mariachi de Brown
Marianna McMurdock ’19
Marlin Gutierrez ’19
Mezcla
Mia Hegazy ’11
Michael Hoffman ’15
Miguel Alecio ’13
Miguel Palomares ’08
Mimi Velazquez ’06
Miriam Gonzales ’87
Moisés Zamora ’00
Nicole Tully ’97
Nina Cruz ’08
Omar Perez ’05
Rachaell Diaz ’19
Robert Arellano ’91 AB, ’94 MFA
Rosario Castruita ’94
Samuel Torres ’15
Silvina Hernandez ’17
Sophia Hernandez ’20
Suzanne Rivera ’91 P’22
Vicky Rivera ’93
Vivian Garcia ’10
William Acevedo ‘88
William Rivera ’91

Welcome New Graduates + Brown Announcements & Opportunities

Posted on: May 19th, 2021



Congratulations Class of 2021 and welcome to your Brown University Latino Alumni Council (BULAC). Bienvenidos a la familia!

Regardless of your current location or where you hope to be in a few months, you will be a part of an extensive network of Latinx alumni who are here to greet you and welcome you into an atmosphere of connections, networks, and non-stop reminiscing. BULAC aids in keeping, creating and fostering those relationships that are started at Brown amongst the Latinx familia. 

Whether you are navigating a job search or looking for new friends in a new city, we are here to help. Connect with BULAC by joining our FB group here or reach out to the BULAC E-Board at programs@bulac.org for individualized support. 

The Brown Center for Students of Color is pleased to announce that after a national search, they have appointed Vincent T. Harris, PhD, as associate dean and director of the Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC). With a decade of experience in higher education, Dr. Harris has been an unwavering advocate and effective champion for all students of color at predominately and historically White public and private institutions.  

Dr. Harris will oversee the BCSC by providing leadership, strategic planning, and establishing and pursuing priorities that are mission driven. He will supervise and mentor the BCSC’s professional and student staff and direct resource allocation to accomplish strategic objectives.  This important work includes budget management, fundraising, program development and implementation, assessment, and staff growth and development. He will develop and lead strategic partnerships and relationships with key stakeholders on and off campus to bolster the work and mission of the center. Key to this work will be his ability to develop programs and initiatives that building meaningful connections between all students (undergraduate, graduate and medical school students) and faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. In this role, he will work closely with the assistant vice president for Campus Life engagement to develop short and long terms goals, and develop the mission, vision, and goals for the BCSC. As a leader in the broader Brown and local community, he will help lead the division’s and institution’s efforts related to advancing the success of students of color specifically and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts generally. In accepting this position, Dr. Harris offered the following, “I am grateful, humbled, and ready to serve as leadership for the Brown Center for Students of Color (originally known as the Third World Center) as we continue to honor the nearly 50-year legacy of Brown boldly supporting undergraduate, graduate and medical school students of color.  It has been a professional goal of mine to amplify my passion of community inclusivity among race and ethnicity for all students of color, and I am very excited to join Brown in cultivating a sense of belonging not only for our students of color but also for Black men in America like myself.”  

Read the full announcement here.

The Class Leadership nomination process for class years endn in 0 and 5 is open now. A diversity of perspectives matter in shaping the engagement experience of your class and we encourage you to nominate yourself or fellow alumni for a class leadership position. 

Check out what leadership positions are open for your class and submit your nominations by May 25th.

Interested in mentoring and guiding current Brown students? Please see the following information about the Women’s Launch Pad Mentoring program and the CareerLAB’s Alumni Connections program.

Brown Women’s Launch Pad

The Women’s Launch Pad is starting a new mentoring cycle and actively recruiting alumnae mentors for the 2022 academic year. If you are an alumna (Class of 2017+) who would enjoy the mentoring experience and could be a resource for a senior or junior class woman (Class of 2022 & 2023), please visit our website to learn more about the program and complete the mentoring form.   Applications for this program will be accepted until June 30.

