From the president
Nathalie Villalobos is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology at Saint Louis University. She is actively engaged on campus and in the community. At SLU, Nathalie is a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholar. The King Scholars Program includes a competitive scholarship awarded to undergraduate students committed to social justice, service, leadership, and cultural awareness experiences. Nathalie also serves as the executive vice president of the student organization OASIS. In this leadership role, Nathalie promotes a community for Caribbean, Latin American, and Hispanic culture, and increases student awareness of current events surrounding Latin America. She is fluent in Spanish and English. For the past two years, Nathalie has been a student team member in SLU’s Cross Cultural Center, where she has been an exceptional student leader, helping students feel welcome. Nathalie is a peer instructor in SLU’s undergraduate Core curriculum. With this position, she helps lead the first-year course Cura Personalis 1: Self in Community. The course launches students on a path of self-discovery and deeper meaning-making by exploring fundamental questions of identity, history, and place. Nathalie is mentored by staff from SLU’s Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement.
Personal Statement
I started recognizing my Latine identity when I began attending my predominantly white high school, a drastic change from my Hispanic neighborhood. This awareness was amplified when I started college at Saint Louis University and began to feel homesick. I immediately joined OASIS, looking for a community within my institution. By sophomore year, I assumed the role of vice president, hoping to continue building a positive image for the club and raising money to hold educational events and increase membership to ease this transition for future students. I looked for faculty to help guide me in my continuation of this activism and build leadership skills. My mentors in the Cross-Cultural Center have taught me the importance of being vocal about making sure our campus is welcoming to students of all backgrounds. My relationship with the staff gave me the opportunity to become a peer instructor for a first-year course intended to help students adjust during their first semester. In this course, students learn about SLU’s values and history and explore ways that their unique identities contribute to our campus environment. My role is to create connections with the students and act as the resource many need during this transition.