Alicia Dominguez

Alicia Dominguez grew up in a small, rural town called Ojo Caliente in northern New Mexico. Despite resources and opportunities being limited, Alicia was always an eager student and took advantage of different opportunities to get involved and broaden her horizons. Her academic trajectory took a transformative turn during her senior year of high school when she was awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship. This scholarship not only opened the doors to higher education but also marked a significant milestone as Alicia became the first person in her family to attend college.

Alicia encountered several difficulties during her undergraduate studies but didn’t let adversity keep her from ultimately earning a B.S. in Mathematics and B.S. in Statistics from the University of New Mexico in December 2017. During her undergraduate years, Alicia was actively involved with CAMP, both as a student (2013-2014) and as a peer mentor (2014-2016). She is forever grateful for the invaluable support she received from programs like CAMP and El Centro de la Raza. These programs provided a supportive and nurturing environment that allowed her to flourish academically and navigate the challenges of higher education. With the unwavering support of her network and family, she was empowered to push herself academically and prepare for the next chapter of her educational journey.

Alicia’s preparation for graduate school included participating in various undergraduate research opportunities. She conducted research as an undergraduate student with the El Puente Research Fellows Program and embarked on summer internships at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. After graduation, Alicia worked full-time at LANL for eight months before she pursued further studies at the University of Michigan in 2018.

In 2020, Alicia earned her M.S. in Biostatistics and is on track to complete her Ph.D. this year. Alicia’s research interests are centered around statistical genetics and genomics, with a particular focus on population genetics and statistical methodology/applications for underrepresented populations. Her passion for making a meaningful impact in her field drives her to contribute to the understanding and advancement of statistical methods in genetics.

Dominguez hopes sharing her story with conference attendees showcases the power of resilience, dedication, and a supportive community in overcoming barriers and achieving academic success.

Salvador “Chava” Chavez

Salvador (Chava) Chavez, is the Associate Director of the National Migrant Scholars Internship (NMSI) Initiative. NMSI supports internship opportunities for College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) Scholars nationwide. The program’s primary objective is to ensure that universities and colleges that serve students with migrant and seasonal farmworker backgrounds receive the necessary support to secure internships.

Chava has over ten years of experience providing employment and training services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers during his term at Telamon Corporation – Workforce & Career Services. Born in Guanajuato, Mexico, he migrated seasonally to Ottawa County, Michigan as a child. His family has always embraced the migrant farmworker lifestyle, and both his parents have worked for over 40 years in nurseries in Michigan.

Salvador is a first-generation college student from immigrant parents and a College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) alumnus of Michigan State University (MSU). He has personal experience of the unique challenges faced by first-generation students. His mission is to provide all NMSI participants with an experiential learning opportunity and simultaneously offer valuable internships to all partner employers.