Alejandra Márquez Guajardo, Assistant Professor of Spanish in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University, has been selected to receive the 2025 Plantando Semillas Award, also known as the MSU Faculty of the Year Award, recognizing her dedication and commitment to Latinx students and the Latinx community.

Presented each year by MSU’s Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, the Plantando Semillas Award honors faculty who stand for inclusion and equity in education and who are committed to excellence in teaching and learning, student success, professional development, leadership and college service, and community service and creating a college-going culture.

The award is one of the César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta Community Leadership Awards that honor the lives and legacies of prominent civil rights and social justice leaders César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta, which annually recognize MSU faculty, staff, and students who demonstrate cultural commitment to diversity, teamwork, collaboration, and leadership on MSU’s campus.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Plantando Semillas Award. This recognition is especially meaningful to me because it reflects the sense of belonging that the MSU Latinx community has given me,” Márquez Guajardo said. “I view it as a reminder that higher education is about more than knowledge because universities, especially public land-grant institutions like MSU, are also fundamental to creating spaces and community where students and community members can feel they belong and see themselves thrive.”

“I am deeply honored to receive the Plantando Semillas Award. This recognition is especially meaningful to me because it reflects the sense of belonging that the MSU Latinx community has given me.”

Márquez Guajardo serves as graduate advisor for the M.A. in Hispanic Literatures and Ph.D. in Hispanic Cultural Studies programs. She teaches graduate courses on 20^th and 21^st Century Queer Latin American Literature and on Gender Studies in the Hispanic World. The undergraduate courses she teaches include Introduction to Reading Hispanic Literature, Latin America and Its Literature, and Topics in Hispanic Culture.

Márquez Guajardo’s work continues to push boundaries in Latin American studies, gender theory, and cultural criticism. Her research spans contemporary Latin American literature, queer/cuir studies in Latin America, contemporary Mexican chronicle, gendered narratives of northern Mexico, gender identity and transgressions, depictions of state-sponsored violence, and Latinx literature and culture. 

She has published her research in academic journals such as Revista de Literatura Mexicana Contemporánea, Chasqui, iMex, and the Latin American Literary Review. She also has written book chapters for edited collections including Routledge Handbook of Queer Rhetoric and Fronteras de violencia entre México y Estados Unidos. Her forthcoming book analyzes sapphic representation in contemporary Mexican literature.

Márquez Guajardo says focusing her career and work on the Latinx community has never felt like a choice, but rather a natural path and extension of her own experiences as an immigrant.

“As an undergraduate, I attended a Hispanic-Serving Institution where mentorship played a crucial role in my academic journey. Later, as I moved through different institutions around the U.S., I saw how Latinx students valued engaging with literature and cultural production that reflected their experiences or those of their families,” she said. “Witnessing students share their stories and ideas, recognize themselves in one another, and build community is very meaningful to me.”

“César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta remind us that the Latinx community is essential to this country’s past, present, and future. Their fight for justice and workers’ rights is a testament to the resilience, strength, and contributions of Latinx workers and activists.”

Márquez Guajardo has a Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.A. and B.A. in Spanish, both from Texas A&M International University.

This year marks the 15^th annual César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Commemorative Celebration at Michigan State University, which is annually held around César Chávez Day, a U.S. federal commemorative holiday that celebrates the birth and legacy of civil rights and labor movement activist César E. Chávez on March 31 each year. The MSU event also annually coincides with National Farmworker Awareness Week, which takes place March 25-31 this year.

“César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta remind us that the Latinx community is essential to this country’s past, present, and future. Their fight for justice and workers’ rights is a testament to the resilience, strength, and contributions of Latinx workers and activists,” Márquez Guajardo said. “Honoring their legacies is about recognizing the power of collective struggle and the need to keep pushing for a more just and equitable society that uplifts those who help this country thrive.”

The 2025 César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Commemorative Celebration at MSU is being celebrated on Saturday, March 29, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center during which time the 2025 César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta Community Leadership Awards will be presented.

This year’s theme for the César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Commemorative Celebration is “De Aqui Y de Alla: Celebrating 15 Years of Empowerment, Community and Culture.” Translated, the theme means “from here and from there,” honoring the historic and current diasporic Latino/e communities. 
While the event honors the leadership and advocacy of civil rights leaders César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, this year’s theme also brings into focus the diverse strength of the Latino/e and farmworker communities and the allies who stand in solidarity to raise awareness of the contributions and opportunities these communities bring, as well as the new and ongoing challenges they face. 

The public is welcome to attend the César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Commemorative Celebration at MSU. The event is free to attend but registration is required. For more information or to register, see the César Chávez and Dolores Huerta Commemorative Celebration web page.

By Kim Popiolek