School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hometown: Sanford, NC

Roots: El Salvador & Mexico

Gladys Alvarez

Gladys Alvarez was born and raised in Sanford, NC. She is the daughter of immigrant parents – one from Mexico and the other from El Salvador. She is the first in her family to go to college. She is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill and a former transfer student from Central Carolina Community College in Sanford, NC. She is a Global Studies major with a concentration in International Politics, Nation State, and Social Movement in Latin America. In addition to her Global Studies major, she is also majoring in Hispanic Literature and Culture. Gladys enjoy reading, sightseeing, and of course, good food (especially her Mom's food). She loves learning about cultures and languages and finding out how similar and contrasting they can be from each other. She was part of the first Somos Carolina instructor cohort and enjoyed creating connections with younger students from her hometown and helping them feel proud of their identities.