Centroamérica en Ascenso Fellowship
University of Florida (UF)

Fellowship Description:

Fellows participating in non-degree customized fellowship programs at University of Florida will be hosted by the Center for Latin American Studies. Fellows may pursue individual research using university resources such as the Latin American Collection, which is one of the most complete libraries on Latin America in the world. Fellows are able to take English courses in the English Language Institute and audit classes during the first semester of the fellowship while working collaboratively with the Center to design opportunities for networking, mentorship, and skill-building to further their work in their home country. Fellows will have a mentor-Academic Advisor that will help them choose courses offered in Spanish or English (if they fulfill the English requirements).  Select fellows will have the chance to lecture or co-teach with university faculty depending on their qualifications and the needs of the university. Fellows can be matched with Center for Latin American Studies affiliate faculty, who work across the university and devote at least 25% of their work to research, teaching, or service to Latin America. Fellows will be put in contact with local NGOs, clubs, and other associations. The Center for Latin American Studies has students from many countries in the Americas. Each fellow will have an academic advisor-Mentor. All will be supported by the university fellowship coordinator dedicated to support the fellowship and the fellows.

University name:

University of Florida

Host Department:

Center for Latin American studies

Language of Fellowship:

English/Spanish

English Language Requirement:

Non-degree track fellows are not required to meet a minimum English language score in order to be selected for this fellowship track. All fellowship applicants are required to take the Duolingo English Test (DET). Depending on the DET score, selected fellows will be required to take the Intensive English Program provided by UF’s English Language Institute during your first semester. Learn more about the Intensive English Program here. All fellowship experiences in the U.S. will include minimal daily interaction in English for all fellows.

Information of English courses/language support:

English Language Institute

Course options to audit:

This is a list of possible courses taught in Spanish the fellows can audit during their fellowship:

  • Género, derechos humanos y política en América Latina (Juliana Restrepo)
  • Culture and civilization of Latin America (Emily Ann Hind)
  • Spanish in community
  • Women in Latin American Music (Gregory E Moreland)
  • Language, Identity and Power (Diego Pascual Cabo)
  • Introduction to Latin America Literature (Professor Uparela)
  • Colonial Monsters & Canibals (Professor Tenorio)

Fellows could participate on the activities of the club de lectura. Participants read a short story, poems, or a novel of a Latin American writer and discuss with the author in zoom. The club attracts students, faculty, and people from the community

Professors working in Anti-Corruption and Human Rights (gender, race, sexuality, disability):

Professors working in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and/or Nicaragua:

Forums, workshops, Roundtable, Symposium:

Annual Conferences:

  • 2025 The Struggle from Bellow: democracy and civil society in the age of backsliding
  • 2026 Migration and Human Rights in Latin America

Opportunities to connect with NGO, Private or public institutions working in anticorruption:

Fellows will be connected with NGOs working on human rights, migrant workers, immigrant rights

Access to databases and or library:

Latin American and Caribbean collection

Location:

Gainesville, Florida

Length:

Two Years: August 2025 – May 2027

Eligibility:

All applicants who fulfill meet the eligibility criteria of the Fellowship will be considered for non-degree Fellowships at the University of Florida.

Other resources:

University of Notre Dame (UN)

Fellowship Description:

Fellows participating in non-degree customized fellowship programs at University of Notre Dame will be hosted by the Pulte Institute for Global Development. Fellows will take part in a self-directed fellowship designed around the fellow’s subject area and professional goals. Fellowships can include academic/professional mentorship, auditing courses, guest lecturing, hosting seminars, lectures, conferences, and discussions, support for research and publication, professional networking, and an annual fellow symposium. Fellows will have the opportunity to connect with such resources such as the Central America Research Alliance (CARA) which is a scholarly partnership amongst the Pulte Institute, the Notre Dame Keough School of Global Affairs, and higher education, research, and human rights institutions across the U.S. and Central America.

University name:

University of Notre Dame

Host Department:

Pulte Institute for Global Development / Central America Research Alliance (CARA)

Language of Fellowship:

English/Spanish.

The primary language of instruction and daily communication is English. There are faculty and staff and community members at ND who speak Spanish and will be available for select support. Nondegree track fellows are not required to meet a minimum English language score in order to be selected for the fellowship. All fellowship applicants are required to take the Duolingo English Test (DET). Depending on the DET score, selected fellows will be required to take part in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses at ND during their first semester.  However, depending on their English proficiency level, they may be required to take English language courses or participate in other language learning activities.  All fellowship experiences in the U.S. will include minimal daily interaction in English for all fellows.

English Language Requirement:

If non-degree track fellows want to take an official course at Notre Dame, they will need:

  • Duolingo score of 120
  • TOEFL iBT score of 80, with a minimum speaking score of 23

All Fellows, even those below the language threshold for coursework, are eligible to take the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses and resources listed below.

The Notre Dame non-degree Fellowship track is seeking Fellows with at minimum a Duolingo score of 80.

Information of English courses/language support:

These are examples of English language courses to support fellows who have the recommended minimum English level.

