He’s a drummer, a Latin Music aficionado, a leader and now a staff member at Bellarmine.
Israel Cuenca was born in Ecuador, and he came to Louisville to pursue a business degree. He started his business degree at University of Louisville, but he said it was not the right fit. So, in 2016, Cuenca found Bellarmine, and in the spring semester 2021, he graduated from Bellarmine with a master's in business administration and a master's of science in digital
media.
Cuenca said knew he not only wanted that degree, but he also wanted to advocate for the Hispanic/Latinx community, too. So, he dedicated his time to both social media and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work. In August 2021, he was hired as the new graduate assistant for the Dr. Patricia Carver Office of Identity and Inclusion (OII).
Cuenca said he saw this as an opportunity to interact more with the Hispanic/Latinx community on campus. “It’s colorful, so it’s beautiful because for me it’s the opportunity to learn more about students,” said he.
He has already learned a lot more about DEI from his few months with the OII and it made him realize how important DEI is to not only the university but to the world.
Said Cuenca, “We all need to learn and to be able to approach and embrace at some point in life that will help a lot in your career no matter what it is.”
Joseph Frazier, director of the OII, said he is glad to have Israel on the team. “It was a really a god-send that Israel came across our applicant pool,” he said.
Cuenca has already made major contributions to the OII. As the graduate assistant he manages the OII’s social media, and he has “kicked up [their] social media game 100%” Frazier said. Thanks to Cuenca, the OII has almost 1,000 followers on Instagram up from about 800 followers before the start of the fall semester.
Cuenca’s new position means more than a follower increase. Dr. Emily Dixon, assistant director of the OII, said Cuenca provides the OII staff with a new and much-needed perspective.
“There’s this belief that, you know, the office is too focused on Black issues, and having a Latin person on the team says, ‘Okay there’s someone here for me that understands what I’m trying to go through,’” Dixon said.
Said Frazier, “Our Latin community has a lot of barriers that they experience and face.” Frazier said he is glad that Cuenca can be there for Hispanic/Latinx students and he cannot wait to see how Cuenca connects with these students.
“He can trailblaze right now,” Frazier said.
Not only did Cuenca come to town to get a college degree, but he also came to make his mark in the city. In 2019, Cuenca founded the Latin Music Awards Kentucky. The awards are held in Louisville, and Cuenca said it’s an opportunity to both give back and show support.
The Latin Music Awards had its third edition Sept. 17, 2021. The concert celebrated more than 60 Latin artists who live in Kentucky. These artists come from different genres like mariachi, Christian, salsa, and jazz, and many performed that night. He also got to play drums with some of the performers. Cuenca and his team brought in judges from different sides of the music world, such as members of the Louisville Orchestra; Hugo Diaz, a producer for Pitbull and Lil Jon; and Bellarmine’s director of jazz studies, Dave Clark.
The event also had partnerships with local non-profit organizations like the La Casita Center and the Adelante Hispanic Achievers. Some of the Latin Music Awards’ proceeds are donated to these two nonprofits that are dedicated to the education, career development, wellness and cultural awareness of the Hispanic/Latinx community in Louisville. Cuenca said that the Latin Music Awards also grants partial music scholarships to six Hispanic/Latinx students.
“It’s a great program that we celebrate culture, diversity and inclusion within the Latino community in Kentucky,” he said.
The Latin Music Awards is one of the first Hispanic/Latinx awards in the region. Cuenca said that there is no better way to celebrate Hispanic/Latinx culture than through music.
“Music connects us,” he said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, Latin, Asian….and that's kind of a universal language. Through music, we can celebrate our culture, our histories and things that we love.”
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