Mirelsie Velázquez, associate professor Latina/Latino Studies, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, has been named a Conrad Humanities Scholar.
Velázquez is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work centers on education, women's history, Puerto Rican studies, gender and sexuality, and teacher education. She’s currently working on her second book, Genealogies of Empowerment and the Makings of Home: Latina/o Activism at the University of Illinois, 1970–1992, and an oral history project, "De Isla a Chicago: Stories of Puerto Rican Teachers, 1970-1990," that collects oral histories of Puerto Rican educators who were recruited to work in Chicago in the 1970s to serve the needs of a diverse student population.
The Conrad Humanities Scholars Award recognizes promising mid-career scholars and provides financial support for continued achievement, research, and scholarship in the humanities. It is designated for five years and funded by a gift from the late Arlys Conrad, AB, '44, ED.
