As the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread throughout Latin America and the Caribbean in late spring of 2020, the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University began to follow and evaluate the impact and responses to the pandemic in all countries as well as in six European territories in the region by the public and private sectors, civil society, as well as international and regional organizations. The project came to end in April of 2022.
LACCOM is the result of the work of 32 students (19 undergraduates and 13 graduates) affiliated with the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) who, since the summer of 2020 and until April of 2022, and under the supervision of CLAS’ Director of Academic Affairs, Prof. Angelo Rivero Santos, collected, systematically organized and analyzed data and information under the three rubrics detailed in the map. These rubrics are the core of the Master of Arts and the minor in Latin American Studies in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. We hope that the historical analysis and resources produced and collected serve as an important educational tool for students, researchers, and policy makers around the world interested in the impact and responses to the pandemic in the Latin America and Caribbean region during the period in question.
Both versions of LACCOM, English and Spanish, were updated throughout the duration of the project to reflect the evolution of what was without doubt the most serious public health crisis that has impacted the region in generations.
Meet the Fall 2020 Team:
Julia Benbenek
Contributor
Julia is a junior in the Georgetown Walsh School of Foreign Services majoring in international politics with a concentration in international law and minor in Spanish. She is spending the semester in Park Ridge, a northern suburb of Chicago, where she was born and raised. Julia hopes to pursue a career in international law, so she is applying to law schools this cycle. Outside of her studies, Julia is a member of the Mock Trial team, competes with Club Tennis and serves on its board, and enjoys playing piano and violin. Find Julia on LinkedIn.
Daniela Braniff
Contributor
Daniela is a senior at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, studying International Politics and Security Studies. Daniela is passionate about human rights and democracy studies in Latin America as she is originally from Mexico. Apart from her academics, she is the President of the Georgetown University Triathlon club and a member of the Latin American Students Association. She has previously worked as a communications assistant at the Public Religion Research Institute and as a marketing associate at the Carta Institute. Find Daniela on LinkedIn.
Alexander Cordovés
Spanish Editor, Contributor, Web Designer
Alexander is a third-year student in the School of Foreign Service with a concentration in International Politics and pursuing a minor in Latin American Studies. Originally from Caguas, Puerto Rico, Alexander is the founder and Executive Director of ‘Sin Límites,’ a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing school materials to low-income students and assisting underprivileged communities in disaster recovery. Find Alexander on LinkedIn.
Maria José Flores
Contributor and Translator
I’m from Argentina, where I obtained my Law degree and then lived in Brazil for three years, where I gained my LL.M. degree, defending my thesis on Public Contemporary Law and Human Rights. I’m currently concentrating on the intersection of law and politics, with interest in their contribution to, and the determinants of, development. During the atypical summer of 2020, two experiences helped me to put those interests into practice: a public interest internship at ABA-ROLI, and the work in progress for the upcoming international event of The Economy of Francesco. In the master’s program for Latin American Studies, the interests above coalesced in the concentration area of Governance and Leadership. Find Maria José on LinkedIn.
Sydney Gilbert
Contributor
Sydney is a sophomore in the Walsh School of Foreign Service studying Business and Global Affairs with minors in Latin American Studies and Economics. She hopes to focus her studies on the intersection of public and commercial interests in Latin America. Outside of the classroom, Sydney serves in the officer corp of the Philodemic Society and as a leader for the ESCAPE retreat. She currently works as a coordinator with the After School Kids program at the Center for Social Justice. Find Sydney on LinkedIn.
Alexis Gorfine
Contributor and Content Editor
Alexis is a junior in the Walsh School of Foreign Service majoring in International Politics and minoring in Latin American Studies. Her interests include human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Latin America. Outside of her studies, Alexis is on the leadership team of the Georgetown Independent, Georgetown’s art and culture magazine. Prior to Georgetown, she volunteered with the Guatemalan-Maya Center in her hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida. Find Alexis on LinkedIn.
George Hames
Contributor and Web Designer
George is a second-year student in the Latin American Studies program with a concentration in Governance and Leadership. Originally from London, George graduated from Oxford University with a degree in French and Spanish in 2018, specialising in twentieth-century Spanish American fiction. He also spent a year at Sciences Po Paris studying Political Science and International Relations. Before Georgetown, he worked in Paris as the Debate and Public Speaking Coach at the École de Guerre (French War College), teaching France’s brightest military officers the skills of persuasion and academic writing in preparation for their future careers in strategic command. Find George on LinkedIn.
