A mother-daughter moment at graduation

Elizabeth dos Santos was excited to see her daughter, Nathalia Reyes, celebrating her MBA at the Latin American Network at McMaster (LANMU) Graduation.

She didn’t know that her daughter had been given a secret task: stay on stage after you receive your stole.

Dos Santos has been a McMaster staffer for 19 years. She’s also an alumna. When she graduated in 2004, LANMU didn’t exist yet: It was established in 2021, comprised of students, staff and faculty who have various ties to Latin America and its diasporas. Since its early days, dos Santos has been an active supporter of LANMU and its mission to create a sense of community and belonging.

At the now-annual LANMU grad, dos Santos watched with pride as they called her daughter’s name and Reyes walked on stage. And then, the surprise: They called dos Santos’s name, too.

She was about to celebrate her graduation once again, this time surrounded by LANMU community and with her daughter celebrating right along beside her.

Family ties

Their family ties to this university go farther back than dos Santos’ time as a student: her dad, Gino Chamorro, was a custodian who worked at Les Prince Hall for nearly 30 years until he retired.

Dos Santos’ parents pushed her to go to university, and it was always in the back of her mind: “I should go to Mac, if my dad works there,” dos Santos said. But she wanted to graduate from high school and start working right away.

She was working various jobs when she had Nathalia, and became a single parent at age 21. It was the push that got her back to school.

With the support of her family, dos Santos went back to school when Reyes was three years old. Her grandmother served as primary babysitter until dos Santos could afford daycare. Reyes remembers seeing her mom studying, her binders from school, when she was just four or five years old.

As a part-time student, dos Santos studied for six years to obtain her Bachelor of Arts in Labour Studies from the Faculty of Social Sciences. She graduated in 2004 with her parents and grandmother in the audience. “It did change my life,” dos Santos said.

After graduation, dos Santos worked part-time with McMaster’s HR department and high schools across Hamilton, where she discovered a passion for working directly with students – and helping guide them on their own educational journeys.

“When I was a single parent and when I was in high school myself… I didn’t have that direction or guidance,” dos Santos said. “And because my parents were first generation immigrants, they didn’t really have those connections or the community to refer me, like… go to this workshop at McMaster or attend this information session.”

She later obtained her certificate in academic advising and now works as an academic advisor with the Faculty of Science.

Her mom’s expertise came in handy for Reyes when it came time for her to navigate university applications and figure out her future.

“When it was my turn to be in grade 12 and think about what I wanted to do, it wasn’t very clear,” Reyes said. “I leaned on my mom a lot during that time.”

“I could ask her any questions,” Reyes said. “Even my friends would ask me to ask my mom questions.”

“She got the VIP treatment,” dos Santos said.

Though Reyes wasn’t sure of what program she wanted at first, she always knew she would come to Mac. Her mom had gotten her very involved at McMaster, including leadership summer camps when Reyes was in grades nine and 10. The tuition assistance bursary, since her mom was an employee at Mac, also helped make the decision easy. “It was a no-brainer.”

During her undergraduate degree, Reyes and dos Santos saw each other regularly on-campus, commuting together most of the time and meeting up for lunch often.

When Reyes graduated with a Bachelor of Technology in 2022,

She remembers thinking of her mom, too, at this time, and her voice breaks with the memory: “I thought, you know, if she could do her undergrad, I could go farther.”

She kept going and earned her MBA from the DeGroote School of Business. That accomplishment was the one being recognized recently at the LANMU graduation in June.

“I’m very proud,” dos Santos said, of her daughter.

“I’ve always instilled in my daughter that education is so important, not only for work possibilities and having that flexibility and options, but also to be independent, financially independent.”

“To see her graduate, first with her undergraduate degree and then also complete her MBA is just… I’m very proud of her,” dos Santos said.

Celebrating remarkable achievements by both of them

When they announced dos Santos’ name, along with Reyes’, at the LANMU graduation, Reyes said that she “wasn’t so surprised.”

Dos Santos has been a strong supporter of LANMU, which was co-founded and currently helmed by Rodrigo Narro Pérez.

“I know my mom’s been supporting Rodrigo as well, and LANMU. I think that was their way of giving back to my mom.”

From left: Elizabeth dos Santos, Rodrigo Narro Pérez and Nathalia Reyes.

For dos Santos, it was a full-circle moment that brought everything into perspective.

“As an advisor, I really want to give back to any students, especially student minority groups,” dos Santos said. “I feel very honoured to be a part of LANMU, and to give back to my community as well.”

“It was special that they would think to include me during my daughter’s graduation ceremony,” dos Santos said. “For me, it was very special.”