Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Meet CENTRO's new Directora, Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez 🇵🇷✨
Born and raised in Hoboken, NJ where Puerto Rican culture thrived in the 70s-80s, with roots in Caguas and Vega Baja, Yomaira brings a remarkable legacy to her role as Directora of CENTRO.
As a daughter of the Diaspora, Yomaira's narrative is one of circular migration and a profound connection to her family's history in la barriada Morales, Tomás de Castro, El Alto de Cuba, Almirante Norte, and beyond. Raised as the youngest of four siblings in a working-poor family, she is the first in her family to graduate high school and college. 🎓👩🎓
Her academic journey took her to Rutgers, where Yomaira earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English, Puerto Rican & Hispanic Caribbean Studies, and Women’s & Gender Studies. It was here that she cultivated a political consciousness that would shape her life's trajectory.
Stepping into the spotlight of higher education, Yomaira continued her pursuit of knowledge, attaining an MA and PhD in Comparative Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her academic milestones paralleled the 40th anniversary celebrations of the founding of Ethnic Studies, a milestone that mirrors the founding of CENTRO—a testament to the ongoing struggle for representation and recognition.
Reflecting on her journey, Yomaira shares, "Ethnic Studies is a lifeline, an insurgent emancipatory project, a mode of survival in the fullest sense, and a necessary practice…" Within the hallowed halls of academia, her mission is to transform knowledge itself, paving the way for liberatory political and social projects to flourish with the depth they deserve. 📚🌍
Dive deeper into Yomaira's work and the vision she has for the Center for Puerto Rican Studies by reading her first message as Directora:
📌 https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/news/message-from-yomaira/
Subscribe now and be sure to follow @centropr on social media.
Meet CENTRO's new Directora, Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez 🇵🇷✨
Born and raised in Hoboken, NJ where Puerto Rican culture thrived in the 70s-80s, with roots in Caguas and Vega Baja, Yomaira brings a remarkable legacy to her role as Directora of CENTRO.
As a daughter of the Diaspora, Yomaira's narrative is one of circular migration and a profound connection to her family's history in la barriada Morales, Tomás de Castro, El Alto de Cuba, Almirante Norte, and beyond. Raised as the youngest of four siblings in a working-poor family, she is the first in her family to graduate high school and college. 🎓👩🎓
Her academic journey took her to Rutgers, where Yomaira earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English, Puerto Rican & Hispanic Caribbean Studies, and Women’s & Gender Studies. It was here that she cultivated a political consciousness that would shape her life's trajectory.
Stepping into the spotlight of higher education, Yomaira continued her pursuit of knowledge, attaining an MA and PhD in Comparative Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her academic milestones paralleled the 40th anniversary celebrations of the founding of Ethnic Studies, a milestone that mirrors the founding of CENTRO—a testament to the ongoing struggle for representation and recognition.
Reflecting on her journey, Yomaira shares, "Ethnic Studies is a lifeline, an insurgent emancipatory project, a mode of survival in the fullest sense, and a necessary practice…" Within the hallowed halls of academia, her mission is to transform knowledge itself, paving the way for liberatory political and social projects to flourish with the depth they deserve. 📚🌍
Dive deeper into Yomaira's work and the vision she has for the Center for Puerto Rican Studies by reading her first message as Directora:
📌 https://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/news/message-from-yomaira/
Subscribe now and be sure to follow @centropr on social media.