Allecia Jones
Contributor
Allecia is a student in the Latin American Studies masters program at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s in International Area Studies. Allecia worked and studied in Mexico and in Brazil. In Brazil she worked with the Alzira institute to support women in politics. Allecia also participated in the U.S. Department of State’s Internship program in U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In 2018 Allecia was selected as a Charles B. Rangel Fellow. She is interested in studying the impact of Coronavirus on Latin America’s political economy. Find Allecia on LinkedIn.
Carolina Marin
Contributor and Translator
Carolina is a second-year graduate student in the Latin American Studies program with a concentration in Governance and Leadership. She has a special interest in corruption, the rule of law and youth movements in Latin America and the Caribbean. Originally from Colombia, Carolina graduated from the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá with a degree in International Relations, and an emphasis in Society and Latin American politics. Before starting her graduate studies at Georgetown, Carolina worked for the private and diplomatic sector as a Latin American market researcher.
Chelsea Meiners
Contributor
Chelsea is a first-year student in the Master of Arts in Latin American Studies program concentrating in Governance and Leadership. Originally from Illinois, she attended Vanderbilt University where she earned a B.S. as a double major in Human & Organizational Development and Spanish. During her undergraduate career she studied and worked in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prior to arriving at Georgetown, Chelsea was a Spanish teacher in the International Baccalaureate Programme at high schools in Nashville and Chicago. While teaching she created an original comprehensive curriculum and took her students on trips to Costa Rica and Spain.
Meredith Miller
Contributor
Meredith is a junior in the School of Foreign Service studying Culture and Politics, with a concentration in Media and International Affairs. She is also minoring in Journalism and pursuing a certificate in Latin American Studies. Besides working on LACCOM, Meredith works in political fundraising with candidates around her home state of Maryland. She is particularly interested in the use of media strategy in activist organizations and hopes to spend her career advocating for the preservation of press freedom around the world. Find Meredith on LinkedIn.
Madeleine O’Hara
Contributor
Maddy is a junior in the School of Foreign Service, studying Science, Technology and International Affairs with a minor in Economics. On campus, she is the Director of the Georgetown University Farmers’ Market and works at the Midnight Mug in Lauinger Library. Before matriculating at Georgetown, she took a gap year and lived in Latin America for three months, which led to her interest in the region. Find Madeleine on LinkedIn.
Daniella Passariello
Contributor
Daniella is a sophomore in the Walsh School of Foreign Service majoring in Business and Global Affairs. She is originally from Caracas, Venezuela and moved to Miami, FL in 2010. Daniella is passionate about helping others and becoming a global leader in her community. She is the Philanthropy Chair for the organization Venezuelan Perspectives on campus and a donation organizer for a foundation helping elementary school students in Cumaná, Venezuela. Outside of academic endeavors, Daniella enjoys playing clarinet for the Georgetown University Orchestra and providing English language tutoring to students with immigrant backgrounds in Washington, DC. Find Daniella on LinkedIn.
Marguerite Saunders
Contributor
Marguerite is a second-year undergraduate student in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she studies International Economics with a minor in Latin American Studies. Her academic interests include international development, statelessness, and poverty and inequality. She currently works in political organizing, and previously served as a Department of State U.S. Youth Ambassador to the Dominican Republic and worked on a project focusing on expanding access to journalism education in Washington, DC. Find Marguerite on LinkedIn.
Valeria Villarreal Martinez
Contributor and Translator
Valeria is a second-year student in the Walsh School of Foreign Service with a concentration in Regional and Comparative Studies and pursuing a minor in French. Her interests include Latin American history and languages. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Valeria is the Training and Global Partnerships Director of Project Olas, a social impact venture that provides women in vulnerable Central American communities with sustainable income opportunities through Spanish teaching. Prior to Georgetown, she participated as Business Ambassador in the APEC “One World, One Classroom” Program.
Silvia Zelaya Jovel
Contributor
Silvia is a first-year student in the Master of Arts in Latin American Studies program with a concentration in Governance and Leadership. Originally from El Salvador, Silvia was raised in Los Angeles, California and graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics. Before starting her graduate studies at Georgetown, Silvia interned for organizations like the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, focusing on research on Nicaragua, and at the Center for Justice and International Law. Find Silvia on LinkedIn.
Xueru Zhang
Contributor
Xueru is a second-year student in the Latin American Studies Master’s program with a concentration in Political Economy. Originally from Beijing, China, Xueru graduated with a degree in Spanish from the University of International Business and Economics, with a minor in International Economics and Trade. She also spent a semester at the Universitat de Valencia, school of economics. Before coming to Georgetown, Xueru completed an internship as a translator at the China Import and Export Fair, one of the largest exhibitions in Asia. She also worked as an international volunteer in Sri Lanka helping to improve grassroots education curriculums. After graduation, Xueru plans to continue pursuing improving women’s economic and employment policy issues in an NGO setting.
