Speaker Information
About Our Circle Hosts
During the 2026 celebration, Abuela Celia Perez Booth, Ethriam Cash Brammer and Timetzalimet, an MSU student organization of Latin Indigenous heritage, will lead a circle conversation, providing space for learning, reflection and cultural appreciation. Learn more about our circle hosts below.
Celia Perez Booth is an adamant supporter of higher education. She served as an academic advisor and counselor at Mott Community College for over 30 years, helping first-generation students navigate college. She is a preserver of Mexican Indigenous heritage and culture. She is one of the few women in Michigan to host and educate on the healing power of the Nahua/Aztec temazcal and other traditions.
Abuela Celia’s ceremonial name is Q'ori Oqllo - Woman impregnated with gold: gold the sign of life Akaxochitl - Cane flower that blooms every 52 years. A trained healer, Abuela Celia became one of the coordinators of Kalpulli Tekpatl, a traditional longhouse dedicated to the preservation of Mexican Indian ceremonial traditions. In 1997, Celia was invited as a native spiritual elder to the Colombian Amazon to be part of a group of 200 Indians from all of the Americas organized by the Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Manchu. At the present time, Celia is working on an indigenous story titled The Godmother of the Spiders based on an experience she had during a ceremony in Mexico. However, the most important and most enjoyable job she has had is being Abuelita, a grandmother who provides indigenous cultural experiences to her grandchildren.
Ethriam Cash Brammer is a Chicano writer and scholar of Purépecha descent from El Centro, California. He currently serves as an Assistant Dean for the Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan, where he is charged with designing, implementing, and administering initiatives that contribute to Rackham’s mission and strategic vision to promote access, opportunity, and holistic student success. A translation scholar, he has translated many historically significant works of early U.S. Latine literature and is also the author of two original bilingual children’s books. While working at Wayne State University (WSU), Dr. Brammer helped create the Native American Student Organization (NASO) and facilitated the establishment of the Native/Aboriginal Development Network (NDN) Learning Community to support the success of Native American students at WSU.
Timetzalimet is a student organization at MSU that celebrates Latin Indigenous heritage and aims to create a safe, educational and cultural space for all students interested in exploring or connecting with Indigenous traditions and identities.
Rafael Rivera, president of Timetzalimet, is from Pharr, Texas, and is studying Interdisciplinary Studies with a cognate in Psychology and a minor in Environment and Health. During his time at MSU, he has grown into his identity and has a stronger sense of purpose both academically and personally. With the support of CAMP, CAPS, the College of Natural Science and the College of Social Science, along with involvement in student organizations such as TIMETZALIMET and NAISO, he has created a supportive community. These experiences have played a significant role in shaping who he is today and he uses these experiences to motivate and support others.