About “El Centro”
South Carolina Centro Latino—“El Centro”—bridges cultures across our state. Guided by three pillars—Latino interdisciplinary public scholarship, civic leadership & mentoring, and the public humanities—we create institutional space for community building, wellness, and opportunity. Our multilingual public humanities series features voices from public history, oral and cultural traditions, the arts, languages and literature, poetry, philosophy, translation and interpreting, music, and community theater. We connect students in all majors with emerging scholars, artists, and civic and industry leaders through public-facing events through the El Centro Public Scholars Program.
We invite you to explore the El Centro Scholar Commons, a growing archive of co-authored publications and co-authored newsletters with students, and please follow us on social media for weekly updates.
Mission
El Centro brings visibility to Latino interdisciplinary public scholarship and authentic community outreach—growing recruitment, mentoring, and civic leadership—and, through the public humanities, prepares our communities for success in the interconnected and multilingual local and global workforce.
Vision Statement
El Centro is nationally and internationally recognized for its collaborative, community-rooted, cultural, and linguistic approach that elevates Latino interdisciplinary public scholarship, strengthens civic leadership and mentoring, and advances the multilingual public humanities across higher education and civic life.
South Carolina Centro Latino Initiatives
- Connect students with civic leaders, artists, scholars, and mentors through El Centro’s Speaker Series.
- Offer the El Centro Public Scholars Program to students of all majors.
- Celebrate graduates each semester with La Fiesta for El Centro Public Scholars.
- Teach four interdisciplinary courses designed to deepen community and industry connections.
- Provide paid marketing internships and volunteer roles at recruitment events and career fairs for students across majors.
- Award competitive study abroad micro-grants to El Centro Public Scholars.
- Fund annual El Centro Public Scholarships supported by the Swift Family Endowment.
- Build on the legacy of UnidosUS Líderes Avanzando Through College.
- Advance interdisciplinary, multilingual public humanities scholarship.
- Co-host interdisciplinary conferences on the local and global impacts of migration.
- Support public-facing work—podcasts, interactive lectures, and projects in English and other languages.
- Engage families in English, Spanish, and additional languages at admissions recruitment events and community resource fairs.
- Co-host the 37th Annual Carolina Association of Translators & Interpreters Conference.
- Co-host with the Latino Faculty Caucus at USC Columbia the “Advancing the Higher Education Pathway in the Southeast for Hispanic and Latino” Summit.
- Collaborate with nonprofits, schools, and higher-education partners—locally, nationally, and transnationally—across sectors including business and public health.
Support South Carolina Centro Latino:
Fall 2025 Events
See El Centro Linktr.ee, Instagram or website for latest updates, added virtual events links, and other types of engagement such as recruitment on and off-campus.
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Monday, August 18
Community & Student Engagement Meet & Greet
Stop by El Centro’s table from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. in the Campus Life Center (CLC) Patio & Surrounding Areas.
Monday, August 27
Premier Fair
Stop by El Centro’s table from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Campus Life Center (CLC) Patio & Surrounding Areas.
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Wednesday, September 3
A Conversation with Artists with Third Terrain
Join artists for a discussion exploring the transformative role of the arts in fostering community care and resilience. This conversation brings together artists Federico Cuatlacuatl, Emilio Rojas, and Kiley Brandt to share insights on how their creative practices engage issues of migration, identity, and ancestral knowledge.
Moderated by Michael Webster (Wofford College) 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m., in Room 117 in the CASB.
This Hispanic Heritage Month event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program. Refreshments will be served. Open to the public.
This event is presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Third Terrain” at the Richardson Family Art Museum at Wofford College, Spartanburg, and the art gallery Tiger Strikes Asteroid in Greenville. We invite you to attend the accompanying exhibition events:
“Third Terrain – Act I” exhibition reception and panel discussion, 5:00 PM, September 11, 2025 at the Rosalind S. Richardson Center for the Arts at Wofford College.
“Third Terrain – Act II” exhibition reception, 6:00 – 9:00 PM, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Greenville, SC.
Thursday, September 4
On-Campus Job Fair
Stop by El Centro’s table from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the Health Education Complex (HEC) Lobby/Avenue.
Wednesday, September 10
Engaging Communities in Conservation Through Culture and Stewardship
Join panelists for an important dialogue in celebration of Latino Conservancy Week. Michael Brown, Executive Director of Sustaining Way, Fernanda Rabago, Sustaining Way Operations Manager, and Dr. Marlon A. Smith, Center for Africana & African American Studies & Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m., in Room 117 in the CASB.
This Hispanic Heritage Month event will count for El Centro Public Scholars Program. Refreshments will be served. Open to the public.
Tuesday, September 16
National Voter Registration Day
Stop by El Centro’s table from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in front of HPAC.
Tuesday, September 17
College Majors Fair
Stop by El Centro’s table from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. URC.
Friday, September 19
Interactive Artist Talk (in English) with artist Luis Alvaro Sahagún Nuño
Meet artist and healer Luis A. Sahagún whose work will be exhibited at the Upstate Gallery in the Chapman Cultural Center. 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m., in Room 150 (BMW Classroom) at the George Dean Johnson College of Business and Economics (JCBE), 160 East St. John Street, Spartanburg, 29302. Co-sponsored with Prof. Brian Brady, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at JCBE. Volverse a Volar: A Lecture Limpia is an experimental interactive ritual and performance charged with the vibrant sounds and spirit of the mercado, the chatter of the merolico, the clatter of kitchen blenders, rattles, conch shells, buffalo drums, and the hum of telenovelas leaking through the walls, all looped and layered live.
