Macalester’s Latinx-identifying cultural organization, Adelante!, is collaborating with The Mac Weekly to spotlight members of the Hispanic community at Macalester for Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM). This week, Adelante! interviewed Cuauhtémoc Cruz Herrera ’19, who is pursuing an Economics and Applied Math & Statistics major.

Making a Difference Two years ago, Herrera started a Live it! Fund for low-income Mexican students in Guadalajara. He has been working closely with these students to help them gain advanced math skills and began a Math Olympiad. Why? Herrera, himself, used to go to Math Olympiads and consistently noticed that he was the only student without a private school background, so he decided to bridge this gap. He is the founder and president of Integración Lógica Matemática.

Q: What does HHM mean to you? A: It’s a way to share our culture and perspective of different issues around campus and around the country.

Q: Why did you choose an Econ and AMS major? A: Before Mac, I was first studying engineering and it fueled my passion for math. I chose Econ because I traveled around the world and saw poverty/disparity, so I wanted to understand it more — or perhaps find some solutions.

Q: Where are your Hispanic roots from? A: I was born and grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico. My grandfather is directly Zapotec (indigenous).

Q: What were some struggles you encountered while transitioning to higher education in the U.S.? A: My transition was really small since I went to UWC for two years. In terms of academics, it was similar, but I had some culture shocks. There were some sports or T.V. shows I never heard about, even politics. However, I like the U.S.A. because there’s a mix of different cultures.

Q: What is your favorite Hispanic music genre/artist? Bachata. It helps me concentrate, particularly Romeo.

Q: What is something you hope for in the Latinx community? Well, I hope for many things. For there to be less corruption. I hope that the education system is improved… I hope for many things.