A Journey to America Comes Full Circle

Santiago Creuheras: ALM in History and in Government and a CSS in 2001

Santiage Creuheras, ALM '01, on the steps of Widener Library

Santiago Creuheras, who graduated in June with two master's degrees (a Master of Liberal Arts in History and a Master of Liberal Arts in Government) and a Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management, seeks opportunities, pursuing what often seems a highly improbable path toward his goals. It is this path that has led him from Mexico to Washington, DC, to Cambridge and the Harvard Extension School.

Creuheras's ambition was evident early in life. As president and valedictorian of his high school class, he delivered a commencement address about both his grandfathers, as adventurous role models in modern life. And as the leader of a forward-looking student group, Gente Nueva, he brought together 15,000 students from various parts of Mexico and Latin America, international speakers, and performers to explore human values.

Creuheras's postsecondary education began at the Universidad de las Americas-Puebla, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1997, completing an honors thesis on competing long-distance telephone services in Mexico. He also participated in the Congress of the Americas, which included promising students and scholars from around the world.

His next step was to find work in Washington, DC, as an intern for a US congressman, senator, or other high-ranking political figure, because he wanted the opportunity to see firsthand the inner workings of the American political system. The first reply to his inquiries arrived from the office of Jesse Helms. No opportunities were available. Other offices responded negatively or not at all. There were too many applicants, too few positions; internships were rare enough without awarding them to a noncitizen.

Eventually the office of Congressman Joseph Kennedy called for an interview. He was offered a job, and in May 1997 Crueheras settled in Washington, DC, and began serving the Eighth District of Massachusetts. He assisted at press conferences, wrote memoranda on legislative issues, and conducted research in the Library of Congress. During the Congressional recess in August 1997, he worked at the Mexican Embassy.

While an intern, Creuheras toured Boston, a city he knew to be very prominent in American education. It was there he first learned about the Harvard Extension School and its Master's of Liberal Arts Program (ALM). In January 1998, he began the ALM Program with a concentration in history.

Impressed by courses offered throughout the University, Creuheras took classes not only at the Extension School but also at other schools within the University--the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Business School, and the Kennedy School of Government--and at MIT as well.

Crueheras credits his parents with his opportunistic, self-reliant approach to life. "They taught me to fish," he said. Both by word and deed, they encouraged him to become persistent, hard-working, and optimistic. Born in Barcelona, Spain, his father immigrated to Mexico at age 12 and now owns and operates a large ceramic business in Puebla, Mexico. His mother was born in that city to parents who arrived there in the 1930s, emigrating as refugees from the Spanish Civil War.

His capacity for making his own way became most apparent in Professor Samuel P. Huntington's seminar, Explorations in American National Identity. With 200 applicants vying for a handful of places, Professor Huntington noted that cross-registration inevitably involved students from the College, Divinity School, Kennedy School, and Business School. It had never included a student from Extension. Remaining in character, Cheuheras pointed out that the course therefore needed a representative from the Extension School. On that basis, and as the only international student, he was allowed to register. "It was a great mix of students," he noted.

Continuing the activities he began as an undergraduate, he was a member of the Harvard Graduate Student Council and served in the Harvard University Mexican Students Association. In addition, he was an affiliate of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.

Creuheras concluded his master's degree in history in November 2000 with a thesis on immigration and integration of the Poblano Sub-diaspora in the US, directed by Professor John Womack, Robert Woods Bliss Professor of Latin-American History and Economics. In March 2001 he completed all requirements for the Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management, and in June 2001 he accepted his master's degree in government. His thesis, directed by Professor Pippa Norris, Lecturer in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, focused on the Mexican transition toward democratization in the twentieth century.

Santiago Creuheras's journey to America has now come full circle. He was recently appointed internship program coordinator at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. In this position he assists Harvard students from the US who want to intern in Latin America, a position familiar to him as he once sought an internship in a foreign country.

Photo by Jeffry Pike.