CIEE Latin America Fellow Spotlight: Tziavi Melendez
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Meet the CIEE Leading Change in Latin America Student Fellows!
Follow along as CIEE sends 100 student leaders on a fully-funded semester abroad through the CIEE Leading Change in Latin America Fellowship. In this series, we spotlight Fellows as they immerse themselves in Latin American culture, grow as leaders, and prepare to make an impact worldwide.
Name: Tziavi Melendez
School: Tufts University
Major: Interdisciplinary Studies
LATAM Location: Mérida, Mexico
Q1: What does receiving this fellowship mean to you personally?
Thanks to this fellowship, I can study abroad without financial worry and capture my journey to share with my friends and family back home.
Watch here: Tziavi goes on an excursion to the Xcambó Ruins with CIEE
Q2: Are there any social, political, or historical topics you’re especially interested in learning more about while abroad?
As an interdisciplinary studies major focusing on political science and Indigenous studies, I am deeply interested in the history of Indigenous peoples of the Yucatán and in drawing parallels with other Indigenous cultures around the world.
Q3: How do you plan to use what you learned abroad to make a difference in your community back home?
From my study abroad experience, I want to inspire others in my community to see that opportunities like this are possible and don’t have to come with financial burden. I also hope to show that learning about other cultures can make you value your own even more while growing into a global citizen.
Q4: How do you hope this experience will shape your future studies or career path?
As a pre-law student hoping to pursue tribal law, I want to use this experience to better understand how Indigenous people are treated in this country and how their cultures are influential, so I can grow into the best advocate possible for Indigenous peoples everywhere.
Watch here: Tziavi goes swimming in one of the Yucatán's many cenotes
Q5: How does your personal background or identity shape your interest in Latin America?
My parents are both Shoshone-Paiute from Nevada, but my father’s side is also Mexican, which is why I carry a Latin last name. I didn’t grow up with much connection to that side of my heritage, so choosing to study abroad in Mexico felt like a way to walk where my relatives once did and embrace a part of myself I hadn’t yet fully explored.
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