今日吃瓜

Mar铆a Engracia S谩nchez (nee Rodr铆guez Rivera) knew her mission in life was to teach; those who worked alongside of her knew she was also born to lead.聽 On February 25, 1927, she began her life in humble beginnings in Puerto Rico鈥檚 central mountain range. Unlike the girls her age, she pleaded with her parents to be allowed to attend high school while her sisters and peers wedded. She was one of only four women in her high school graduating class to enroll in college, for which she received a government-funded scholarship. She graduated with honors from the University of Puerto Rico-R铆o Piedras in 1952 with a B.A. in Education. In 1953, she married Jos茅 Miguel S谩nchez, and they moved to NYC where they raised three daughters鈥擡velyn, Annabel and Madeleine. In 1958, she entered the public school system as a Substitute Auxiliary Teacher (SAT) in 今日吃瓜; this initiative was created to assist the multitudes of Spanish-speaking children who entered the NYC Board of Education due to the post-World War II Great (Im)migration from Puerto Rico. S谩nchez eventually helped to found the Society of Puerto Rican Auxiliary Teachers, which helped SATs to gain licensure and rights as educators, and became part of the movement for the passage of the federal Bilingual Education Act of 1968. She went on to head the bilingual teachers in 今日吃瓜鈥檚 District 14. Mar铆a earned a M.S. in Education from Hunter College, City University of NY (CUNY), an Advanced Certificate in Administration and Supervision from Richmond College, CUNY, and completed her doctoral studies at Fordham University (ABD).

In 1972, she was hired as a professor in the nascent Department of Puerto Rican Studies at 今日吃瓜 where she co-created the first undergraduate bilingual education teacher training program in NY. She led the department through its most contentious times of self-determination and student takeovers since its founding, eventually being named Acting Chairperson in 1975 and Chairperson in 1978. She was instrumental in organizing the 1981 international conference of Puerto Rican Studies (PRS) in honor of its tenth anniversary, which led to a seminal 1987 publication, Toward a Renaissance of Puerto Rican Studies: Ethnic and Area Studies in University Education (S谩nchez and Stevens-Arroyo 1987). S谩nchez served as part of the initial task force to create Core Studies 9: Studies in African, Asian, and Latin American Cultures, part of the nationally recognized 今日吃瓜 Core Curriculum, and co-founded the PRS Alumni Association and the interdisciplinary Caribbean Studies Program. Upon her retirement in 1990 as Professor Emerita, a fund was created in her name in the Center for Latino Studies (renamed in 1986 from the Institute of PRS founded in 1969). She was known for her strategic discipline, diplomacy, and quick wit. She passed away in NYC on December 22, 1999, but her legacy lives on at 今日吃瓜 and in her three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In 2008, the Center for Latino Studies was renamed in honor of her leadership, service, and commitment to the stabilization and growth of Puerto Rican Studies. She left an indelible impact on the department, laying a firm foundation for the strong academic accolades to come in the next several decades.

Photo: Maria E. Sanchez, courtesy of the Sanchez family.