by Naquela Kirk

Isabella Campos, a junior majoring in Political Science at UAB.
Photo by Naquela Kirk

Isabella’s grandparents, Gabriel (left) and Elcira (right).
Photo courtesy of Isabella CamposFor Isabella Campos, Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to educate others on all the ethnicities and experiences representing Hispanic and Latine cultures. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Isabella is one of very few students of Chilean heritage, and she wears that as a badge of honor.

Because of the political climate in Chile in the 1980s, Isabella’s grandfather, Gabriel, came to the United States from Santiago, Chile, to work at the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters. After seizing power, Augusto Pinochet attempted to strengthen his power by establishing a new constitution, which resulted in a military dictatorship and banned rival political parties and centered violence on anyone who opposed him, including civilians. It is estimated that over one million people were forced to flee Chile under Pinochet’s rule.

Once Gabriel established a life in New York City, Isabella’s grandmother, Elcira, joined him with their two children, including Isabella’s father, who was in his early teens. It was their experiences that served as the inspiration for Isabella to choose her major in political science, concentrating on global politics and policy.

Ethnocentrism is the evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture, according to Oxford Languages.)Growing up, Isabella was exposed to other cultures and languages. Both her grandfather and grandmother are multilingual fluent in over four languages. Her grandmother also inspired her to attend college and study law. “From a really young age, I had a good idea of what ethnocentrism was from [my grandfather] and how to break that lens and have a more global perspective.” That sort of holistic perspective helps her as attorney general for the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA), where she serves as legal counsel for student-involved cases.

Isabella is also a volunteer coordinator for the Social Justice Advocacy Council, serving on the programming board that “promotes intercultural interactions between all communities of people” at UAB but also expands its scope to serve the City of Birmingham. Isabella chose to attend UAB because of its proximity to her mom in Hoover but also for its location in the Civil Rights bed of Birmingham. “I wanted to have the opportunity to learn political science through that lens, and I definitely want to continue the fight that Birmingham has had for civil rights and things like that.”In Spring 2023, Isabella won the USGA Outstanding Freshman Forum Member of the Year Award.
Photo courtesy of Isabella Campos

Isabella, who moved to Alabama around the age of 10, was exposed to the rich Civil Rights history of the city from a young age. She recalls her most impactful experience learning about the ongoing fight for equality while working on Mayor Randall Woodfin’s 2021 campaign. “I feel like I had this idea that I knew that people were still not being treated fairly, but I didn't really understand that it was still coming from a systemic standpoint.” She admits that she’s still learning and trying to understand the systemic barriers faced by some and continues to discover that even in modern times, education about minorities and other underrepresented communities is still necessary for tolerance. That continues to fuel her passion for studying political science.

Isabella is very active on campus. She is in the University Honors Program (UHP). She also helped co-create the organization Esperanza, with fellow UAB students Miguel Luna and Jasmin Hernandez-Alamillo. On the importance of observing Hispanic Heritage Month, Isabella says it’s an opportunity to expand education in all the countries that represent the Hispanic and Latine communities. “One of the things that I've noticed is that we all kind of get clumped together, and we sort of play into our own stereotypes by stereotyping each other.” To combat those characterizations, Isabella thinks it’s important for Hispanic and Latine students to become involved in organizations like Esperanza and SALSA because of the networking opportunities they provide to make students comfortable learning about one another.

As far as where she wants to be post-UAB, Isabella has several ideas on the paths her career track in law could take her. Serving as a judicial clerk, becoming a judge, and practicing law are all on her radar. Still, her biggest dream is to serve as a justice in the International Court of Justice, continuing in the U.N. legacy of her grandfather.