The bilingual, Latino-centric graduation ceremony held earlier this week at Harvard University celebrated the achievements of Hispanics/Latinos at the school. However, the halls of the elite institution have not always felt welcoming to Latino students.

Julio Ricardo Varela, the Digital Media Director at Futuro Media Group and founder of Latino Rebels, alongside legislative strategist Laura Esquivel, presided as masters of ceremonies at the Harvard Latin@ Graduation Ceremony. Also present was Emmy Award-winning journalist Jorge Ramos, who was not only the keynote speaker but was also present to celebrate his daughter, Paoli.

The event, which included a number of first-generation graduates from various backgrounds, provided an opportunity for Latino graduates to be hailed for their tenacity and dedication at an Ivy League institution where just 13 percent of the students admitted for the undergraduate class of 2018 are Hispanic.

Erika Ontiveros Carlsen, a new graduate from the Divinity School, conceived the idea for the Latino graduation, which included nearly 300 people and 65 students.

Several days prior to the ceremony, Ramos penned a letter to his daughter, voicing pride and sharing applause. In that letter, he remarked, it seems nearly implausible that a daughter of immigrants from Cuba and Mexico was able to attend Harvard. He called her beyond intelligent, his priority, and a "shining example of inclusion and diversity." Ramos also commented on her generation, young people who are eager to change the world; he questions whether she'll be a president or a writer; and he revisited the memories of them sharing conversation over chili-dusted chips and Manchego cheese.

Julio Varela also wrote a letter; rather, the journalist wrote a piece in Latino Rebels, which was written to his alma mater. In his letter, he communicated that he felt like he was finally home 25 years after graduating from a place that never felt like home when he was there. He spoke about the quiet Latino presence at the institution, despite an illustrious history of achievement there. That fact seems to go unnoticed because at Harvard, Latino voices "had been on mute (both imposed and self-imposed) for endless years.

"We were unknowingly encouraged to conform, to get in line and follow the Harvard way. We kept quiet, had some little victories, but have never experienced any full or sustainable impact. Last night at a Science Center lecture hall, a group of Latinos declared that being passive and silent was no longer an option," Varela said.

"We've been here, we've always been here and we will continue to be here. The marginalization we felt would cease. The community we had built on our own without any real institutional input or vision from the University would blossom more than ever. Harvard would have to hear us. It no longer had a choice."

César Chávez's words were printed on the program at the event in English and in Spanish: "We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. ... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own."

Varela makes mention of Chávez's words in his article, and also acknowledged Ramos' speech, which proclaimed, "You cannot be a Latino, graduate from Harvard and have a normal life. No -- I'm sorry to say -- but you can't. There are so many problems in our community and so many things that have to be fixed in our country, we need you for that."

In his piece, Varela captured what alienation at Harvard must feel like, simply by shedding light on the importance of families and friends in the Latino community. For that reason, the graduation ceremony felt very inclusive for many students and the families of students who attended that ceremony. He expressed that he wanted a Harvard where students felt grounded by a support system. He also shared the words of a close friend and fellow alum, Carlos Ulloa, who said, "The entire time you are at Harvard you feel like you are the first Latino to walk on those cobblestone streets.

"I do hope there have been other Latino graduation ceremonies and that in the future, Latino alum are invited to attend."

The Harvard Latino Graduation Ceremony held on Wednesday, May 27 was not the first-ever ceremony to celebrate Latinos attending Harvard. In 1998, a ceremony was held, and Roberto Rodriguez, President Barack Obama's education adviser, was present. The ceremony was bilingual and many wore colorful stoles, like the most recent ceremony. Also like the most recent ceremony, the past event allowed students to communicate to parents why it is they chose an expensive school that's likely far from home.

Related