Alejandra Euceda: Creating Home Abroad
Alejandra Euceda | she/her/hers | CLAS ‘07
B.A. in Foreign Affairs and Latin American Studies
Alejandra Euceda (she/her/hers) attended UVA from 2003-2007, and graduated with a double major in Foreign Affairs and Latin American Studies. She currently works as a Programme Support Consultant at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Dakar, Senegal.
As an international student from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Alejandra was looking for a tight-knit community she could call home for the next four years. In her search for colleges in the United States, she discovered the University of Virginia and decided it was a place she could start her professional journey.
During her first-year, Alejandra lived at Hereford Residential College, a residential community remotely nestled on Lewis Mountain at the edge of Central Grounds. Student interviewer Kayla, and Alejandra, laughed about the great combination of isolation and connectivity Hereford’s location has. In her experience living there, Alejandra found a great community of students that were welcoming and eager to make friendships. Even though she considers this to be her first tight-knit community, it would be the first among many.
Outside of her coursework, Alejandra wanted to connect with others through enriching experiences. As an international student, she felt it was important for her to immerse herself in life in the United States. In her free time, Alejandra wanted to pursue her academic and professional interests, but also take the chance to meet new people. This led her to discovering many organizations that would take over her time at the University.
“For me it was important to have as enriching of an experience outside the classroom. I think that’s the unique thing about campus life in the US, where you are able to immerse yourself into the student culture and meet people through the different organizations.”
Alejandra joined the Women’s Leadership Development Program (WLDP), which “challenges UVA women to engage as empowered, innovative, and empathetic leaders through the promotion of their personal and professional development” (WLDP Mission Statement). She began participating in WLDP as a first-year, eventually being appointed Co-Chair of the program during her fourth-year. She loved her experiences with the program, recalling how it helped her develop a sense of independence as a woman in the professional world.
“For me it was important that once I left UVA, to become a more independent, self confident leader. I think WLDP was a great network of support for women looking to advance in their careers.”
The Women’s Leadership Development Program in 2007
Alejandra was also an academic tutor for the UVA Athletics Academic Affairs Office and La Casa Bolivar, having the opportunity to interact with student athletes and various students and learn about how their time at UVA was much different from one another. This provided a lot of perspective as to the different microcosms that existed within the University community.
Alejandra also wanted to connect with her cultural heritage while at the University. Given that she grew up abroad as well as being away from Latin America for her K-12 schooling, maintaining a connection to her roots was very important to her. This led her to join the Hispanic/Latinx Peer Mentoring Program, first as a mentee, then as a peer mentor and later as programming chair during her third-year. She also participated in the Latino Student Union, supporting their events and initiatives. She loved that the organization hosted a number of cultural events and performances that celebrated the diversity of the Latinx identities where both students and families could attend. She also recounts how the organization advocated for Latinx students, especially on issues focused on the creation of a Latinx Student Center and public informational resources for visiting Latinx Students and their families.
“To have a space where we can feel like we belong more at the University because we were such a small group. UVA has many people from different backgrounds so it was important to feel represented - having information and having resources about us for new Latino/Hispanic students who did not know we existed - being visible and being present, I think that was key”
Alejandra reflects that although the Latinx community at the time was rather small, they represented an incredibly diverse array of people. Everyone had different experiences, cultural practices, and backgrounds, but what united them was their shared bond of identity. This reconciliation of identity amongst Latinx students helped them be successful at connecting and making a difference in the larger University community.
“The Latino community was small, but at the same time, it was a very diverse community. We all had very different backgrounds, upbringings, cultural practices, but at the end of the day we had a common bond. I think that’s what was enriching about it - we all brought a different perspective and something new to the table. Through the different Latino/Hispanic clubs and organizations, I think we were able to engage and connect with one another and make a difference in the UVA student communities.”
She also was active in the international student community, and tried to give that community a voice in all of her involvements. The international student experience is often different from those who grew up in the United States, so it was important for Alejandra to represent her experiences through her involvement.
“My Hispanic/Latino roots were important to me, and it was easy for me to identify with other international students. I think that being Hispanic/Latino [also] meant giving a voice to that community and our interests - socially, culturally, and politically.”
When asked to reflect on the campus climate during her time at the University, Alejandra referenced her experience during the wake and aftermath of the Virginia Tech Shooting on April 16, 2007. She remembers it being an especially tragic time for students at the University, given the close ties between both the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. Personally, a peer of Alejandra’s had lost her sister in the attack. She attended the UVA candlelight vigil in honor of the 32 victims who had lost their lives. It was moving to see how people came together during that time, and it was unnerving to imagine the possibility that an attack could have also happened at any other college campus.
“It was a very difficult time which on the one hand brought the community together, but there was a lasting grief and disbelief that something like that could happen.”
One of Alejandra’s favorite experiences at the University was being selected as a resident of La Casa Bolivar during her second-year. This experience exposed her to an entirely new community of people - a diverse group of students who all shared an interest in Latinx culture. She recalls the instantaneous connection shared with her housemates. Although she had already experienced a tight-knit community at Hereford Residential College, she loved that La Casa provided students with social, cultural, and educational opportunities. She often spent nights cooking with housemates, attending movie nights, and even tutoring events. By the time she left, she created lasting bonds with many of the residents.
When reflecting on her time at the University, Alejandra talks about how impactful UVA has been for her both professionally and personally. She felt like she developed strong cross-cultural skills through her interactions with the diverse array of students and faculty at UVA. She loved the ability to speak with professors and have one-on-one time with them outside of classes. Even when she took a one-credit public speaking class for fun, it helped her develop skills and competencies that would help her transition more easily into the professional world. She also thoroughly enjoyed her semester abroad in Lille, France where she attended the Institut d’Etudes Politiques, furthering her learning of French.
Today, Alejandra works at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Dakar, Senegal. When asked if UVA shaped her future career trajectory given her majors, she feels that the university was the foundation she needed to learn more about her passions in international affairs. It provided the theoretical framework that shaped her next steps. In 2011, Alejandra received her Masters in International Cooperation and NGO Management from the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, in Spain - where she furthered her knowledge to pursue her passions.
All in all, Alejandra felt that students at UVA could create their own path for what their college experience was. She herself sought out new experiences, which included her in various communities which helped her build a home at the University. In her advice to students, she urges students to reach out to new people, try new things, and in the process - take advantage of all the time you have. Four years go by so quickly and of course, you want to give your most academically, but it's also important to enjoy your time, keep things in perspective, and build relationships with others.
