MA, CGU, In progress ’24
BA, Reed College ’17

Oscar Guerrero

Oscar Guerrero (He/they/él) is a Salvadoran first-generation immigrant and Cultural Studies MA candidate, in the School of Arts and Humanities at Claremont Graduate University. His research focuses on Museum Studies, Latinx Studies, Decolonial Politics, and Immigration Studies, all through a transdisciplinary lens. Oscar’s professional goals are to work in equity, diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives in the museum field.

Oscar joins us from Portland, Oregon, where he graduated from Reed College in 2017 with a BA in Studio Arts, and where he worked in Membership and Equity programs at the Portland Art Museum. Currently, he works for the Claremont Colleges Library’s Special Collections Team, where he facilitates access to the library’s archival materials for the 7C’s academic communities and beyond.

Oscar’s mission in joining the Graduate Student Council is to enhance the academic, professional and interpersonal development opportunities available to students, as well as expand inclusion, access, and agency across all areas of student life.

Outside of school, Oscar loves running, making art and comics, holding the aux cable, and watching movies. He aspires to own a cat someday.

Statement:

I enter the General Student Council with a wealth of academic and professional knowledge in regards to equity, diversity, access and inclusion. To me, these terms are more than buzzwords or boxes to check off; equity and inclusion are a continuous praxis of change for the advocacy and betterment of our communities. The work is never finished but constantly evolving and moving forward.

As GSC Secretary, I see my role as a translator. “Translation is never perfect, but it is always an anti-hegemonic project of bringing forth that which is not at the center,” (Garcia Peña, Translating Blackness, 6). “The translator must be absolutely responsible for what she says, her task begins with her pledge to say what the original addresser meant to say. Her responsibility consists in her commitment to withdraw her wish to express herself from what she says even though she has to seek and interpret what the addresser means in the first place,” (Garcia Peña, TB, 7). As an immigrant with a deep commitment to equity work, I’ve been committed to translation all my life, and I recognize the weight and power the translator has in amplifying the translated voice of the marginalized. This goes beyond just listening and towards action and change. This is how I aim to conduct my role as Secretary, to make visible and heard the voices of CGU’s communities with responsibility to uphold and elevate those voices, while forwarding their interests.

In a contemporary climate where distrust, isolation and polarization are running rampant, it’s imperative for us to build meaningful, honest connections. At CGU, I pledge to foster a communal environment where we can connect and develop academically, professionally, and interpersonally, all with dignity, integrity and respect.