January 2022
¡Saludos! We hope you have had a nice fall season and enjoyed some quality time to rest and gather safely during the holiday season! As we begin another calendar year, and a particularly important one for the Bolívar Network as we are celebrating our 25th anniversary, we wanted to share some of our significant work from this past quarter to bring the Bolívar Network together for celebration, community, and connection. We look forward to facilitating new opportunities for reconnection and growth in the new year!
The Bolívar Network’s 2021 Awards Brunch
On Saturday, December 4, 2021, the Bolívar Network held its annual virtual Awards Brunch where we honored the recipients of the annual Book Scholarship Award, the annual Pablo J. Davis Award, and the inaugural First-Year Scholarship! It was a great morning where we got to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of individuals in our community.
The Bolívar Network is excited to announce that this year, three Latinx students received the Bolívar Network Book Scholarship for the 2021-2022 cycle. Congratulations to Brianna Guevara, Class of 2024; Jaime Trejo-Angeles, Class of 2023; and Juan Zazueta, Class of 2022.
The 2021 Recipient of the Pablo J. Davis Award is Fanny Smedile! Fanny is from Columbe, Ecuador, and is the Board President of Sin Barreras. Since moving to Virginia in 2000, she has played an active role advocating for the Hispanic and Latinx community in the region, even going on to found Creciendo Juntos and Sin Barreras. Her objective is to bring needed services to members of the Hispanic community and to reach out to those who are most vulnerable.
We strongly encourage everyone to consider volunteering or donating to Sin Barreras, as they do incredible work for the Hispanic/Latino community in Charlottesville.
The Bolívar Network is also pleased to announce the inaugural recipient of the First-Year Scholarship, Kiara Barrientos, Class of 2025. Kiara recently began her first year at the University of Virginia this fall.
Thank you to all of those who were able to attend this event and honor these five awardees. If you were not able to make it and would like a recording of the event,
please email us at TheBolivarNetwork@gmail.com or read the recap on our website.
September 2021 Envision Article
Take a look at the September 2021 Envision edition from UVA’s Office of Advancement and learn more about our recently-inaugurated First-Year Scholarship as well as the work of the Bolívar Network and its leaders.
Amplify Feature
Have you checked out the inaugural edition of Amplify ( above, right), a publication from the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Virginia? Check out pages 27-29 for a feature on our First-Year Scholarship and page 30 for an alumni spotlight on Gina M. Flores Stumpf (’00).
Alumni Spotlight
#AlumniSpotlight We caught up with Paola Sánchez Valdez (’18) to hear about her work on the recently published book Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Dr. Brené Brown, in community activism, and graduate school. As a Postgraduate Researcher for the Brené Brown Education and Research Group, Sánchez Valdez works on developing a strategy to bring Dare to Lead, a training to develop brave leaders, to first generation college students. Since her time at UVA, Sánchez Valdez has let one mission guide her: to inform, help heal, empower and advocate for her communities. Read more about her work here.
Support the Bolívar Network
Through generations of alumni giving and collaboration with Alumni Hall, we have sustained our Annual Book Scholarship, generated programming funds for our Leadership Fund, and recently recently inaugurated our First-Year Scholarship. Over the next few weeks, we aim to raise $5,000 by year’s end to contribute to our various scholarship funds. Please support us in reaching our goal! Thank you for your generosity!
Bolívar Network / Peer Mentoring Program (PMP) Speed Network & Mentoring Session
Thank you to everyone who came out to our Speed Mentoring & Network Session in partnership with Multicultural Student Services on November 6 from 1-3pm at the Latinx Student Center (LSC)! It was great to see alumni and undergraduate students get together both in person and virtually as alumni answered industry-specific questions. Check back for more events like this one as the Network builds out its mentorship arm for undergraduate Latinx students.
Bolívar Network / Latin American Identities Coalition YAR Mixer
On October 16, 2021 we hosted a Bolívar Network / Latin American Identities Coalition (LAIC) Young Alumni Reunions (YAR) Mixer at the Latinx Student Center (LSC). Latinx alumni and current students were able to network, eat, and socialize at our first in-person event since 2019!
Alumni Engagement Survey
The Bolívar Network is continuing to work in strengthening UVA Hispanic/Latinx alumni engagement in ways that acknowledge our presence in the legacy of the University, celebrate our community, and inspire current students to succeed. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey as we continue to plan activities for the Bolívar Network!
Do you have a new address to update or news to share? Are you an alum or parent who is new to UVA Alumni Interest Groups? Update Your Contact Information!
Job Opportunities
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Hiring Webinar for Students and Alumni of Hispanic and/or Latine Serving Institutions | Thursday, January 27th | 3:00pm EST
Is your company hiring or do you have a job posting that you would like to include in our newsletters and social media?
Email us at TheBolivarNetwork@gmail.com.