This Hispanic Heritage Month event counts for El Centro Public Scholars Program. Refreshments served. Open to the public.
Friday, September 22
LASO International Festival
Stop by El Centro’s table from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lower Quad
Tuesday, September 30
International Translators Day
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October 6-10, 2025
National Voter Education Week
Wednesday, October 8
Hispanics in the US
El Centro’s Director is a guest speaker in Dr. Angélica Lozano-Alonso’s Spanish class at Furman University.
Saturday, October 11
El Centro’s Director is a guest seminar speaker, alongside Dr. Frank Rodriguez, South Carolina 2025 Superintendent of the Year serving Beaufort County School District.
Tuesday, October 14
SCW Career Fair
Stop by El Centro’s table from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the Campus Life Center (CLC) Ballroom.
Wednesday, October 15
SMC Women’s Symposium
El Centro’s Director is a guest speaker at Spartanburg Methodist College.
Wednesday, October 15
Hispanic Heritage Night Celebration
Stop by El Centro’s table from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Lone Oak Elementary School.
Monday, October 27
Trunk or Treat 2025
Stop by El Centro’s trunk from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at G.B. Hodge Center Parking Lot.
Wednesday, October 29:
Virtual Webinar on Education Opportunities Through El Centro (in Spanish), hosted by the Mexican Consulate
Co-presenters: El Centro’s Director and Valeria Pérez-Espinosa-de-los-Monteros (El Centro Marketing Intern),10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 8th Binational Education Week on “Mobility with Inclusion, Building Peace.” Recording.
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November 3-9
First Generation College Student Celebration
Events can fall anytime in November and be listed on the event calendar. Contact Buck C. Cooke ([email protected]), Associate Director of Student Involvement for Community and Student Engagement.
Tuesday, November 4
SHPE Equipando Padres Bilingual Engagement Fair
Stop by El Centro’s table from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. University Center of Greenville. Invited by Clemson University SHPE Engineering Students.
Wednesday, November 5
Honoring Our Voices Through Digital Storytelling
As we celebrate the Day of the Dead / Día de los Muertos and other holidays, join El Centro to explore your written and visual creativity! Explore digital storytelling tools to narrate and archive cultural traditions. Participate in a Storytelling Circle! Tasha Thomas, the Director of First-Year Writing, offers a free workshop open to students in all majors. This event counts for the El Centro Public Scholars Program.
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m., in room 309 in the College Life Center (CLC).
Wednesday, November 12
On Digital Access and Wellness
Melissa Anne Cunningham-Sereque, Kennesaw State University doctoral candidate and industry leader, presents her research in the course, Latino Cultural Outreach and Wellness, on digital access and its relationship to the social determinants of health. This event counts for the El Centro Public Scholars Program.
2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m., in room 238 in the library.
Saturday, November 15
Spartan Saturday
Stop by El Centro’s table from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Olin B. Sansbury Jr. Campus Life Center
Wednesday, November 19
On Leadership, Cultural Outreach, and Wellness
Antonio Tanner, the Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Spartanburg, speaks with students at USC Upstate about using all their talents in the mental health field. Antonio Tanner talks about bilingual administration, programming, and outreach. This event counts for the El Centro Public Scholars Program.
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., in room 238 in the library.
Thursday, November 20
Amigos de Chaser at Spartanburg Community College Meeting
El Centro’s Director is a guest speaker in the new student organization led by Roxy Arias.
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
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Wednesday, December 3
Celebrating Graduating El Centro Public Scholars
Join us and Avanzando from 2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. in the University Resource Center (URC). Fernando Soto, a bilingual journalist, entrepreneur, and mentor, will serve as our keynote speaker. Fernando is Head of Latino Marketing & Community Relations at George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers.
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Avanzando Through College 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 pm, LIB by RSVP
Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 23, Nov. 6, Nov. 20, and Dec. 3 at 2:00 p.m., URC
Leadership
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Araceli Hernández-Laroche, PhD
Director, South Carolina Centro Latino
864-503-5221 | [email protected] | LinkedinAraceli Hernández-Laroche (PhD, UC Berkeley) is Professor of Modern Languages at USC Upstate and the founding director of South Carolina Centro Latino (El Centro), whose pillars are Latinx Interdisciplinary Studies, Civic Leadership, and the multilingual Public Humanities. A speaker of four languages, she has published widely, including work with Cambridge University Press and on the co-edited PMLA Special Topics issue, “The Theories and Methodologies of Public Humanities.” She has served as co-president of the Association of Departments of Languages Executive Committee and on the Modern Language Association Ad Hoc Committee on Valuing the Public Humanities. Her recognitions include the 2023 Akers Prize from South Carolina Humanities for using culture and history to bring people together, as well as South Carolina Career Woman of the Year (2020), Woman of Influence (2024), Advocate of the Year (2024), and inclusion among the Top 12 Most Influential Women in the Southeast. A graduate of leadership programs through AASCU and the Spartanburg County Foundation’s Grassroots Leadership Development Institute, she serves on boards including the Spartanburg Academic Movement, the ACLU of South Carolina, South Carolina Humanities, the LGBT Fund of Spartanburg Grants Advisory Committee, and IME Becas through the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh.
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