David Felipe-Rodríguez
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
David Felipe-Rodríguez is a first-generation Zapotec & Mexican student at Brown University concentrating in International and Public Affairs and Ethnic Studies on a pre-law track. He is interested in immigration journalism, closing educational disparities, and increasing healthcare access for his community in South Central Los Angeles. Outside of the classroom, David is the president of the Latinx Pre-Law Society, a senior research assistant for the Pandemic Journaling Project Lab, an active leader on the Brown Dream Team, a former peer mentor at the Undocumented, First-Generation, and Low-Income (U-FLi) Center, a queer indigenous activist, and is currently in the process of becoming a licensed paralegal and certified EMT. In his free time, he likes to practice language revitalization, surf, and get tatted. Through the ISRP Lab, he hopes to further his immigration advocacy and continue representing the people of Oaxaca, Mexíco, and paisanos everywhere.
Rachel E. Freeman-Wong
Post-Doctoral Fellow
PhD, UCLA; MEd, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Rachel E. Freeman-Wong is a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University. Her work with the Immigrant Student Research Project builds on her previous research and community work with immigrant, undocumented, and LGBTQ students. She has worked for several community-based organizations and higher education institutions including My Undocumented Life, The UndocuScholars Project, Bunker Hill Community College, Mass Bay Community College, and Achieving the Dream. She is particularly interested in how students form counter-spaces on higher education campuses and how institutions can support these counter-spaces
To contact Rachel, please email rachel_freeman-wong@brown.edu
Allie Hansen
Research Fellow
MPA, Brown University
Allie Hansen is a graduate student in the Master of Public Affairs program at the Watson Institute at Brown. She recently graduated from Villanova University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and humanitarian engineering. She has been involved in several international development projects that sparked her interest in human rights, including an affordable explosive ordinance disposal robot in Cambodia and an ArcGIS monitoring system for handpumps in Ghana. She also volunteers as an English tutor at the Refugee Dream Center in Providence. She is excited to join the ISRP and work toward a future where all immigrants receive the support and recognition they deserve as the most resilient and impactful members of the United States.
Junior Gafa
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Junior Gafa, a senior at Brown University concentrating in History, brings a deeply personal perspective to the Immigrant Student Research Project (ISRP). As a DACA recipient, his journey has shaped his pursuits to join the ISRP lab and fueled a passion for exploring the intricacies of immigration policy. His experiences offer a unique lens through which he examines historical and policy-related issues. He is dedicated to contributing to ISRP's efforts, leveraging his insights and academic background to advance understanding and support for the educational experiences of immigrant students in U.S. higher education. Beyond his academic endeavors, Junior is also a student-athlete at Brown, participating in the university's football and rugby teams. His passion for sports has extended beyond college grounds, leading him to a professional career with the Anthem Rugby Carolina team in North Carolina."
Aaron Ayala
Research Fellow
MPA, Brown University
Aaron Ayala is a Masters of Public Affairs Candidate at the Brown University Watson Institute. Aaron’s interests are centered on equity-focused public policy and urban planning, with a particular focus on the study and mitigation of socioeconomic disparities in public institutions. During his time completing his associates degree at Grossmont Community College, Aaron engaged extensively with immigrant advocacy initiatives centered on the Otay-Mesa Detention Center with Al Otro Lado and other San Diego based non-profit organizations. Aaron hopes to remain engaged with initiatives that uplift the New England immigrant community, working as a policymaker and community advocate. Aaron’s prior work as a Ronald E. McNair scholar centered around understanding disparities in work-commute changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly on disparities in COVID-19 risk mitigation opportunities between marginalized communities and the general public. Aaron is currently working with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights and Department of Human Services, where he is researching equitable policy programming in Rhode Island.
Sima Raha
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Sima Raha is an undergraduate rising junior at Brown University, concentrating in Economics. She has also explored courses from various departments, including International Public Affairs, and Computer Science, and Literature to broaden her opportunities. She believes that her chosen concentration will provide her with enhanced job prospects. Having overcome the hardships associated with being a refugee, Sima is passionately committed to utilizing her research skills and experiences to bring about positive change. Her ultimate objective is to apply her involvement in the “Immigrant Student Research Project” to shed light on the unique challenges faced by refugees. She aims to contribute to evidence-based policies and interventions that improve the lives of displaced populations. By integrating academic rigor with real-world experiences, she strives to be a voice for the refugee community and make a meaningful impact. She is seeking to have her own research area in Economic Integration of Refugees and Immigrants.
