The Rachel Garza Carreón IMPACT Award is to honor long-time Latinx staff and faculty who have dedicated years of service to the University of Iowa. Through their efforts and service, they have made a lasting impact on past, present, and future members of the Hawkeye family.
- Candidates for the award should be an active member on the UI campus for more than 10 years, and should have a notible contribution to bettering the lives of those on campus and/or making a positive, lasting impact. (Students who become staff or faculty are eligible when combining their years at Iowa.)
- Nominations are accepted year-round and can be submitted by students, student groups, faculty, and staff members.
- A winner is selected on an annual basis (as funding allows) by the UI Latinx Council Executive Board, and the winner receives a monetary and commemorative award.
- Those who are nominated but not selected can be considered for consecutive years as long as the nominee is still active at the University of Iowa.
- During awarding years, winners will be announced in the Spring semester of the academic year.
Nominations can be submitted by filling out the form at the link below:
Questions about this award?
Contact the public relations officer listed in the membership list.
Who is Rachel Garza Carreón?
Rachel Garza Carreón is the Outreach & Research Librarian at the University of Iowa Libraries. She serves as the subject liaison for Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, and is the UI Libraries liaison to the Latino Native American Cultural Center.
For several years, Carreón has dedicated much of her time advocating for Latino students on campus and in the community. She has collected the history of Latinx people at the Univeristy of Iowa, specifically, the history of the LNACC (Latino Native American Culture Center), and for the LNACC's 50th Anniversary in 2021, Carreón co-curated Building Our Own Community: 50 Years of the Latino Native American Cultural Center, Founded by Chicano and American Indian Students in 1971 with Christopher Ortega. Their work honors the past, present, and future of the UI’s Latino Native American Cultural Center (LNACC) and the students who made it possible.
During an interview about the LNACC, Carreón said,
“I think many of us have heard the expression about a campus building being ‘the heart of the campus’. I had never felt that way about a building until the LNACC. For many it brings a sense of home to our lives. I want people to understand that the LNACC is not just a physical building. It stands for something because of its history. To me, it is home.”
The UI Latinx Council recognizes the need for places like the LNACC as well as the need for representation among faculty and staff here at Iowa. This award is to honor the few Latinx people who have continued to choose to stay at Iowa and who continues to contribute to the fabric of our institution.