Jon Carlo Dominguez Award
Jon Carlo Dominguez served as an Academic and Civic Teaching Assistant with Freedom and Citizenship in 2018-2019 and passed away in March, 2023. In his application, he wrote, "I have a deep commitment to educating the next generation of leaders and making sure that communities of color are represented in our political discourse." Jon Carlo lived up to that vision throughout the year. His students knew him as someone who went out of his way to make them feel welcome on Columbia's campus, who worked creatively and persistently to help them overcome their academic "roadblocks," and who guided them carefully and thoughtfully through a civic engagement project on the critical issue of teen mental health.
To honor his memory, we are establishing the "Jon Carlo Dominguez Award" to the graduating senior who best exemplifies the values of our program, and those that Jon Carlo held dear: a passion for learning for its own sake; a drive for improving the world through civic engagement; and a commitment to community inclusion.
You can contribute to this or future year's awards by giving to the Freedom and Citizenship Fund in Jon Carlo's memory.
The 2023 award goes to Shanthal Ramos Bueno, a senior at University Heights High School. This fall, Shanthal will be the first in her family to attend college when she begins classes at the University of Chicago.
Though Shanthal thought of herself as a math and science person without a lot of imagination, she stood out this summer for her authentic spirit of inquiry. When she applied to F&C, the topic she most wanted to work on was mental health. She wrote, “Society has unreachable toxic standards that often influence the way people view and treat themselves. In some Hispanic households, there are stigmas surrounding mental health and there could be reluctance on being able to get help. I want to show others that it's okay to struggle and to have imperfections.”
Though Shanthal’s group chose to work on education access, she still followed through on her goals to support others in her community. In their nominations, several students commented that she’s someone who’s always there for them, checking in on them, asking how they’re doing. One student said “Shanthal is always checked in on how my group and I are doing with our projects, even though we’re in different groups. She has been a big help in this overwhelming process of trying to make change in our communities.” Another student wrote, “she’s been there for me mentally and physically. if it wasn’t for this person I wouldn’t have made it to a couple of meetings.” And another wrote “Shanthal’s always checking in on me especially during the hard times of the college application process, and she celebrates everyone’s success.”
For her passion for learning for its own sake, her drive for improving the world through civic engagement, and her commitment to inclusion and community support, we are pleased to award this year’s Jon Carlo Dominguez Award to Shanthal Ramos Bueno.
