AUTHOR COPY ReflexionesPedago´gicas Reflections of a Latino junior scholar Anthony A. Peguero Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. Latino Studies (2011) 9, 466–472. doi:10.1057/lst.2011.50 Moments for Reflection In November 2008, the United States elected its first person of color as president. Days after this historical event that brought much hope for improving racial and ethnic relations in the country, Marcelo Lucero, a 37-year-old Ecuadorian immigrant was killed in Queens, New York City (NYC) simply for being Latino. These two events struck a deep emotional chord with me. As with most of my friends and family, I watched with inspiration when Barack Obama made his speech in Grant Park Chicago as the president elect. Conversely, when I learned of the news about the hate crime against Marcelo Lucero, I reflected on my identity as a Latino junior scholar. I was born and raised in NYC and lived in Queens. I am also a child of Ecuadorian and Dominican immigrants. I found myself emotionally connected to what happened to Marcelo Lucero because I, too, could have easily been chased down and murdered simply for being Latino. As a result of these two diametrically opposed events, I decided to reflect on my identity as a Latino junior scholar and my research over the coming year. Much of my research centers on examining the violence to which children of immigrants are exposed in schools and its detrimental consequences. Like many other scholars, my research agenda reflects an aspect of my own biography. r 2011 Macmillan Publishers Ltd. 1476-3435 Latino Studies Vol. 9, 4, 466–472 www.palgrave-journals.com/lst/