First-Year Convocation featuring Xavier Tavera Castro
Conflict, Resilience, Love.
October 08, 2025
12 p.m.–11 p.m.
Foss Center, Hoversten Chapel
Speaker: Xavier Tavera Castro, Photographer and Assistant Professor of Art at Carleton College
Xavier Tavera Castro is a Minneapolis-based photographer whose work explores the lives, histories, and identities of marginalized communities, including Latinx immigrants and military veterans. Born in Mexico City, Tavera brings a personal lens to his practice, using photography as a method of inquiry, documentation, and social engagement. His work reflects a deep commitment to community-based research and challenges conventional narratives through visual storytelling grounded in cultural and historical context. Through his art, he illustrates how scholarship can be both intellectually rigorous and socially meaningful.
This convocation invites students to consider how academic journeys are shaped by personal histories, cultural context, and creative exploration. By exploring his path, students are encouraged to reflect on how their own personal interests, cultural backgrounds, and lived experiences can shape and inform their academic development. This event invites students to make connections between individual passion and scholarly inquiry, emphasizing that academic work can emerge from a wide range of perspectives and practices.