Building Belonging 2023-2024 Projects and Fellows

Understanding advocacy around the root causes of migration: Transnational Solidarity in Central America and beyond

Faculty mentors: Amy Argenal, Sociology Department

Student fellow:

• Sam Jimenez, sociology and global and community health double major

Venom Lab: Critical Archival & Digital Storytelling Mentorship

Faculty mentor: Lily Balloffet, Latin American & Latino Studies Department

Student fellows

• Marissa Guzman, Feminist studies & Latin American and Latino studies double major
• Miguel Narez Vazquez, Latin American and Latino studies & sociology double major
• Fernanda Ruiz-Riedel, Latin American and Latino Studies and politics double major
• Sofia Trigueros Ufford, Agroecology & Latin American and Latino studies double major

Language Comprehension and Cognitive Control

Faculty mentor: Megan Boudewyn, Psychology Department

Student fellow:

• Lea Toledo, cognitive science major

Language, Literacy, and Academic Pathways for the “New Mainstream” in Community Colleges

Faculty mentor: George Bunch, Education Department

Student fellow:

• Xittlali Trejo, education and psychology double major

Laboratory Life and Social Death: The Problem of Diversity in Science and Society

Faculty mentor: James Doucet-Battle, Sociology Department

Student fellows:

• Dimitri Cardona, sociology major
• Bhavya Kallam, Biotechnology and communications major

Building capacity for research on servingness: A student-centered research agenda

Faculty mentor: Rebecca Covarrubias, Psychology Department

Student fellows:

• Xitlaly Reyes, psychology major
• Janai Dagdagan, psychology major
• Andrew O’Brien, psychology major

Socio-Ecological and Socio-Cognitive Underpinnings of Experiences with Math Stereotypes for Latine Elementary School Students

Faculty mentor: Saskias Casanova, Psychology Department

Student fellow:

• Rodela Nirjhar, psychology major

Conexiones Culturales: An examination of belonging and youth participatory action research project with middle school Latine students

Faculty mentor: Saskias Casanova, Psychology Department

Student fellows:

• Blandina Mendez, psychology and global and community health double major

Tracking Colonial Deportations in South America

Faculty mentor: Jeffrey Erbig, Latin American and Latino Studies Department

Student fellows: 

• Anaí Rosales, Latin American and Latino studies major
• Lourdes Ornelas, Latin American and Latino studies and politics double major

Farmland Investment in the Mississippi Delta

Faculty mentors: Madeleine Fairbairn, Environmental Studies Department

Student fellows:

• Junuh Tejeda Nussman
• Benjamin Pa

Exploring the local politics of contested legitimacy and transformative climate urbanism: A comparative examination of Santa Cruz, San Jose, and San Francisco

Faculty mentor:  David Gordon, Politics Department

Student fellow:

• Crystal Solis, politics major

Mapping Community Life: Using StoryMaps to Explore Histories of Resilience in the Central Andes

Faculty mentor: Carla Hernández Garavito, Anthropology Department

Student fellows: 

• Jennifer Xilonzochilt, anthropology and sociology double major
• Lily Barajas, anthropology and literature double major

The impact of exchange rate changes on global banks

Faculty mentors: Grace Gu, Economics Department

Student fellows:

• Ravneet Kaur, economics major
• Sinclair Madden, economics major
• Rachel Cimino, business management economics major

Disaster rebuilding costs and climate adaptation and mitigation: are we building back better?

Faculty mentor:  Galina Hale, Economics Department

Student fellows:

• Simran Gaheer, economics major
• Uvini Ratnayake, economics and mathematics combined major
• Gohan Garcia, economics major

Ant Community Ecology in Tropical Forest Restoration

Faculty mentor:  Karen Holl, Environmental Studies Department

Student fellows:

• Ariam Asmelash, marine biology major
• Alyssa Hosmer, MCD biology major

Development of Social Preferences Based on Political Partisanship

Faculty mentors: Hyesung Grace Hwang, Psychology Department

Student fellow:

• Genevieve Greco, psychology major

Bilingual ERP Replication Project

Faculty mentor: Liv Hoversten, Psychology Department

Student fellows:

• Lupita Mercado, cognitive science major
• Chris Flores, cognitive science major
• Aeryn Armstrong-Azhar, cognitive science and applied linguistics double major

The Limits of Reforming Punishment: Youth Voices on the Structural Absence of Care

Faculty mentor: Rekia Jibrin, Education Department

Student fellows:

• Lizeth Peña Sanchez, Education, Democracy and Justice; Latin American and Latino studies/sociology combined major
• Elizabeth Peña Sanchez, Latin American and Latino studies/sociology combined major

