For Dr. Geraldo Cadava, the wide diversity of the Latino experience is something to be honored rather than categorically dissected. Only once we respect the countless origin stories of our community can we even begin to understand the sincere, deeply held beliefs of each unique individual.

A scholar and author, Cadava’s deep family history informs his own experiences. He has often looked to his grandfather—a man of Colombian and Filipino descent who was born in Panama—for a rich text of stories about the Latino experience in America. In unpacking the cultural and political complexities within his own family, he became an expert on the multitude of themes woven throughout Latino history.

That curiosity has fueled his career as an educator and spawned two books, the most recent being 2020’s The Hispanic Republican: The Shaping of An American Political Identity, from Nixon to Trump.