Laura Fonseca, director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Maurer School of Law, has been selected to receive the Latino Faculty and Staff Council (LFSC) Distinguished Staff Award later this month at a ceremony in the Indiana Memorial Union.
The award recognizes important contributions by Indiana University undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff members whose efforts have contributed to a positive campus environment in tandem with helping support the retention of Latinos at the university. It will be presented on April 29 at the LFSC’s end-of-year recognition ceremony.
Students throughout the school praised Fonseca’s abilities to make a diverse community feel united.
“During my two years at the Maurer School of Law, Laura has demonstrated outstanding character, capacity, and commitment to students of color,” said Samantha Espada, president of the school’s Latinx Law Student Association. “As director of DEI, Laura has established institutional mechanisms to support LLSA and all students of color this year, and will for years to come.”
Fonseca joined the Law School’s School’s Career Service Office in 2018, making it a welcoming hub for all students. In July 2021 she was appointed the school’s first director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, creating a DEI Board for students, providing student input into the school’s DEI efforts, and a forum for students to connect and provide support for each other. Fonseca has also led a number of trainings and programming initiatives on allyship, which one student described as “an incredibly meaningful experience to me.”
“Laura has done a tremendous job in such a short period of time as our DEI director,” said Dean Austen Parrish. “She’s developed deep connections with our students and alumni and has worked hard to ensure the Law School is a welcoming and inclusive place for all. We’re proud to see her win this prestigious honor.”
One student recalled experiencing a panic attack in the middle of class during the fall semester.
“The first person I thought to reach out to was Laura,” the student said. “I sent her an email and she was willing to make time and space just to listen to me for a few minutes and do what she could to help me feel heard and supported… Laura is truly a gift to Maurer and Maurer is better because of her efforts to support students and increase DEI efforts within the Law School.”
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