Jan 25 • 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Seminar on Leadership, Research, and Innovation

"Screaming it Out Silently: Visual Research, Self-Identity, and the Journey of an “At-Risk” Student" January 25, 2018
Abraham Peña-Talamantes, PhD, Associate Director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships & University Scholars Program

Identity is a fluid, complex process; it allows us to define who we are, who we were, and who we aspire to be. But how can we truly know other people’s identities? How can we understand their experiences? Can an interview or a survey do these identities justice? What questions should we ask? What happens when you don’t even understand your own experiences? These were some of the questions that Abraham Peña-Talamantes found himself grappling with as an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. The first person in his family to go to college and battling with conflicting identity issues, Peña-Talamantes turned to photography and visual methods to examine the intersection of gender, sexuality, and ethnicity on the college campus. Through his research, he has been able to better understand his own intersecting identities and embrace these contradictions both personally and academically. His work currently focuses on the construction, negotiation, and maintenance of sexual and ethnic identities, particularly as they relate to Latinx college students. He is passionate about serving as a resource for other sexual and ethnic minority students interested in pursuing graduate degrees.

DINNER AND DISCUSSION RSVP, January 25, 7 PM