HWS News
11 March 2026 Bringing Latina Stories to Life
Instructor Alejandra Molina’s course examines the narratives, voices and experiences of Latina women.
Last semester, students in Instructor of Spanish, Latin American, and Bilingual Studies Alejandra Molina’s course “Latina Writing in the U.S.” explored how Latina creators shape cultural narratives across literature, film, art and digital media, examining the intersections of gender, race, migration, language and belonging. Through close analysis of texts and visual culture, Molina says, the class traces a vibrant literary and artistic movement that challenges dominant historical narratives and reclaims space for Latina voices and lived experiences.
Assigned readings included Julia Alvarez’s How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, Erika Sánchez’s I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, and Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street.
The class also included guest lecturers including a visit from visual artist and educator Pamela Araya, whose multidisciplinary practice mirrors many of the course’s core themes. Drawing from her upbringing in Costa Rica and Brooklyn and her experience as a first-generation immigrant, Araya uses figurative art, mixed media and personal narrative to explore identity, colonization and resilience.
During the class, students visited and discussed Araya’s recent exhibition, Avenida Nosara, shown at the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls. Her artwork reflects on land, belonging and Latin American history while inviting dialogue around cultural memory and justice. Students explored concepts of her working process, seeing how personal history, migration and artistic practice intersect beyond the written word.
“Through her work and reflections, students were able to see how issues such as immigration, generational trauma, belonging and the expression of history and identity are not only literary themes, but also deeply present in the work of local artists like Pamela Araya,” says Molina.
Hobart and William Smith celebrates students’ dedication to and excellence in Spanish language and culture through the newly founded Alpha Beta Omega chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society. Sigma Delta Pi promotes the study of Spanish language, literature and culture while encouraging students to deepen their engagement with the Spanish-speaking world.
