Kevin Escudero
Principal Investigator
PhD, UC Berkeley; MSL, Yale Law School
Kevin Escudero is an Assistant Professor of American Studies and Ethnic Studies and an affiliated faculty member in the Sociology Department and Population Studies Training Center at Brown University. Professor Escudero's research and teaching interests include Comparative Ethnic Studies; U.S. imperialism and militarism; immigration and citizenship; higher education; social movements; and law. His book, Organizing While Undocumented (NYU Press, 2020) examined Asian and Latinx undocumented immigrant activists’ cultivation and use of an intersectional movement identity.
As a Public Voices Fellow at the OpEd Project, Professor Escudero has published pieces in Latino USA, The Hechinger Report, and Truthout applying his academic research to pressing issues facing immigrant community members today. From 2016-2017, he served as Special Advisor to the Provost for Undocumented and DACA Students offering campus-wide workshops and trainings regarding approaches to supporting undocumented students. His research has been supported by the AccessLex Institute, American Council of Learned Societies, American Sociological Association, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Association for Institutional Research, Institute for Citizens and Scholars, National Science Foundation, UC-MEXUS Institute, and UC Berkeley Center for the Study of Law and Society.
To contact Kevin, please email kevin_escudero@brown.edu
Isabel García Valdivia
Consultant
PhD, MA, UC Berkeley
Isabel Garcia Valdivia (Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, B.A. in Chicana/o Latina/o Studies and Sociology from Pomona College) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon. Her main research and teaching interests include [im]migration, race and ethnicity (including Latinx sociology), and the life course/aging.
Her work with the Immigrant Student Research Project builds on her research of immigrant and undocumented families’ experiences across the life course. For example, García Valdivia’s current research highlights Mexican immigrant men and women at the other end of the spectrum – people who have lived in the United States for decades – and their transition into late adulthood. How does immigration status affect older immigrants’ late adulthood experiences? And how does the experience of illegality change across the life course.
She has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, multiple UC Berkeley centers and institutes, and Brown University’s Population Studies and Training Center. Her work has appeared in Social Problems and Educational Researcher.
Read more about García Valdivia and how to contact her here: https://igarciavaldivia.com/.
Marcos Montoya Andrade
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Marcos Montoya Andrade is a senior at Brown University concentrating in Economics and Public Policy. He is interested in immigration economics, especially legal status's impact on children's economic opportunities and the cost of being undocumented. As an immigrant, he hopes to apply his analytical skills, economic knowledge, and lived experiences to the ISRP and create a powerful narrative for his community. In the future, he hopes to continue his work on anti-immigrant legislation which he published on LULAC. Outside of the ISRP Lab, he is the VP of the Brown Consulting Club, a teaching assistant for Applied Research Methods for Economists, and the VP of the QuestBridge Chapter.
Lauren Meraz
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Lauren is a senior from the LA area concentrating in Econ (Public Policy track) and Latin American and Caribbean studies. Outside of the ISRP Lab, she is involved at Brown University as the Vertical Head for Macro and Policy for BHIG, a teaching assistant for Applied Research Methods for Economists, a RA for the Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research, and is currently completing a thesis on Latino enrollment trends in Medicare Advantage. She appreciates human experience-centered analysis and has also conducted research in the past on mixed-Latino dietary acculturation, moral development in children, and language services in hospitals. As an Asian-Latina, she is passionate about exploring the intersectionality of ethnic identity and socioeconomic outcomes such as accessibility within her diverse communities.
Keidy Palma Ramirez
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Keidy Palma Ramirez is a junior at Brown University concentrating in Education Studies and Social Analysis and Research. Growing up in an immigrant household on the Mexican-American borderlands of El Paso, Texas fostered her passion for researching border and immigrant communities. More specifically, she is interested in adding to the field of education policy, analyzing the intersections between schools and policy and its impact on immigrant students and families at the border. Outside of the ISRP Lab, she is the co-founder of the Brown Dream Team, a Peer Counselor at the Undocumented, First-Generation, and Low-Income Center (U-FLi), a Fellow for the Bonner Community Fellowship, and a Research Assistant for the Waston Institute of International and Public Affairs. In Providence, she has conducted research for Onward We Learn and worked as a tutor for the Brown Refugee Enrichment Program (BRYTE).
Eduardo Gopar Gopar
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Eduardo Gopar Gopar is a first-generation Mexican-American student at Brown University concentrating in Business Economics and International & Public Affairs. Eduardo grew up in a mixed-status Mexican household in Atlanta, GA. Living in a diverse metropolitan area with a growing immigrant population, Eduardo's interest in immigration rights bloomed. He is motivated in protecting the immigrant community by advocating for them and potentially working with legislators in passing immigration reform for millions of undocumented individuals in the near future. Given the opportunity to work at the ISRP lab, Eduardo hopes to learn more about the experience of undocumented and DACA students in graduate school. Eduardo is currently the Outreach Coordinator for the Brown Dream Team, a Notable Narratives Mentor, and a Brown University Honorary Degree Committee member.
Guadalupe Herrera
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Guadalupe Herrera is a junior at Brown University studying Political Science and Linguistics on a pre-law track. She is interested in immigration and hopes to increase access to legal services for immigrant communities. Outside of the classroom, she is one of the co-founders of the Brown Dream Team, works with SCIJ as a legal advocate, is one of the Latinx Student Initiatives workers at the Brown Center for Students of Color, and enjoys trying new food places in Providence. Through the ISRP Lab, she hopes to further advocacy for higher education and access with communities she hopes to continue to work with.
Juan Sanchez
Research Fellow
BA, Brown University
Juan Sanchez, an immigrant from Cuba and a junior at Brown University majoring in Economics and Social Analysis and Research, is deeply interested in immigration law and constitutional protections. Through his work with the Clark County District Attorney's Office, he has supported immigrant victims of violent crimes. He also organized logistics for the RIBLIA Caucus, helping over 30 immigrants to testify before Rhode Island senators and representatives. Additionally, he leads macroeconomic coverage for the Intercollegiate Finance Journal, conducts research on gender dynamics in economic representation for the Economics Department, and serves as a Community Coordinator at Brown University.
Diana Canales Osorio
Research Fellow
M.Ed., Brown University; BA, Providence College
Diana (She/Her) is a Master’s student in the Urban Education Policy program at Brown University. Originally from El Salvador and raised in Providence, Diana is deeply committed to advocating for educational equity in her community. She currently works as the Institute Coordinator at the Annenberg Institute at Brown, where she helps drive initiatives aimed at improving educational outcomes. Before joining Annenberg, she was actively involved with the Providence Student Union, a local nonprofit where she supported student-led advocacy for safe and equitable education policies.
Diana holds a B.A. in Sociology from Providence College, where her research focused on the intersection of immigration and education policies. Her work emphasizes supporting undocumented and DACAmented students in their pursuit of higher education, examining the structural barriers they face and advocating for expanded access. Passionate about uplifting marginalized voices, Diana aims to influence policies that promote inclusivity and access for all students.
Euler De Leon
Research Fellow
M.P.A., Brown University; BA, University of Texas - Austin
Euler De Leon recently earned his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and a pre-health professions certificate from The University of Texas at Austin. He is pursuing a Master of Public Affairs. He hopes to work on critical issues surrounding immigration and health care, substance use disorder, and health equity. Previously as president of Women’s Relief Initiative, a non-profit based in Austin, Texas, and Guinea, he focused on promoting access to menstrual necessities and led the research and development team in engineering biodegradable products. He also worked as a data analyst in the Mangieri Lab, which focuses on addiction research. Euler is proficient in Spanish and is originally from New Braunfels, Texas