If you have questions about the program please contact Johanna Hussey, Assistant Director, Engagement Programs- Alumni Relations Department (johanna_Hussey@brown.edu)

CareerLAB Alumni Connections Program


Join us this summer for a new program to reimagine the way students connect with alumni.   Utilizing the virtual space, we are piloting an alumni connections program aimed at helping students secure important alumni connections during the summer months. Our hope is that these connections will have a great impact on their “life after Brown” planning, as well as expand their personal network.  Brown students need you to share professional insight, advice, and expertise. 

This pilot program will be a hybrid of both small group and one-on-one mentoring over the course of five weeks. We are asking you to dedicate 7-10 hours throughout the months of June and July to provide support and guidance to a dedicated group of students during small group mentorship meetings, and individual meetings.  In addition, all volunteers will participate in a speed networking event and interact with all students in the alumni connections program.

If interested in mentoring students over the summer, please fill out the BCSI Alumni Connections registration form by May 26, 2021.  Here is a pdf outlining the new program and our volunteer expectations.  We are available to answer any questions and hope you will join us in connecting with students this summer.

If you have questions about the program please contact Aixa Kidd, Deputy Director of CareerLAB (Aixa_Kidd@brown.edu)

Newsletter: Call for Volunteers & Spring Updates

Posted on: Mar 26th, 2021

Call for Volunteers – Matriculation Campaign 

BULAC is proud to launch its Annual Spring Matriculation Campaign to influence the number of admitted Latinx students that attend Brown and we are seeking your help to make this a reality.

Our mission is to recruit BULAC volunteers to personally welcome Latinx students to Brown, talk to them about the Latinx experience at Brown and help answer any of their, or their family’s, questions. We are searching for volunteers for the following:

Outreach Campaign

Brown regular admission applicants will receive their acceptance letters on April 6th and volunteers will have a 3-week window to call and/or email admitted students before the matriculation deadline. All you have to do is share your Brown experience and answer any questions they might have. 

Please help us in obtaining our goal of getting 70+ volunteers to help out with this outreach campaign. This means volunteers would contact about 4-5 prospects each with conversations ranging from 10-15 minutes. 

Welcome to Brown 

We’ll be hosting a series of events in the spring and summer to help admitted students in their transition to Brown. Currently, our plans are to host panels of alumni speaking on the Latinx experience at Brown and meet and greets to welcome students. We are seeking help from alumni to help represent the variety of experiences at Brown. Additionally, we are hoping to host some of these events in Spanish for students and their families and hope those who feel comfortable speaking Spanish will volunteer. 

Whether you’re interested in one or both opportunities, sign up to volunteer here. Think of the impact you can make, and not only for the students you’re calling but for our Brown community as well.

Share a summer internship or research opportunity with a Brown student today. Posting a summer opportunity through BrownConnect is easy, just click here. 

Hiring summer interns is a great way to give back to Brown while adding talent to your team! Students are looking for high-quality work experiences in a wide array of fields.

Your opportunity will help Brown students explore and develop future career plans for life after Brown. Thank you for helping to connect our future alumni to real-world opportunities.

Join us in our Alumni Virtual Happy Hour event for a fun hour of connecting with friends old and new! This will be a casual event – feel free to bring your beverage of choice and sport your favorite Brown gear. We hope to see you on April 16th at 7pm EST.

Register here. We can’t wait to see you!

9.8% of Brown’s student body is Latinx, reflecting barely half of the country’s 18%. Why is this?

One major cause is the persistence of standardized testing requirements.

Requiring SAT/ACT scores put Latinx students at an unfair disadvantage: controlling for all other factors, Latinx students do worse on standardized tests than their white peers, despite these tests having no predictive value of college success (sources at bottom). When colleges go SAT-optional, they see a major rise in the number of Latinx students.

Brown’s Afro-Latinx Alliance, Latinas@Brown, and Students for Educational Equity undergraduate groups are campaigning for Brown to go permanently SAT-optional. You can find our written endorsements here. 

Alumni, we need your help to make this happen. Sign at tinyurl.com/AlumniForEquity to call for an SAT-optional Brown!

We want to thank everyone who joined us to celebrate Mercedes Domenech’s decades of dedication to expanding diversity in Brown University’s student body and her significant contributions to Latinx students! To watch a recording of the event, please visit our website. 

