Read biographies of the graduate assistants and student staff of Centro Hispano.
Class of 2024
Heritage: Mexican
Mark a junior majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in management and leadership and a minor in Spanish. He is currently serving as Founding President of Latinx Students in Business. He also serves as the lead mentor and Program Assistant for MI CASA. After he graduates, he intends on running a high-volume store in the Raleigh area. His goal is to grow with a company and work at the corporate level.
Class of 2022
Heritage: Mexican
Salma is a senior majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Biology. She was part of MI CASA as a mentee and is currently a MI CASA mentor. Salma served on the elective-board for Centro Hispano Embajadores (CHE) and Minority Association for Pre-Health Students (MAPS). Her goal is to further her career by getting her Ph.D. in Pharmacy. She would also like to achieve her parents' goal of being the first member of her family to graduate from college.
Class of 2025
Heritage: Mexican-Italian
Severo is a Criminology major with a focus on Criminal Justice and a minor in Spanish. He serves as Wall of Fame Assistant at Centro Hispano. He likes to play soccer and spend time outdoors. His goal is to play a part in a reform of the Criminal Justice System. He wants to travel before starting his career and experience the amazing cultures and peoples of the world.
Class of 2026
Heritage: Mexican
Brandt is a Marine Biology major. He is involved with MI CASA, Cine Centro, and the Hispanic/Latinx Student Union (HLSU). He likes to skateboard, hang out with friends, and play soccer in his free time. He wants to be able to work in preserving sea life. After graduation, he hopes to find a job that allows him to do that.
Class of 2025
Heritage: Colombian
Melanie Garces is local to the Wilmington area; she is a sophomore studying Criminology with a concentration in Criminal Justice and a minor in Forensics. This is her second year working at Centro Hispano, her position is currently the Social Media Coordinator. She became a Seahawk as a MI CASA mentee during high school and now she serves as a MI CASA mentor. During her free time, she volunteers at a local middle school and helps Spanish-speaking students with English. She also enjoys watching crime documentaries and reading. After she graduates, she hopes to work as a crime scene investigator or as a correctional counselor to help inmates reintegrate into society after they have served their time.
Class of 2024
Heritage: Mexican
Josue Hernandez is the Office Assistant for Centro Hispano. He is studying to get his B.S. in chemistry with a minor in business. He is a volunteer for MI CASA and for programs outside UNCW, like Camp Schreiber. He is a member of Centro Hispano Embajadores (CHE). He wants to eventually get his masters degree, and later, a doctorate in chemistry. He likes to dance, spend time with friends, play video games and listen to jazz music. He also loves the outdoors, frequently going on walks through the local parks and beaches. He keeps himself busy every day by helping run many businesses, one including a local mechanic shop.
Class of 2022
Heritage: Ovambo
Hilde is receiving her MBA in International Finance and Investment. She volunteers as a Conversation Partner with international students. She also goes to the gym and watches series in her spare time. After graduation, she would like to find a job in her field of study.
Class of 2026
Heritage: Mexican-Guatemalan
Abigail is majoring in Exercise science with a minor in Spanish. During her free time, she volunteers at Wrightsboro Elementary and helps students who are in ESL (English as a Second Language). She likes to go to the beach, spend time with friends, try new things, and read. She plans to get her Master's and become an occupational therapist in the future.
Class of 2025
Heritage: Mexican-American
MJ is a 2nd year majoring in Healthful Living and Fitness Education. MJ currently serves in the NC Army National Guard. She was a part of MI CASA as a mentee and is now the Communications Coordinator of MI CASA at Centro Hispano. Her goal is to be a health specialist for US military service members.
Class of 2026
Heritage: Mexican
Joandy Martinez is a freshman majoring in Business with a concentration in Management and Leadership. He is currently involved as a first-year MI CASA mentor. He is the Tri-House Area Council President and a member of the Dean's Advisory Council. He also holds the position of Newsletter Editor for Centro Hispano. Joandy is a member of Centro Hispano Embajadores (CHE), Latinx Students in Business (LSB) and Alpha Psi Lambda co-ed fraternity. In his free time, he likes to participate in physical activities such as soccer, tennis, or the gym. He does not have a career in mind for the future, but he will be looking for a position where he can be a leader.
Class of 2023
Heritage: Guatemalan
Alexis Mendez is a senior majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She was an Orientation Leader, as well as a Residential Assistant during her first year. She is currently the historian for Ritmo Latino, which is a Latin dance team at UNCW. During her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, being outside, and shopping. After she graduates, she plans to go to medical school to one day become an Ob/Gyn.
Class of 2026
Heritage: Irish-American
Lilli-Anne is a first-year student pursuing a major in Communications, French, and Spanish. She enjoys arts and languages and spends a lot of time pursuing artistic endeavors. She works as the Photographer and Videographer for Centro Hispano. She is the Social Media Coordinator for UNCW’s French Club, and a lead student in the Student Advisory Council. They also enjoy dancing and acting, they are always engaging in all the artistic opportunities UNCW has to offer. Capturing the perfect moment is just one of the many ways she drives her passion for the arts.
Class of 2023
Heritage: Mexican
Tanya is a Social Work student in her Senior year. She is passionate about social justice and promoting cultural diversity in the Wilmington community. She is Vice President of Marketing of Cine Centro and Vice President of Marketing in HLSU (Hispanic-Latinx Student Union). She is also a member of Ritmo Latino, CHE (Centro Hispano Embajadores), ASA (Asian Student Association), MI CASA Mentor/alumni, and SSWO (Student Social Work Organization). She is also a social work intern at GLOW Academy (Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington). In her free time, she loves to express herself creatively through art mediums, spend time in nature, explore her spirituality, and attend dance socials. Her goals are to reconnect with her native roots by revisiting Oaxaca, Mexico and San Luis Potosi, Mexico as well as travel around the world. After graduating, Tanya wants to work with the children and families in the Latinx community to promote advocacy end empowerment.
Class of 2024
Heritage: Mexican
Michael is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science with a concentration in Digital Arts. He is a MI CASA Mentor, a member of Alpha Psi Lambda, and of Centro Hispano Embajadores. He loves to be involved with the Latinx community on campus.
His goal is to become the first in his family to graduate from college and to help the Latinx community pursue a post secondary-education.
Class of 2022
Heritage: Mexican
Daniel is of Mexican descent majoring in Film Studies at the university. In the future, he plans on being a full-time film maker and screenwriter. Daniel currently works as the Photographer and Videographer for Centro Hispano and finds joy in spending time with his friends - outside of capturing moments behind the lens.
Class of 2024
Heritage: Colombian-American
Amaru is majoring in film and a minoring in Latin American studies. After they graduate, they intend to use their degree to further diversify the American film industry through screenwriting and music supervision. They have already started doing so by co-founding Cine Centro at UNCW, to further educate students about diverse films. In addition to working at Centro as Social Media Content Creator, they have also enjoyed being a part of CHE, MI CASA and Ritmo Latino. In their free time they like to drum, draw, and read graphic novels.