Two students from the Department of Spanish & Portuguese have been named Humanities in Action scholars by We CU and the Humanities Research Institute (HRI).
The spring 2026 cohort includes seven students from the colleges of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Fine & Applied Arts.
The Humanities in Action program (HIA) aims to remove some of the financial barriers that prevent undergraduate humanities students from taking advantage of community engagement opportunities.
Selected by a competitive application process, HIA scholars are then matched—through the Community Learning Lab in the School of Social Work—with a community partner to address a vital area of need in the Champaign-Urbana community. The students will also attend workshops to strengthen their community partnerships and build connections with like-minded peers and will learn more about HRI’s opportunities and the broader community of humanists at Illinois.
Meet the scholars
Michelle Cordova (class of 2028) is majoring in philosophy and Spanish with a pre-law track. A James Scholar and Chancellor's Scholar, she serves as co-enrichment coordinator for Latinx in Law, and is also co-vice president of education for I-CAUSE (Illinois Coalition Assisting Undocumented Students' Education). This past semester, she served as a volunteer at the Refugee Center in Champaign.
Her cultural background as a first-generation Mexican-American and daughter of an immigrant drives her passion for social justice. This past summer, she was a pro bono Intern at a Chicago-based firm, where she saw firsthand how complex the criminal justice system can be. Since then, she's become passionate about advocating for incarcerated individuals and learning how criminal justice reform can reduce crime and prevent mass incarceration. She is equally passionate about immigration reform and expanding access to justice for immigrant and undocumented communities. After seeing the impact of immigration policies in her own life and community, she hopes to use her future legal career to support both immigrant families and people affected by the criminal justice system.
Jacky Mejia (class of 2028) is majoring in integrative biology and Spanish and a recipient of the President's Award Program. As a volunteer at Yankee Ridge Elementary School, she supported a first-grade classroom by helping students learn to read and write in Spanish. Beyond academics, her focus was on helping the children connect with their cultural identities, feel proud of their roots, and see the value in being bilingual. This experience deepened her commitment to advocating for justice and supporting marginalized communities. Outside the classroom, she has also taken part in community protests and helped distribute resources such as food, clothing, and information to families in need. These experiences have shown her how powerful collective action can be, especially during times when many in our communities live with fear or uncertainty. As a first-generation college student with the privilege of having a strong voice, she feels a responsibility to use it to uplift others, stand up for their rights, and ensure that every person, especially young students, know they belong and deserve to be heard.
In the future, she hopes to become a pediatrician and eventually open medical centers in Guatemala and other low-income countries. Her goal is not only to provide healthcare, but to truly understand the people, their stories, and the challenges they face beyond the exam room. Growing up around communities impacted by limited access to care and witnessing medical injustices abroad has shown her how deeply structural barriers affect families. She wants to help build systems where children and their parents are treated with dignity, compassion, and cultural understanding. This vision drives her passion for global health, equity, and fighting for the rights of communities whose needs are often ignored and not seen.
Editor's note: A version of this story first appeared on the Humanities Research Institute website.