  • English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Classes
  • Academic Writing for International Students
  • Pronunciation Strategies & Techniques for English Language Learners
  • Spoken English Skills: A Class for Postdocs and Visiting Scholars
  • EAP Graduate Writing
  • EAP Oral Proficiency
  • EAP Workshops
  • Fall 2025 (spring schedule released later)
    • Setting Yourself Up for Success: Understanding the Expectations and Experiences in American Classrooms
    • Understanding and Navigating the Current U.S. Political Landscape
    • Cutting the Clutter and Increasing Clarity: Strategies for Writing Concise Sentences
    • Building Connections and Gaining Social Confidence: The Art of Small Talk
  • EAP Tutoring
  • Spoken English Skills Class: for Post-docs and Visiting Scholars
  • English Conversation Table

Other Campus and Community Resources for the International Community at Notre Dame:

  • Human Resources: Classes in English as New Language (ENL) for ND staff members
  • Graduate Career Services: Information for International Students
  • International Scholar & Student Affairs (ISSA): Resources for International Spouses
  • Family Resource Center at Notre Dame: Helping families succeed
  • South Bend Community School Corporation: Adult English Language Learners (ELL) classes
  • La Casa de Amistad Community Center: Empowering Immigrants
  • The Language Company of South Bend: Intensive English Program

Course options to audit:

  • CHR 30141: Migrants and Mobility in the Age of Mass Movement
  • CHR 30708: International Law and Human Rights
  • CHR 30717: Race & International Relations
  • CHR 30718: Refugees, Rights and Resettlement: World Refugee Policy and International Law
  • CHR 30719: Human Trafficking Policy
  • CHR 30736: Race Locales: Race, Space, and Place in America
  • CHR 30745: Colonial Latin America
  • CHR 30746: Race and Racism in Science and Medicine
  • CHR 30748: Human Rights Reparations: R&D
  • CHR 30749: Slavery in Global History
  • CHR 30750: African Diaspora Women’s Knowledge: Ethics and Agency in Domestic and Religious Spheres
  • CHR 30751: Decolonial Theories
  • Race & Ethnicity in the United States: Social Constructs with Real World Consequences
  • Refugees, Rights and Resettlement
  • ILS 20801: Latino Theology and Christian Tradition
  • ILS 20812: God and Slavery in the Americas
  • ILS 22301: LAC Spanish Discussions for Introduction to Latino Studies
  • ILS 23200: Art and Social Change
  • ILS 30410: Experience of Conquest
  • ILS 30417: Frames of History: Latinx History through Graphic Novels
  • ILS 30418: US Operations in Central America and the Caribbean
  • ILS 30419: Frida Kahlo and Che Guevara
  • ILS 30510: Latinos in US Politics
  • ILS 40601: Immigrant Youth and Families
  • ILS 40702: Colonialism and Imperialism: Past and Present
  • ILS 40908: Afrolatinidades
  • ILS 41103: Latinx Art and Activism
  • ILS 43504: Politics of Public Policy
  • MGA 60306 Paradoxes of Human Rights
  • MGA 60705 The Media and Global Affairs
  • MGA 60733 Policy Approaches to Conflict
  • MGA 60760 Criminal Governance, Democracy & Policies
  • LAW 73403 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
  • LAW 70409 Accountability for Gross Violations of Human Rights
  • LAW 73420 International Human Rights Advocacy
  • LAW 73421 Regional Human Rights Protection

Professors working in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and/or Nicaragua, and/or who are working in anti-corruption:

Forums, Workshops, Roundtables, Symposia:

Workshops:

  • Setting Yourself Up for Success: Understanding the Expectations and Experiences in American Classrooms
  • Understanding and Navigating the Current U.S. Political Landscape
  • Cutting the Clutter and Increasing Clarity: Strategies for Writing Concise Sentences
  • Building Connections and Gaining Social Confidence: The Art of Small Talk

Events:

  • Hispanic Heritage Month through the Institute for Latino Studies
  • Letras Latinas through the Institute for Latino Studies
  • The Hesburgh Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy through the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies

Roundtables:

  • Dialogues on Nonviolence, Religion, and Peace through the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
  • Kellogg Institute for International Studies Monthly Visiting Fellows Luncheon and Roundtable Discussion
  • International Working Group on Human Rights Education through the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights
    International Race and Rights Lab through the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights through the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights

Opportunities to connect with NGO, Private or public institutions working in anticorruption:

  • Asociación para el Avance de las Ciencias Sociales
  • Centro de Documentación de Honduras
  • Centro de Investigación y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos
  • Coordinadora de Instituciones Privadas Pro las Niñas, Niños, Adolescentes, Jóvenes y sus Derechos
  • Cristosal
  • Equipo de Reflexión, Investigación y Comunicación
  • Estado de la Nación
  • Fundación Nacional para el Desarrollo
  • Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social
  • Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Sociales y Desarrollo
  • Instituto Centroamericana de Estudios Fiscales
  • Instituto Universitario de Opinión Pública
  • NERAK
  • Observatorio Universitario de Derechos Humanos de la UCA
  • Servicio Social Pasionista
  • Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad Centroamericana de Nicaragua
  • Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana
  • Maestría en Demografía y Desarrollo de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras
  • Universidad Rafael Landívar

Access to databases and or library:

Through the Hesburgh Library at the University of Notre Dame, employees and students have access to hundreds of distinct databases and resources in nearly every discipline. Dedicated librarians are willing and able to help guide Notre Dame community members in accessing the correct resources in alignment with their projects and learning objectives.

Location:

South Bend, Indiana

Length:

Two Years: August 2025 – May 2027

Eligibility:

Completed undergraduate degree strongly preferred. Applicants must demonstrate that their professional experience contributes to the ability to be successful in a tailored fellowship program. Candidates will be requested to outline professional goals aligned with a self-directed project to complete during the fellowship.

Connection to latinx community:

  • La Casa de Amistad
  • El Campito
  • Hispanic Law Student Association (HLSA)
  • Latinx Graduate Association at Notre Dame (LGAND)
  • La Fuerza at St. Mary’s
  • Latino Student Alliance (LSA)
  • Student Coalition for Immigration Advocacy (SCIA)
  • Indiana Latino Institute
  • La Plaza
  • La Casa (Goshen)
  • Latinos Progresando (Chicago)
  • Casa Central (Chicago)
  • Instituto del Progreso Latino (Chicago)
  • Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Other resources: