Founded in 1992, the Research Center for the Americas (RCA) at the University of California, Santa Cruz advances interdisciplinary research on Latin America and Chicanx/Latinx Studies through the lens of migration, the arts, indigeneity, and California’s Latino and immigrant communities.
For the past three years, the RCA has partnered with the MAH to award three scholarships and showcase students’ creativity through an annual photography contest. Open to all UCSC students, the winners are chosen by a selection committee representing UC Santa Cruz, the MAH, and members of the local community.
While we wish we could have debuted these photographs inside the museum as they were intended, we're thrilled to announce this year's scholarship winners are Michael Lara, Carolyn Mock, and Vanessa Alarcon.
Their winning photographs best represent the theme of “Chosen Family” and capture images of ancestors and friendships, the intimate beauty of new families, and the wonders of nature.
A Note from the RCA
The success of the photo contest has only been possible because of the meaningful partnership between the RCA and the MAH to support students. Organizing the photo contest has given the RCA a new avenue to support students’ artwork and now we get to introduce these stunning photos to a larger audience.