5 Questions with Nancy Garcia ’26

A graduate of Chicago’s Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Garcia is a psychology and criminal justice double major. During new student orientation for Flyer Promise (a UD program for high-achieving, low-income students) she learned of El Orgullo Latino (orgullo means “pride” in English), a UD organization of about 200 students. She is now its president.

1. Can you describe your El Orgullo Latino experience?

Introduced to it during orientation, I instantly felt at home. I admired the community EOL built and wanted to continue it. Sophomore year, I was elected social chair; junior year, vice president; now, president.

2. What does EOL do?

Some social things such as ice skating at RiverScape and a Kings Island trip. We have a spring retreat. We try to bring our culture to campus. We do advocacy; we had an event on immigration policies. We have a potluck at Family Weekend; it’s great being together, having the food and playing the games we do at home. This year, many families were afraid to travel; it hurt seeing other students with their families and missing ours. We try to create a home away from home. But there is fear. In some places, people are afraid of speaking Spanish, sometimes even afraid of going grocery shopping, stopping at the wrong stop light at the wrong time. At the same time, we are working hard to make our families proud of us.

3. You are part of the Dayton Civic Scholars, a three-year program of UD’s Fitz Center. Tell us about that.

Sophomore year I was accepted into my class’s 15-student cohort. I’ve learned about Dayton, seeing places and meeting people at places such as City Hall, the St. Vincent de Paul Gateway Shelter, Ronald McDonald House and Omega Community Development. This year, my cohort is working with the Victory Project (an after-school program mentoring disengaged young men, grades 8-12) to extend its program to young women.

4. Any other activities?

I’ve gone on a retreat at Bergamo on the Marianist Mount St. John property near Dayton. I’ve been involved with Campus Ministry’s programming for Las Posadas, a Catholic Christmas tradition also popular among those who aren’t particularly religious. I’ve done advocacy work with Student Government Association and UD’s Human Rights Center. I’ve worked the last two years at Catholic Social Services.

5. Your future?

After a year of work experience, I plan to pursue a master’s in psychology. I’m interested in behavior analysis and clinical mental health, and maybe working in the legal system, possibly with immigration. On an immersion trip to the U.S.–Mexico border, we met with a lawyer who said many issues are not so much legal ones as matters of mental health impacting families and children. The kids have no idea what’s happening.

A version of this article appears in print in the Spring 2026 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 15. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE