Majoring in Spanish and minoring in education as an undergraduate, Tavárez became familiar with the Spanish department, its faculty—including her current faculty advisor, Professor Maria Colombi—and staff. She was exposed to grants, fellowships, mentorships and teaching assistant (TA) training opportunities. Learning that the UC Davis Spanish graduate program is one of the top in the nation sealed her decision to stay and pursue graduate school.

Tavárez, like many new graduate students, found her first year difficult, as she juggled a TA position with her student commitments. The Spanish department provided essential classes, tools and guidance, including supervisor check-ins and classmate feedback and evaluation, that helped her and her peers stay on track academically while enhancing their TA skills. “If it weren’t for the support we received, teaching daily and maintaining a high GPA would have been extremely hard,” she says.

Tavárez also relies on the guidance of mentors from outside the department. “Ken Barnes from the Internship and Career Center helped me expand our Ann Prepare Lavni project on campus and is always referring undergraduate students to our organization. He is also very resourceful when it comes to grants and fellowships.”

Tavárez’ research has additionally been funded by various organizations and departments on campus that support language students in their research—primarily the UC Davis Blum Center for Developing Economies, the Cross Cultural Center, Hemisphere Institute on the Americas, the Student Recruitment and Retention Center and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

Upon entering the Spanish graduate program, Tavárez changed her emphasis from literature to linguistics, which offered more comprehensive compatibility with her research. The shift has broadened the scope of her work. “I love the fact that my research is multidisciplinary since it gives me room to travel, make connections with other universities and stay in touch with the Haitian community I serve,” she says.

Her academic achievement and affiliation with UC Davis has opened national and international doors. As a McNair Scholar, Tavárez secured an opportunity to work with Partners in Health and Harvard Medical School as a volunteer in Haiti. This led to an outgoing internship as a research assistant for Harvard Medical School.

“UC Davis is a well-known university, and its prestige has helped me get to places I never imagined,” she says. “The preparation I’m receiving is priceless. When I’m presenting at a conference or talking with other faculty across the nation, they can sense there is something different in me. It is, in many parts, because of the education, support and trust I have in UC Davis. I plan to work overseas after finishing my master's and doctor's degrees, and to carry on the legacy UC Davis has entrusted to me.”