"Café con Leche is a blossoming family of Latinx students at the UW GCGP who support and lift each other up in graduate school and beyond. Latin American representation in genetic counseling remains limited, so being able to celebrate our vibrant culture within such an incredible and unique community has been truly invaluable."
Café con Leche is a UW GCGP student group founded in Summer 2023 by alums Juliet Torres (she/her/ella) (GCGP 2023) and Ernesto Marquez Montes (he/him/el) (GCGP 2024).
Juliet was assigned to be Ernesto's mentor during his first year as a genetic counseling student, and as the only Latine genetic counseling students at the GCGP, they wanted to cultivate a welcoming place for incoming Latine students because they understand how difficult and daunting it is to navigate a predominantly white institution and profession.
The name of the group, Café con Leche, reflects a common practice in global Latine culture of coming together with loved ones, family, or friends to connect over a cup of coffee (usually with milk!). Community and friends are so important to have during the graduate school experience and beyond. Café con Leche meets monthly to socialize and provide a supportive and encouraging time to talk, receive or provide mentoring, ask for advice, and everything in between.
"Café con Leche is a safe place for me. Every member of this group is genuine and goes out of their way to make everyone feel heard and comfortable. It has become an amazing community of like-minded individuals. I will forever be grateful to have this group as part of my grad school experience.”
Café con Leche is open to Latine UW GCGP students and anyone wanting to learn more about the Latine genetic counselor experience. If you are a prospective Latine genetic counseling student interested in attending the UW GCGP, feel free to contact Juliet Torres or Ernesto Marquez Montes.