Falk Alumna Thalía Henao '16 Advocates for Equity Through Beauty, Culture Writing

Thalía Henao ’16 found her voice through writing. As a freelance beauty and culture writer, she advocates for equity by celebrating and empowering diverse identities and cultures.

“In my writing I am able to add elements of advocacy for marginalized communities because of my educational background and I am extremely grateful and recognize how much more impactful it makes my writing,” Henao says. She is published in Allure, WMagazine, and Latina Magazine.

Before her career in writing, she started her journey at Falk College—a first-generation student—majoring in child and family studies, now known as human development and family science.

During her time at Syracuse, Thalia traveled to Trinidad and Tobago with Professor Jaipaul Roopnarine and to South Africa.

“I went to Falk College because I wanted to have a deep understanding of both my community and the global community we are a part of,” Henao says. “I majored in child and family studies because I knew that getting a degree in this field would provide me the educational background to advocate for marginalized communities, and I can confidently say that this is true today.”

After graduating from Syracuse University in 2016, she went to Harvard University, where she completed a master’s degree in prevention science and practice with a minor in community engagement. While at Harvard, she traveled to India.

Today, Henao uses her global education and experiences to fuel her writing. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Henao to learn more about her personal journey and the role Syracuse University and Falk College played.