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Upper School Spanish Students Use Art to Advocate for Latinx Social Issues
Upper School Spanish Students Use Art to Advocate for Latinx Social Issues

Last semester, 12 Juniors and Seniors in the Hispanic Culture and Conversation class explored social justice through art. Co-taught by Marissa Alvarez and Manny Garcia, the course culminated in an Art and Advocacy Project, where students addressed Latinx social issues through visual storytelling and awareness campaigns.

For their projects, students tackled topics such as underrepresentation in Hollywood, gender-based violence, racial discrimination in sports, and immigrant rights, presenting their work entirely in Spanish.

"For me, the goal has always been to show students why this matters beyond the classroom," Garcia explained. "I think each of them took away something meaningful from this experience, something they wouldn’t have learned just by hearing about it."

A few standout projects include Jack Whigham ’26’s film strip visualization, which highlighted the lack of Hispanic representation in Hollywood by comparing current industry figures to the U.S. Hispanic population. Jake Roth ’26 designed a mural concept addressing social inequalities, with plans to pitch it as a public art installation in Houston.

"I think this project helped our students realize that they have the power to communicate in Spanish at a high level about real societal issues," Alvarez said. "Social justice is important in almost every field, no matter where these students go in their professional lives."

In addition to their individual work, students participated in roundtable discussions where they practiced academic discourse in Spanish, expressing opinions, citing sources, and debating respectfully even on politically charged topics.

"One of my students told me, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever spoken or presented this much in any class before,’” Alvarez shared. “It was a big step in developing their confidence and communication skills."

"We wanted them to do more than just identify an issue," Garcia added. "We wanted them to consider how their work could spark meaningful conversations and have an impact."

Congratulations to our students for using their voices and creativity to advocate for change, embodying what it means to be world-ready and prepared to make a difference at Viewpoint and beyond.

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