Nylla Henriquez Wins CLACLS Undergraduate Research Award
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The Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies (CLACLS) recently announced the winners of its inaugural Undergraduate Research Award, presented through a public poster competition held during Founders Day.
This year’s recipients include public health sciences major Nylla Henriquez, who placed second in the CLACLS Undergraduate Research Award Poster Competition. Henriquez’s project, “Beyond Access: Healthcare/Social Services Challenges and Cultural Resilience in Latinx Oral Histories from Lawrence, MA,” explores how Latinx communities navigate structural barriers in healthcare and social services while also demonstrating resilience. Drawing from oral histories in the Somos Latinos Digital Archive, her research uses qualitative methods and a community cultural wealth framework to highlight both inequities and community strengths.
Henriquez conducted this research under the mentorship of Daniel López-Cevallos, Associate Professor of Community Health Education. She and the other award recipients were formally recognized during La Peña de CLACLS on May 1, 2026.
The competition, which reflects CLACLS’s commitment to supporting interdisciplinary undergraduate research connected to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino communities in the U.S., was organized in two stages. During the first stage, a faculty committee reviewed student research posters and selected eight finalists based on the quality of their work and its connection to the mission of the center. The finalists then presented their research during a public poster session at Bromery Plaza during the Founders Day celebrations, sharing their work with the many people who stopped by the plaza.
The eight finalists represented four different schools and colleges across UMass Amherst, reflecting CLACLS’s ongoing efforts to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and create spaces where research can connect across fields and communities.