Andrés Polanco Molina '24

Andrés Polanco Molina is a fourth year at Northwestern University majoring in Latinx Studies with a minor in Cultural Anthropology. His scholarly and political passions include cultural identity formation, community memory, political movements, and decolonial thought. Andrés was raised by immigrants from Ecuador and Guatemala in Sleepy Hollow, NY. His hometown contains one of the largest Ecuadorian populations in the U.S., influencing his aspirations to conduct research around Latine populations that are often undertheorized. His current research examines how Latine student organizations negotiate Latinidad to demand representation on campus.

Outside of his research, Andrés enjoys listening to music, reading poetry, and giving back to his communities. He is a coordinator for Northwestern’s Council of Latinx Admission Volunteers for Education. Andrés is the President of Alianza–The Latinx Student Alliance and has previous served as Education Chair of Northwestern’s chapter of YDSA and a Peer Advisor. He also an ambassador for his local community-based organization, LatinoU College Access, to promote the enrollment of first-generation, lower-income Latine students in higher education. After graduation, he hopes to earn a PhD and continue supporting marginalized students in academia.