North Vegas Times

Aldo Barrita can concentrate on his dissertation, thanks to a Mellon fellowship that provided him with $30,000 and the cost of tuition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

Barrita is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in psychological and brain sciences, according to a news release from the university.   

"The fellowship supports students through the first year of their (dissertation) proposal phase," Barrita said in the news release. "As a fellow, I get to work with a faculty committee that is external to the faculty committee I have at UNLV. They're a great additional resource."

Barrita learned about the Mellon fellowship through the Crossing Latinidades Mentorship program, the news release noted. The virtual program is designed to connect fellows and faculty members online. Graduate students can discover available resources for an array of academic endeavors. Participants also collaborate on a long-term project.

Barrita took his commitment to the program a step further by completing the Crossing Latinidades Humanities Initiative Summer Institute, according to the news release. The program was held at the University of Illinois Chicago. The first Summer Institute brought together more than 30 pre-dissertation Ph.D. students from all over the country.

The students participated in lectures, workshops, and presentations on Latinx humanities studies research methodologies and theoretical frameworks with the aim of broadening perspectives in the field.

"There was a network of 20 or 25 scholars whose work we'd all read, who came from different institutions and fields to speak with us in seminar or panel settings," Barrita said. "At a large conference, everyone's really spread out, but this was unique. It was small enough that we had the privilege of getting to know the professors personally, of having engaging conversations with them."