Public Perspectives on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies

Faculty mentors: Sikina Jinnah, Environmental Studies Department

Student fellow:

• Valeria Cuevas, environmental studies major

Nutritional status and environmental enteric dysfunction in children

Faculty mentor: Audrie Lin, Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department and Global and Community Health Program

Student fellows:

• Evelin Vazquez, global and community health major

Building Belonging in Climate Change Impacts and Mitigation

Faculty mentor:  Michael Loik, Environmental Studies Department

Student fellows:

• Graciela Chavez, environmental studies and biology double major
• Hannah Downing, environmental studies major

Attaining Affirmative Action Goals in Public Procurement

Faculty mentors: Justin Marion, Economics Department

Student fellow:

• Elina Singh, economics and mathematics combined major

Defining Culturally Competent Perinatal Care for Indigenous Farmworkers

Faculty mentor: Christie McCullen, Sociology Department

Student fellows:

• Jennifer Rojas Heraz, sociology major
• Jennifer Xilonzochilt, sociology and anthropology double major

Rape Counseling and Crisis Services for Latinas at HSIs and emerging HSIs

Faculty mentor: Jaimie Morse, Sociology Department

Student fellows:

• Airam Coronado, sociology and politics double major
• Dana Alvarez Hernandez, psychology and anthropology double major

Watsonville is in the Heart: Mapping a Recuperative History of Filipino Farmworkers

Faculty mentors: Steve McKay, Sociology Department

Student fellow:

• Julie Fintamag, history major

Into the Depths: Examining the Deep-History of Fishing

Faculty mentor: Eréndira Quintana Morales, Anthropology Department

Student fellows:

• L Caine, anthropology major
• Jaye Saad, anthropology major

Anthropology and the Co-Production of Medical Knowledge

Faculty mentor: Megan Moodie, Anthropology Department

Student fellows:

• Kylie Flanagan, sociology major
• Prunella Crombie Presberg, feminist studies major

Immigrants and the Welfare State in South America

Faculty mentors: Sara Niedzwiecki, Politics
Department

Student fellows:

• Chris Knight, politics major
• Alexandra Mendes, politics major

The origins of the Oyo Empire war horses (Ede-Ile, Nigeria) – an isotope approach

Faculty mentor: Vicky Oezle, Anthropology Department

Student fellow:

• Elyse Venerable, anthropology major

Educational Equity in Agroecology Curriculum and Programing at UCSC

Faculty mentor: Damian Parr, Enviromental Studies Department

Student fellows:

• Sheyna Burns, sociology and agroecology
• Eliana Nunez, Education, Democracy, & Justice major

Economic benefits of birdwatching tourism in Colombia

Faculty mentors:  Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, Environmental Studies Department

Student fellow:

• Olivia Fragiacomo, enviromental studies major

Trans Migrant Life Histories in Iquitos, Peru

Faculty mentor: Justin Perez, Latin American and Latino Studies Department

Student fellow:

• Daniel Bautista, global and community health major

 K-12 Ethnic Studies Pedagogy

Faculty mentor: Josephine Pham, Education Department

Student fellows:

• Carlie Floyd, Education, Democracy, and Justice major
• Autumn Montez, intensive psychology major 

Trade, Imperialism and Environmental Justice in Mexico

Faculty mentors: Ravi Rajan, Environmental Studies Department

Student fellow:

• Maya Mendoza, enviromental studies major

Leadership in the Equitable and Ethical Design of STEM

Faculty mentor: Jenny Reardon, Sociology Department

Student fellow:

• Micah Sargento Kim, sociology and history of art and visual culture double major

Sociopolitical Involvement and Well-being in College Students

Faculty mentor: Danny Rahal, Psychology Department

Student fellows:

• Narissa Carthy-Dundas, intensive psychology and legal studies double major
• Kyle Ko, neuroscience major

Right Livelihood: Connecting Activism and Academia

Faculty mentors: Dave Shaw, Environmental Studies Department

Student fellow:

• Fatima Hernandez Alatorre, community studies major
• Netra Yadav, psychology major

Identifying Pathways to Distributive Equity in Marine Protected Area Management in a Changing Climate

Faculty mentor: Katherine Seto, Environmental Studies Department

Student fellows:

• Prachiti Sabnis
• Skyln Jara, marine biology major
  
  

Labor of Decentralization: Promises and Extraction in the Web3 Field

Faculty mentor: Zoe Zhao, Sociology Department

Student fellow:

• Alyssa Merced Lugtu, cognitive science and intensive psychology double major