Leading From the Middle: Reflections of a Nepantlera Navigating Identity and Supporting Students at La Casa

Abstract

Grounded in Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of Nepantla—the liminal space between cultures—this chapter reflects on the author’s leadership as director of La Casa Cultural Latina at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Drawing on decades of experience in cultural centers and student activism, the author situates her directorship within a lifetime of navigating “in-betweenness” as a Chicana educator raised in Iowa. The chapter examines tensions of belonging, identity, and power within the context of Latinx student support, highlighting how cultural humility and sentipensante (sensing/thinking) pedagogy informed her leadership approach. Through critical self-reflection, the author illustrates how embracing Nepantlera consciousness enables practitioners to mediate conflict, foster collaboration, and create transformative spaces of belonging for diverse Latinx communities. Ultimately, the chapter positions leadership “from the middle” as both a strategy of resistance and a model for inclusive praxis in cultural center administration.