Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
CLACS

Departmental Undergraduate Group

The Latin American and Caribbean Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group (DUG) is a student-run group focused on Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Brown. All students are welcome to attend and participate in the DUG regardless of concentration.

This year’s DUG leaders are Nia Callender, Mariana Fajnzylber, and Shantal Hernadez Guerrero. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact them via their Brown email address.

Nia Callender (she/her/ella) is a senior from Cambridge, MA double concentrating in Latin
American and Caribbean Studies and Sociology. She has focused her studies on Latin American
migration pathways and dance as an intrinsic part of Latin culture and resistance. Nia hopes to
get a master’s degree in education policy post-graduation.


Mari Fajnzylber (they/them) is a member of the class of 2023.5 from Bethesda, Maryland and
Belo Horizonte, Brazil. They are concentrating in Latin American Studies and Environmental
Studies, with a focus in global food systems. On campus, they help run the Brown Market Shares
Program, are a barista at the Underground Coffee Shop, and teach sexual education to high
schoolers in Providence. In their free time, Mari loves to swim, learn about botany and ecology,
and make all of their friends listen to Música Popular Brasileira. They are so excited to be a
DUG leader this year, and cannot wait to spend time with all the CLACS students, faculty, and
staff.

Shantal Hernandez Guerrero (she/her/hers) is a senior from Monterrey, Mexico and Des Moines, Iowa, double concentrating in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and International and Public Affairs. On campus Shantal is a Company Director for Mezcla Latin Dance Troupe, a Minority Peer
Counselor Coordinator for the Brown Center for Students of Color, and an Immigration
Advocate for the Student Clinic of Immigrant Justice. Outside of campus, Shantal studied a
semester abroad in Paris, France, and loves to spend time with her family and friends. In the
future, she hopes to continue helping the immigrant community by going to law school and
becoming an immigration attorney.