Thank you to those who have joined us in contributing to the Mercedes Domenech Brown University Latino Alumni Council Endowed Scholarship Fund. Your donations will have a significant impact in meeting the financial needs of Brown University’s Latinx students while bolstering the University’s commitment to ensuring a diverse Brown community.

The Mercedes Domenech Brown University Latino Alumni Council Endowed Scholarship Fund provides critical financial support for exceptional Latinx students, allowing them to thrive and experience all that Brown’s distinctive educational experience has to offer. Click here to learn more.

Don’t forget to join our Facebook group to connect with old and new friends! Share what you’re up to or maybe some pictures from your archives.

Message on Behalf of Brown’s Afro-Latinx Alliance, Latinas@Brown, and the Students for Educational Equity

Posted on: Mar 10th, 2021

9.8% of Brown’s student body is Latinx, reflecting barely half of the country’s 18%. Why is this?

One major cause is the persistence of standardized testing requirements.

Requiring SAT/ACT scores puts Latinx students at an unfair disadvantage: controlling for all other factors, Latinx students do worse on standardized tests than their white peers, despite these tests having no predictive value of college success (sources at bottom). When colleges go SAT-optional, they see a major rise in the number of Latinx students.

Brown’s Afro-Latinx Alliance, Latinas@Brown, and Students for Educational Equity undergraduate groups are campaigning for Brown to go permanently SAT-optional. Below, you’ll see their written endorsements. 

Alumni, we need your help to make this happen. Sign at tinyurl.com/AlumniForEquity to call for an SAT-optional Brown!

Statement from Latinas@Brown:

The SAT/ACTs have long misrepresented what BIPOC students are capable of, hurt their access to various opportunities, and unfairly barred them from a Brown education. Latinas@Brown believes that Brown must do more to ensure equitable and fair access for all students, regardless of their backgrounds. In keeping with this mission, we are joining the call for Brown to go test-optional.

Although Brown outwardly portrays itself as being an inclusive environment, it was created and continues to exist within a settler-colonialist state. There is still a lot of work required for us to meaningfully shift the foundation – to not just include, but to center, BIPOC students. Making standardized tests optional is only one of the first steps forward.

Statement from the Afro-Latinx Alliance:

The Afro-Latinx Alliance supports and endorses the demand to go SAT-optional. The SAT/ACTs unfairly bar Black and Latinx students from Brown’s campus, and a decision to return to using them would be inexcusable.

In line with our mission of ensuring equity in access for all BIPOC students, the Afro-Latinx Alliance joins the call to go SAT-optional at Brown. With years of research showing that standardized testing discriminates against and disadvantages BIPOC applicants, there is no justifiable reason for Brown to reimplement a broken system. 

Standardized testing has been consistently shown to exacerbate racial inequalities and deny access to BIPOC students, despite having no predictive value of college success. Their existence is inherently unfair and harmful toward numerically underrepresented students. The Afro-Latinx Alliance adds their voice to the call for implementing SAT-optional policies at Brown. 

The Afro-Latinx Alliance believes that Brown should be an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming space for all, as the institution claims to be.  The decision to use SAT/ACTs in our admissions, which blatantly discriminates against BIPOC students, stand in direct contradiction of this goal. Consequently, we’re demanding that Brown go SAT-optional. 

The SATs and ACTs magnify and reinforce existing admission inequities. As part of their commitment to recruiting a diverse pool of applicants, the Afro-Latinx Alliance calls on Brown to go permanently SAT-optional. 

The SAT/ACTs consistently and falsely produce results that suggest BIPOC students are less deserving than their White peers. Brown’s SAT/ACT-required policy needlessly perpetuates inequity and injustice. The Afro-Latinx Alliance joins the call to go SAT-optional at Brown. 

To Learn More:

RECORDING – A Conversation with Moises Zamora ’00

Posted on: Feb 07th, 2021

RECORDING – Celebrate the Legacy of Mercedes Domenech

Posted on: Jan 10th, 2021

Brown University Latino Alumni Council held a celebration for Mercedes Domenech on December 15, 2020. Mercedes has been an esteemed member of the Brown community for over 30 years. Through her work and continued advocacy and mentorship, Mercedes has truly enriched the lives of many students, in particular, Latinx Brunonians through generations. She will be sorely missed and impossible to replace.



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