Anahis Luna
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Anahis is a rising junior at Brown University studying architecture and modern culture and media. Her interests have been rooted in the intersection of traditional art forms and organizing around educational policy, and have expanded to include the integration of avenues of user interface and design in research. In the Providence community, she has previously worked as an ESOL Site Leader with the Providence Public Library, teaching and establishing the logistics for the program, where students teach adult learners English. She has also interned with the Providence Teachers Union, where she was able to connect with local stakeholders and familiarize herself with the struggles of the Providence School District. As an immigrant herself, she hopes to bring valuable insight to the Immigrant Student Research Project.
Marco Antonio Flores
Research Fellow
PhD, Stanford University
Marco is currently a graduate student in History of Art at Williams College, a program jointly offered with the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, studying modern and contemporary American and Latin American art.
His interests include feminist, queer, and trans* U.S. Latinx and Latin American artists in visual culture, performance art, and experimental film. In particular, Marco is drawn to the embodiment of queer aesthetics, brown affects, and geographies of the body. Through his interdisciplinary training, he hopes to contribute to understanding of the spiritual, the political, and the aesthetic in U.S. Latinx Art theories and practices.
He is currently a Graduate Curatorial Fellow at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. He has also participated in the Smithsonian Latino Center’s Latino Museum Studies Program and is currently a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow. Marco completed his B.A. from the Department of Gender and Women's Studies and M.A. in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Anne Fosburg
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Anne graduated from Brown University in December 2017 with a B.A. in Critical Pedagogy. She currently works for the Provost's Office at College Unbound, an alternative university for adult learners seeking Bachelor's degrees. She is applying to doctoral programs in American Studies to continue work on the history of radical and alternative education in the U.S. with a focus on classrooms as politically charged spaces.
She grew up in Utah and spent time organizing in Salt Lake City around the establishment of sanctuary churches for undocumented people. Anne has also worked with English for Action, a participatory ESOL program for recent immigrants to Providence. Her research interests include the relationship of the university to the state and capital, queer pedagogy, intellectual histories of the left, and radical educational projects. Anne is excited to be a part of this project as it seeks to make higher education more accessible to historically excluded populations.
Tina Park
Research Fellow
PhD, Brown University
Tina is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Brown University. A native of Los Angeles, she attended UCLA where she earned a B.A. in Political Science with minors in Chicana/o Studies and Public Policy in 2007. She holds an M.A. in Sociology from Brown, as well as a Master’s in Urban Planning from New York University.
Broadly, her dissertation work examines the social scientific construction of racial knowledge, with a focus on quantitative approaches used to study racial inequality. Her dissertation, "Reconstructing Asian America: An Epistemological and Methodological Intervention in the Study of Race," examines how sociologists study race, specifically the ways in which theories of race are operationalized into measurable variables and the use of those variables in quantitative studies of inequality. It is partly a historical project -- tracing the usage of "race" as a sociological concept and its operationalization through examination of 75 years of sociological journal articles -- and partly a theoretical and methodological one. She uses Du Bois and critical race studies to develop an alternative method of studying racial inequality, one that is sensitive to the ways in which racial ideologies change, the context it operates in, and the ways in which race and racism differ for different racial groups.
In addition to her research, she was the Graduate Coordinator for the Brown Center for Students of Color where she organized retention-oriented programs for graduate students of color. She also served as the first graduate coordinator for the national Du Boisian Scholar Network.
Vania Pereira
Research Fellow
MA, Brown University
Vania is a Master’s student in American Studies at Brown University. She grew up in a working-class community in Boston to a hard-working, single mother, and Cape Verdean immigrant. She attended Providence College in Rhode Island where she earned a B.A in Global Studies and a Business Studies Certificate in 2017. Coming from a mixed-status family and an immigrant community, her research interests include undocumented migration, globalization, parallels between mass deportation and mass incarceration, and human rights.
Aside from her research, Vania is an advocate for immigrant students and is involved with several immigrant rights organizations in her community. She is an ally member of the Providence Immigrants Rights Coalition (PIRC) and Brown Immigrants Rights Coalition (BIRC). She currently works as the Graduate Student Coordinator for the First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center at Brown University. A first-generation, low-income, and immigrant student herself, she is a dedicated ally to students who identify with these social identities. At Brown, she works to build community with these students, offer social and academic support, and create a healthy and reflective environment. She also works closely with Student Life administrators to implement policies that will better assist these students.
Note: These bios were current as of the time that these individuals were working as part of the ISRP Lab.