Carmen Orozco Khan transferred to UL LafayetteСAPPs Spanish program to dig deeper into her roots.
СAPPI started taking Spanish classes at South Louisiana Community College and wanted to advance in Spanish language and culture,СAPP she said. СAPPThis drove my passion to learn more about my Colombian culture.СAPP
While at UL Lafayette, Carmen discovered many things about herself, from her favorite book to her call to activism.
СAPPMy favorite class was Topics in Hispanic Culture (SPAN 451G) with Dr. Leslie Bary,СAPP she said. СAPPWe focused on race and nationalism in Latin America.
СAPPIn this class, I found my favorite book, СAPPLa Raza CósmicaСAPP by the Mexican philosopher José Vasconcelos,СAPP she said. СAPPThis essay predicted this new age of a fully mixed race and why mestizaje persists in our modern times.
СAPPThis class also demonstrated the continuous challenges of racism in Latin America and how people identify themselves with national identity,СAPP she said. СAPPIt opened my awareness to how we view ourselves holistically.СAPP
Carmen was an active student on campus. She was vice president of both and the . She worked on special projects and she attended guest speaker events.
СAPPMy favorite guest speaker was John Smihula who directed the documentary СAPPHidden in Plain Sight,СAPPСAPP she said. СAPPThis event sparked my interest in activism for human rights.СAPP
Because of Carmen, СAPPHidden in Plain SightСAPP is available for all students to watch. She worked to put together the housed at the .
All of these experiences Carmen had at UL Lafayette led her to a 10-year career at Apple Inc., where she now serves as a project manager. She focuses on optimizing the supply chain in the Americas.
СAPPMy experience at UL Lafayette has helped me apply my Spanish skills within a global company,СAPP she said. СAPPAlso, the literature classes highlighted my innovation skills.
СAPPThinking outside the box is important to apply in any career,СAPP she said. СAPPThe creative perspective I gained from these classes is something I apply to projects I manage today at Apple.СAPP
