Current Fellows

Cohorts 22-24 | 2022-2024


	Amal Ali Philosophy, Politics, and Law & African American Studies Faculty Mentor: Dr. Linette Park Research Title: "Decoloniality is a Humanism"

	Makalee Cooper Theater Studies & Anthropology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Fesette Research Title: "Fatphobia in the Media" Makalee's research is an examination of fatphobia's impact on American media through the lens of performance studies.
	Courtney Fitzgerald Sociology & Quantitative Sciences Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karen A. Hegtvedt Research Title: "Unveiling the Nexus of Black Queerness: Exploring Romantic Dynamics and Intersectional Challenges among Black Lesbians" This mixed-methods study explores the intersectionality of Black Queerness, specifically focusing on the experiences of Black lesbians in gender expression, partner preferences, and challenges related to the dominant culture. By examining the connections between heteronormativity, racism, and colorism, the study offers insights into addressing marginalization and discrimination within the Black LGBTQ+ community.
	Leilani Nti French & International Studies Faculty Mentor: Dr. Subha Xavier Research Title: "Humanism, Resistance, and the Making of a Movement: an analysis of the political actors who helped shape Latin American and African postcolonial states" How did militants, activists, and dictators of the mid/late 20^th century shape the culture of African and Latin American nations? This work aims to analyze the cultural legacy of Marxist humanism and violence in postcolonial states, imagined and created by 20th-century political activists.
	Emilio Rosas Gutiérrez Anthropology & Architectural Studies Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christina Crawford Research Title: "Cancun and the Politics of Space" Emilio's research provides a critical account of capitalist urban development in Cancún, Mexico, drawing from architectural studies and critical theory to unravel the roles of place, politics, and profit in the making of a city.

	Taylor Colorado Merino Sociology & Arabic Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yami Rodriguez Research Title: "Existir es Resistir: Liberation is a Creative Practice for Our Collective Survival" “Existir es Resistir: Liberation is a Creative Practice for Our Collective Survival” seeks to investigate the role and work of imagination in producing cultural representations and alliances across distinct groups of minoritized individuals. Using a relational (hi)stories framework, both the broader historical contexts and individual experiences with racism, colonialism, imperialism, and displacement are juxtaposed with an analysis of literary and cultural productions and the latter's transformative power in building the means of coalition that are necessary in the face of war, inequality and contested selfhood historically and in the present day. Ultimately, this project focuses on how Black, Brown, and Palestinian individuals use their imagination in service of their vision for a better world and how creative practices serve as essential strategies for fostering resilience and solidarity.
	M. Egberongbe African American Studies & Psychology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Erica Britt Research Title: "The Difference in the Salience of Transgender Identity Across the Black Diaspora" M's research project aims to explore how various societal factors influence the perception and salience of transgender identity among Black individuals in different cultural contexts. Drawing on sociological, linguistic, and psychological frameworks, M. will examine how legal environments, familial support, and social networks shape identity and group membership among transgender people in Nigeria and the United States. Previous research on social influence and group identity highlights how laws and social movements affect public opinion and individual identity formation. This project will build on that foundation by comparing legality, familial acceptance, and the presence of a support group. Through interviews and contextual analysis, M. will explore how societal factors such as national laws, public attitudes, and familial support impact their identity salience and sense of belonging. This research seeks to fill gaps in academic discourse on Black trans identities, providing a richer understanding of how cultural and societal differences influence identity perception. By highlighting the unique narratives of Black trans individuals, M. aims to create resources for young Africans questioning their gender identities and contribute to a more inclusive body of knowledge.
	Jonissy Kadima Philosophy, Politics, and Law & French Faculty Mentor: Dr. Calvin Warren Research Title: "Intersectionality Unveiled: A Personal Exploration of Identity, Belonging, and its Limitations" Jonissy's project strives to examine the use of identity and collective struggle as a structure around which folks organize. Her research finds interests in organizing and intersectional theories and practices that intend to empower folks of subaltern identities but might replicate the oppression they seek to eliminate. Jonissy plans to analyze topics such as sexuality, beauty, decoloniality, and more as potential avenues through which she can assess the limitations of modern-day theory and praxis.
	Jaanaki Radhakrishnan Anthropology & Religion / Neuroethics (minor) Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristin Phillips Research Title: "The Clearing: Nature Play as Black Liberation Methodology" Jaanaki’s research aims to explore the work of nature-centered play pedagogies in Atlanta and their implications as a liberation methodology. Her primary research question is: How do Black children, educators, caregivers, families, and community members experience, understand, and actualize spaces of resistance and liberation through nature play pedagogies? This project conceptualizes Black childcare spaces in the image of “The Clearing” as portrayed in Toni Morrison’s Beloved – a space of fugitivity and collective healing acting in opposition to the afterlife of slavery. Through engagement with nature-centered play practices, Black children begin to cultivate new understandings of self, identity, and social ecology that undermine systems of racial colonial capitalism and work toward the abolitionist imaginary. Grounded in an Ecowomanist theoretical framework, which integrates womanist religious thought with earth justice, this project examines the intersection of Black Ecologies & Geographies, Education Studies, and Decolonial Studies through an ethnographic lens. It seeks to address a gap in the literature surrounding Black child experiences and shift the discourse on nature-based play and Black childcare work. Further, this study seeks to exist in community with its participants and provide tangible benefits beyond the academy.
	Sabrina Reyes Sociology / Film & Media Production (minor) Faculty Mentor: Dr. Yami Rodriguez Research Title: "Visualizing the Social-Cultural Impacts of Gentrification in Brooklyn" Sabrina's research explores gentrification in Brooklyn, New York. She plans to conduct an ethnography, featuring oral stories and vintage photography showcasing and amplifying the Black and Latinx community and culture that is being stripped by gentrification daily. This topic is significant to her because it centers the community she was born and raised in. As she says, “Brooklyn, the borough YOU really don’t know but NOW love.” Brooklyn is now plagued with white residents and developers making the community seem foreign to natives. Major themes and questions Sabrina will explore in this research are: What is gentrification exactly? How does gentrification look and feel? What is community making and unmaking? And what is necessary to make culture and community preservation possible? This project is personal to Sabrina, but it also goes beyond her, as it affects her whole community and countless others who also experience gentrification. Additionally, this research will give a voice and recognition to those who do not have access and representation in the Academy.
	Deanna Sharpe Human Health & Spanish and Linguistics Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gordon Ramsay Research Title: "Accent and Dialect Acquisition among Children with Autism Exposed to In-Home Social Language Variation" The social and communication differences associated with autism spectrum disorder are known to impact social and language development. However, previous studies focused mainly on qualitative data, language attitudes, and claims against raising children with autism in multilingual environments, meaning that dialect research within autism still lacks quantitative metrics needed to address and support how accent and dialect acquisition occurs in youth with autism despite these differences. Thus, this study aims to determine if children with autism ages 2-5 years from African American and Southern American English-speaking homes acquire accent and dialect despite those differences that characterize ASD using quantitative and qualitative methods, including the Pairwise Variability Index (a metric used to quantify speech characteristics across languages), spectral analysis, and matched guise survey testing.