Throughout her time at Elon, Assistant Dean Vanessa Bravo, an administrator and professor in the School of Communications, not only studies relationships but has worked to foster them and a sense of belonging at the university.
Elon University School of Communications Assistant Dean Vanessa Bravo’s work combines a unique blend of her personal life and career experiences, examining how Latin American governments establish relationships and communicate with immigrants in the United States, as well as how these governments convey information about immigrants to other stakeholders for diplomatic purposes.
“It has always interested me to understand how people who migrate start living in another country. How do we adapt to a new environment? How do we build social networks and how do we keep communicating as well with our countries of origin?” said Bravo. “In strategic communications, we study how organizations build and maintain relationships with the public or the audiences they interact with, and I was interested to see how governments at home build and maintain relationships abroad through communications.”
Bravo says immigrants are important to their home governments for a variety of reasons, including sending money back through remittances, supporting family members, visiting as tourists, serving as informal cultural ambassadors, and even getting involved with political processes at home. Therefore, it’s essential for these governments to preserve the national identity of these immigrants. As Elon honors Hispanic Heritage Month in September, this connection is on full display.
“You will see that during Hispanic Heritage Month, many embassies and consulates in the United States have celebrations with music and traditional foods to remind immigrants that they should be proud of the places where they come from,” Bravo said. “This applies also to U.S. citizens, born in the United States, who trace their family roots to Latin America. The celebration is a way to keep them connected to their origins.”
Originally from Costa Rica, Bravo spent nearly 15 years as a journalist before coming to the United States through the Fulbright Program, earning her master’s degree from the University of Florida.
“I always tell my students that I deeply respect the field of strategic communications, but my first love is journalism, and I think journalism is extremely important,” said Bravo, who is a professor of strategic communications. “I wanted to have the experience of living in another country for a long period, and I had this opportunity to pursue a master’s program. In journalism, the days are long, and after almost 15 years, I got tired and a bit burned out, so I wanted to do something different.”
After earning her doctorate from the University of Florida, Bravo joined Elon’s faculty in 2011 and said the welcoming environment on campus, even during her interview, made her feel at home.
“People seemed friendly and polite, and that has been my experience ever since,” she said. “It is a community that seems to care about each other, where you can build community, you can get to know people, and you don’t feel invisible. You feel that you exist and that you know people.”
Throughout her time at Elon, Bravo has worked more to make sure that sense of community remains for everyone, helping to build social networks across campus.
“Part of who I am at Elon is a professor who is of Latino background, and I want to help create networks and spaces that make the integration to Elon easier,” she said.
In 2015, she helped launch the Latinx/Hispanic Employee Resource Group, one of more than a dozen ERGs on campus that offer employees an opportunity to connect with colleagues over shared interests or background. In fall 2025, Bravo and Sylvia Muñoz, director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, also helped to launch the “Mi Casa” Living and Learning Community. The LLC is open to all students and centers on studying Latino/Hispanic cultures.
“It helps students learn more about Latino cultures, get to know other people interested in the same topics and build social networks,” she said. “It’s been a great thing. Students seem to be very happy, and they have made connections very fast.”
And during Hispanic Heritage Month, Bravo is reflecting on the networks she’s helped build and the contributions of the Latinx/Hispanic community.
“It’s a month that celebrates not only our foods and our music, but also how we are part of the United States in every single way—in academia, in science, in business,” Bravo said. “We are part of this country and an important part.”
Elon honors Hispanic Heritage Month
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, Elon University is sharing stories that celebrate the contributions, identities and experiences of students, faculty and staff. This month recognizes the rich histories and cultures of Hispanic and Latinx communities, while also honoring the ways these traditions connect with and inspire people of all backgrounds. This month provides a special opportunity to honor Hispanic and Latinx heritage, but it also serves as an invitation for all members of the university to engage, learn and celebrate together.