Ana Patricia Rodríguez Receives Orgullo Salvi DMV Community Impact Award

September 02, 2026 School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures | Spanish and Portuguese

A three-panel Orgullo Salvi DMV collage honoring Ana Patricia Rodríguez with a Community Impact Award. The left panel announces the award at Audi Field on August 1, 2026; the center photo shows Rodríguez smiling and wearing a blue patterned blouse and event lanyard; the right panel identifies her as a UMD professor of U.S. Latina/o and Central American literatures and summarizes her scholarship and community service.

SLLC’s Ana Patricia Rodríguez received the Orgullo Salvi DMV Community Impact Award at Salvadoran Heritage Night on August 1.

Ana Patricia Rodríguez, professor of U.S. Latina/o and Central American Literatures in the University of Maryland’s School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, received the Orgullo Salvi DMV Community Impact Award during Salvadoran Heritage Night at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., on August 1.

Rodríguez was recognized on the field as part of the evening’s celebration of Salvadoran heritage, culture and community in the Washington, D.C., region. The award honors her contributions to Salvadoran and Central American communities through her scholarship, cultural leadership and engagement beyond the university.

Orgullo Salvi DMV creates inclusive spaces that celebrate Salvadoran pride, connect generations and enrich the region’s cultural landscape through sports, culinary traditions and the arts.

Rodríguez’s work focuses on U.S. Latina/o and Central American literatures and cultures. Her recent book, Avocado Dreams: Remaking Salvadoran Life and Art in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area (2025), examines Salvadoran life, artistic expression and cultural production in the DMV. The Community Impact Award recognizes the meaningful connection between her scholarship and the communities whose histories and cultural contributions inform her work.

“What an honor and a true pleasure to see Dr. Ana Patricia Rodríguez’s hard work recognized by Orgullo Salvi DMV for the incredible impact of her scholarship and community engagement. Her work illuminates the histories, cultures and creative contributions of Salvadoran communities in our region, and this honor reflects the meaningful connections she has built between the university and the wider DMV community.”

—Dr. Mel Scullen, SLLC Director

The School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures congratulates Professor Rodríguez on this well-deserved recognition and celebrates her continued contributions to scholarship, cultural understanding and community life in the greater Washington area.