Rochester Institute of Technology will host a day of empowering workshops for Latina girls and young women.

¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30 in the RIT Student Alumni Union.

Latinas Unidas and RIT’s K-12 University Center are partnering to present the travelling program on the RIT campus. The event was postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19. Financial support for this year’s rally comes from RIT’s Division of Diversity and Inclusion, Academic Affairs, and Government and Community Relations. Latinas Unidas partners with different educational organizations to host ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina!

The rally will revolve around the theme “La ARTista en Mi/The ARTist in Me” and workshops and activities will focus on creative expression. Girls in elementary school will create murals that celebrate their community, and middle school and high school students will repurpose articles of clothing to create something new in separate workshops focusing on sustainable fashion. Participants will present their work at a showcase at the end of the day.

¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! will feature role models in the community, including:

Madrinas play a special role in Latin culture, said Berlin Bermudez, a longtime Latinas Unidas member and a former RIT staff member. In addition to carrying a symbolic religious role, madrinas are influential in a young person’s life. The significance of naming a madrina as a special keynote speaker for the ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! event is to represent a community member who “provides guidance, support, and is someone to look up to,” Berlin said.

According to Joann Santos, president of Latinas Unidas, “The ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! Rally started two decades ago by Catholic Family Services to empower young women and build pride in the Latin community.” The outreach event focuses on self-esteem and self-care through healthy “decision making, assertiveness, and pride for heritage,” she said.

Girls ages 13 and under must be accompanied by a female adult or guardian at the rally.

Per RIT safety guidelines, all attendees 5 years of age and older (including faculty, staff, students, their families, and campus visitors) must provide proof to their RIT sponsor of COVID-19 vaccination card, or proof of COVID-19 PCR negative test within 72 hours of coming onto campus, or proof of a COVID-19 antigen test on the day of arrival onto campus.

Registration is required for ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! To register and for updates, go to Latinasunidas.org, or, on Facebook–Latinas Unidas or Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina!

For more information, contact Kraig Farrell, RIT K-12 University Center liaison, at kraig.farrell@rit.edu, Raquel Serrano, Latinas Unidas public relations liaison, at rserrano.rcc@gmail.com, or Jeanette Colby, Latinas Unidas committee communication liaison, at jeanette.colby@gmail.com.

First RIT cohort in BS/MD program begins first year at SUNY Upstate Medical University

RIT biomedical sciences program graduates Cameron Shuman and Zach Williams represent the first cohort of students admitted to the State University of New York Upstate Medical University. 

College of Health Sciences and Technology adopts new organizational structure

RIT’s College of Health Sciences and Technology is preparing for significant growth with a new streamlined organizational structure. The move clarifies direct reporting and aligns the college with the university’s model of grouping programs under departments.

RIT students use innovative design through Studio930 to enhance lives

RIT students participated in this summer’s Studio930 design consultancy, an interdisciplinary studio that focuses on the development of assistive healthcare solutions by leveraging the use of technology, art, and design. The 10-week long summer experience concluded with a student exhibition inside RIT’s LiveAbility Lab, a close partnership between RIT and the Al Sigl Community of Agencies. 

RIT Dubai graduate fuses careers in art and engineering  

Khaleej Times profiles RIT graduate Zulfa Rasheed, who is challenging vocational traditions and proving that the worlds of art and engineering can unite in one career path.

One Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623 585-475-2411

Copyright © Rochester Institute of Technology. All Rights Reserved. Land Acknowledgment. Disclaimer. Copyright Infringement. Privacy Statement. Nondiscrimination. Emergency Information.