Rare Book School (RBS) at the University of Virginia has selected an inaugural
cohort of 15 fellows to join the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage (RBSMellon CH Fellowship). Fellows will participate in a three-year program which includes an orientation, Rare
Book School coursework, community symposia, and other activities relating to multicultural collections and
trainings.

Among the selected fellows is Margarita Vargas-Betancourt, from the University of Florida. Dr. Margarita Vargas-Betancourt is the Latin American and Caribbean Special Collections Librarian at the George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida. She coordinates the processing of Latin American manuscripts, and serves as a liaison to faculty and students. She uses her background on colonialism, ethnohistory, and diversity to identify and highlight the hidden voices in archival collections and to serve and empower Latino students at the University of Florida. In 2016, she was part of the team that got the SAA Diversity Award for the Latin American and Cultural Heritage Archives Section webinar series “Desmantelando Fronteras/Breaking Down Borders.”

To learn more about the fellowship program, visit their website.