The assistant director for the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education was surrounded by positive mentors growing up and now shares this gift with others.
Amy Gutierrez-Luviano recently joined the Elon University community and is already using her role to help students find belonging while looking for connections with fellow colleagues.
As an assistant director for the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education, Gutierrez-Luviano manages El Centro, a space that promotes celebration, collaboration, dialogue and research to support advocacy, cultural appreciation and academic achievement related to Latin American cultures and the Spanish language.
“I want to help build belonging at Elon by proactively engaging with our students’ voices to understand their needs and create inclusive spaces where they can feel supported,” she said.
Gutierrez-Luviano achieves this each day by supervising and mentoring students, organizing programming and events and developing educational workshops. Outside of her professional role, Gutierrez-Luviano participates in the Latinx/Hispanic Employee Resource Group, which she says is an important program at Elon that supports her cultural identity as she navigates her professional role.
A first-generation Mexican-American, Gutierrez-Luviano’s parents moved from Michoacán, Mexico, to Wilson, North Carolina, where she was born and raised. She remembers regularly going to a Hispanic flea market growing up, where her parents allowed her and her siblings to buy one item during most visits. Gutierrez-Luviano would often pick a snack like raspado (shaved ice), nieve de coco or fresh cut fruit with tajin and Chamoy while navigating vendors with the backdrop of loud music coming from each stand.
She attended Barton College in her hometown for her undergraduate degrees in business administration and Spanish and earned a master’s at the University of Georgia in college student affairs administration.
“As a first-generation Mexican-American, there were times throughout my undergraduate experience where I did not know what questions to ask, or what I should be doing to be successful,” said Gutierrez-Luvianos, highlighting why she values playing a mentoring role for students.
“I had wonderful mentors who saw potential in me and guided me in the right direction,” she added. “I want to serve my students in that same way, especially if we may share similar cultural experiences because it adds a layer of connection.”
Gutierrez-Luviano said her mentorship begins with curiosity – understanding where students want to be in the future, what worries them and ways to build confidence. “I see potential in my students and guide them in the right direction by listening to their hopes, their goals, and their worries,” she shared.
Hispanic Heritage Month, she said, “honors our contributions, while inviting everyone to immerse themselves into our culture, and traditions that keep our community strong.”
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.