Congratulations to Our 2024 EMR Summer Thesis Research Grant Winners!

Jolin Chan

Suburban Chinese and Taiwanese Restaurants in the (Re-)Making of the San Gabriel Valley.

I always knew my senior thesis would be at the intersection of Asian American studies and food studies, especially since food reflects identities, values, power, and more. Both are incredibly interdisciplinary fields, which allows me to use methodologies from archival research to participant observation. And, as someone who grew up in Southern California, the San Gabriel Valley holds a special place in my heart. I am so grateful for the opportunity to explore food’s relationship with identity, community, and ideas of home in a place I call home, and to bring past and present stories together in my thesis.–JC

Julia García Galindo

“A Professional Vocation: How Teachers Construct Their Identities Through Crisis.”

I grew up in Puerto Rico at a time of immense political and social crises. My understanding of this was colored by the teachers in my family, for I witnessed firsthand the effects of cuts to benefits and school closures. When I got to college I wanted to explore that. Nevertheless, I quickly realized there was very little research on Puerto Rico. And so, I decided to write a thesis, eager to share teachers’ stories and better understand the consequences of working through crises.–JGG

Shruti Gautam

Lincoln Beach: A History of Property and Public Space in New Orleans.

This summer I’m studying Lincoln Beach in New Orleans and writing a history of the property. I am interested in studying water in a city surrounded by water but no place to swim. This beach used to be a Black beach and a site for music and cultural festivals in the 50s and early 60s before being shut down due to desegregation. The land is part of Coushatta Tribe Land but has been continuously owned by private and public-private corporations, especially interesting to study in a place with arbitrary borders. The story of Lincoln Beach will spell out legal and colloquial differences in understanding desegregation and public property. Above all, I want to know why this beach looms in public memory.–SG

Andrea Lanza

The Memory of our Ancestors: Weaving the Memories of Andean Textile Production.

Textiles in the Andes serve as a powerful medium for transmitting ideas, ideologies, stories, and expressions of identity, and have both tangible and intangible heritage, as well as being a living heritage. However, through a project I did in Spring 2023, I realized that the narratives about textiles in museums don’t reflect their richness and importance. This is why I have decided to carry out a thesis where I aim to evaluate the aspects of memory that are not part of these narratives. In addition, I think it is essential to give voice to the weavers in conversations about their heritage.–AL

Laila Nasher

Gendered migration amongst Yemenis and the political organizing of Yemeni-American women in NYC.

As a Yemeni immigrant, I’ve spent my time at Harvard studying the intersections of my culture, feminism, and education. My senior thesis is a culmination of my academic interests. It looks at the history of the South Yemeni feminist movement, particularly their fight for educational rights that helped define South Yemeni nation, centered around building a post-colonial equitable society. I will look at three critical periods: the 1964 Independence movement against the British, the 1990 North-South Yemeni unification, and the post-1994 calls for an independent South Yemeni state. 

Alejandra Navarro

Perceptions of Health after US involvement in Panama amongst Kuna Indigenous.

My interest in this topic stems from a passion in understanding the longstanding consequences of imperialist public health interventions in Latin America, specifically in marginalized communities. I hope to further unravel how Western and Non-Western medical beliefs both affect and have been affected by each other, and the possibility of them coexisting. his work hopes to inform future public health policies, fomenting more equitable and culturally-sensitive strategies, all-the-while recognizing past historical injustices. –AN

Emily Peck

“Study of the 2017 LOOK Act: Reversal of a 15-Year Ban on Bilingual Programs in Boston Public Schools.”

I became interested in bilingual education because of my experience tutoring immigrant students in Boston Public Schools. I saw how English immersion programs, which teach students entirely in English with limited native language support, negatively impact both immigrant students’ academic success and their self confidence. In my research I will examine the process by which bilingual education, which is widely regarded as the most successful way to teach non-native English speakers, came to be banned in Massachusetts and how advocates reversed the ban.–EP

Aneesa Roidad

Bay Area Land Occupations, 1969.

My project explores the material, political, and philosophical relationships between the Occupation of Alcatraz Island and the People’s Park Occupation. I became interested in this topic because of my own involvement in social and racial justice movements, as well as outdoor education spaces. Beyond understanding how and why movements resist power structures, my research is motivated by a desire to understand how social movements begin building the world they want to see. –AR

Kayla Saucedo

Measuring Structural Latinophobia and Testing Its Associations with Potentially Traumatic Events and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Latino Youth.

My research investigates how structural stigma specific to Latinos shapes the experiences of trauma and PTSD symptomology among Latine adolescents in the United States. As a Latina psychology major, I am passionate about mental health policy and service accessibility. However, I recognize that there are systemic barriers of oppression in the U.S. that have historically barred Latinos from receiving mental health care while actively creating trauma for our communities. My thesis hopes to understand the intersection between institutional discrimination and cultural psychopathology while advocating for trauma-focused interventions for Latino youth, both in clinical psychology and policy.–KS

Maryam Tourk

Surveilling Law Under Occupation: Accessing Justice in Kashmir.

I will travel to London and Kashmir to analyze how Indian legislation and surveillance affect the functioning of law in Indian-occupied Kashmir. I will also explore how Kashmiris operate within restrictive Indian legislation and increased surveillance to mobilize the law as a tool for addressing human rights abuses and injustices. As a Muslim Kashmiri-American, I am particularly interested in the use of national security and anti-Muslim narratives that have enabled authoritarian measures in the South Asian context.–MT