This Q&A is part of the story series Voices of Drake that highlights the diversity, ambition, and passion of the incredible people that make up our campus community. This week’s story is designed to celebrate and shine light on Latinx Heritage Month, Sept. 15–Oct. 15. It spotlights Leah Huizar, assistant professor of English.

Tell us about yourself.
I am a Mexican-American poet and writer originally from Southern California. Growing up, I was fortunate to be raised around a large family composed of not only my sisters and parents but also an extensive extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I love the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean and the great forests of my home state. Since moving away, I have lived on the East Coast, in the South, and now the Midwest. 

Tell us about your education. Where did you go to school and what did you study?
As an undergraduate, I was a double major in English and psychology. I also minored in biblical studies. Though I didn’t know it at the time, looking back, I see how these fields spoke to my longstanding interests in the forces that influence and regulate our lives. As an English major, my most transformative classes were on literary and critical theory. It was there that I first began to understand the ways in which systems and structures operate all around us—and how, through language and engagement, we can respond to them. After college, I went to Penn State for graduate school where I received my MFA.

How has your cultural heritage influenced the person are today/your views of the world/or your field of work?
As a poet, I most often write from the intersections of the personal and historic. What this has meant for me is that my Mexican-American identity shapes and motivates many of the kinds of questions I examine in my writing.

What creative projects are you working on right now or what have you been working on recently? What drew or draws you to this project?
My first book of poems was recently published by Noemi Press. It’s called Inland Empire and draws on the cultural and historic landscapes of the West Coast and the ways in which colonization, faith, and gendered injustices have shaped it. My current writing project takes on similar questions through an exploration of communication circuits. How do we make and share our voices? How are these obscured or suppressed in our wider culture?   

What kinds of courses do you teach? How do your courses connect to your writing life or fit within your broader academic vocation?
I teach poetry writing courses in the English department. I also have taught or will teach the Writing Seminar, US Latinx Literature, First Year Seminar, and Intro Women and Gender Studies. To me, each course is an opportunity to ask big questions of writing, of gender, and of ethnicity with really smart student scholars.

How do you hope students come to look at the world differently as a result of their work in your courses?
At every course level, and whether literature or poetry, my courses examine how we craft the world through language. Language is always high stakes and consequential. So, our ability to effectively, authentically, and persuasively use it is a dynamic kind of power to carry into the world. This is what we do as writers.

How long have you been at Drake? What is your favorite thing about working at Drake so far?
This is my second year at Drake! Among the many joys of working here, I am most impressed with Drake students. There are few things as wonderful as working with students who want to learn and are willing to stretch themselves intellectually.

What is your favorite thing about the Drake neighborhood?
I have really enjoyed visiting Mars Cafe for coffee and Lzaza Indo-Pak Cuisine for the chai tea served with lunch.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life and what lessons did that person teach you?
I’ve been fortunate to have had many brilliant women as mentors in my life. One influence has been my grandmother. She sees everything—an observer—and this is a central skill for a writer.

How do you like to spend your free-time? Tell us about your hobbies and interests.
Creativity is an important part of my life. In recent years, I’ve worked on bookmaking and letterpress printing. I collect antique printing presses which are big cast iron machines that work with metal or wood type. In the past, I’ve printed posters, booklets, and a chapbook of bilingual short stories.

This year is a year like no other. What advice would you like to give to a first-year student at Drake?
No doubt this year is challenging and yet I see students adapting and responding with hope and endurance. On a large scale, I see students rejecting injustice, inequity, and racism and defining the kinds of future they will accept from culture. It may be that students ought to advise the rest of us. If pressed, however, I would say please don’t hesitate to reach out to your professors when you need assistance. We want you to thrive!

This Q&A is part of a new story series—Voices of Drake—that highlights the diversity, ambition, and passion of the incredible people that make up our campus community. This first story in the series is designed to celebrate and shine light on Latinx Heritage Month, Sept. 15–Oct. 15, and spotlight Angelica Reyes, president of La Fuerza Latina.

Tell us about yourself.
I am a senior at Drake double majoring in international relations and digital media productions. I’m also a first-generation college student. I grew up in the Des Moines area. I enjoy traveling a lot, bike riding, photography, hiking, and sometimes cooking.

What is La Fuerza Latina, and how did you get involved?
La Fuerza Latina is a Latinx organization created to provide community and a safe space for Latinx students on Drake’s campus. I became involved with LFL my sophomore year. I found it to be the one group on campus that made me feel welcome and at home.

What has La Fuerza Latina meant to you during your time at Drake? 
LFL has meant a lot to me these past few years because as an individual, this organization has helped me to learn more about myself and embrace my Latinx roots. The organization has also provided me with so many opportunities that have connected me with people from all over the U.S. Overall, LFL has become a big part of my college experience.

What does a robust and active La Fuerza Latina mean to the Drake community?
A robust and active LFL means several things. For one, having a multicultural organization like LFL within the campus community means having a place at the table. In other words, we are recognized, seen, and heard. Not only that, but we are showing and providing individuals with spaces in which they can see themselves and thrive in.

How, if at all, does your role as president of LFL connect with your studies at Drake or your future career plans?
Being president of LFL isn’t the easiest task, but the connections I make and the people I meet are what makes it worth it. I’ve learned many leadership skills and have developed strong connections with local and national organizations. Having had these kinds of opportunities has helped me to see where I want to be in my career. I enjoy meeting people who are working to make a difference in their community, and it’s so cool to learn their stories and why they do what they do.

What are you excited about for the future of La Fuerza Latina or the Drake community more broadly?

I am excited to see the organization grow. These past few years we’ve really worked to build a solid foundation for LFL and I feel like our Latinx community is slowly but steadily growing on Drake’s campus. During my term as president, we’ve worked to create several partnerships with businesses, organizations, and schools as way of supporting our own community. I hope that LFL continues to work and empower our younger people to pursue higher education.

Who have been some of your important mentors during your time at Drake?
One person that comes to mind is Kenia Calderon, an LFL and Drake alumna. I remember meeting her when I visited Drake for a college fair event. At the time, I was a senior in high school and unsure of whether I wanted to go to college. During the fair, I had the opportunity to sit down with her and learn more about Drake and LFL. Since then, she’s played a major role in my life as a role model and friend. The biggest lessons Kenia has taught me is to never give up and believe in something worth fighting for.

What would you like the broader Drake community to know about LFL?
I would like the broader community to know that LFL is more than a student organization. We have an array of talented students who are always working to help their Latinx community.

This year is a year like no other. What advice would you like to give to a first-year student at Drake?
As a first-gen college student, I would tell first-year students that it’s okay to be unsure of where you are now. You may have a lot of people counting on you to be the first to break barriers but understand that mistakes will be made, and that’s okay. Trust me, we weren’t built to be perfect, but we were never taught to give up. You’ve made it this far, and that’s something to celebrate. You’re conquering systems that were never created equal. Just remember you are capable, don’t let others convince you otherwise.