Meet the 2012 Graduate Student Cohort
Winter-Spring 2013 | Issue No. 5
Matias Fernandez is originally from Santiago, Chile. He graduated from the Universidad Catolica de Chile with a major and professional title in Sociology with highest honors and a minor in Philosophy. His current interests are in historical and comparative sociology, political sociology, comparative politics, history of political thought, cultural history, Latin American liberalisms and neoliberalisms, and deviant behavior. He enjoys traveling, bicycling, eating, and literature. Megan Fornasar is originally from New York but grew up in The Woodlands, TX. She majored in Sociology at Notre Dame. Megan’s interests are national identity, race and ethnicity, sociology of sport, and political sociology. She is concentrating on the manner in which national identities are constructed and performed in multicultural/multiethnic societies, particularly in statesupported mega-events (like the Olympics). Megan enjoys reading and baking. Rocio Garcia is originally from the Merced area of Central California, but most recently moved from Reno, NV. She was an undergraduate at California State University, Stanislaus where she double majored in The 2012 cohort left to right: sociology and Spanish and minored in English. Here she Peter Catron, Leydy Diossa-Jimenez, Ilan Goldstein, Lina Stepick, John Sullivan, David Schieber, Alexandra Tate, received the Award for Academic Excellence in Spanish, Jessica Huerta, Juan Delgado, Megan Fornasar, Rocio Garcia, Tahseen Shams and Matías Fernández graduated summa cum laude and was awarded the University's highest honor, the J. Burton Vasche Award. Peter Catron originally from New Juan Delgado was born in Cali, Leydy J. Diossa-Jimenez was Rocio was also awarded the 2009 Pacific Sociological Mexico, received a B.A. in Colombia, a city often called “the born in Viterbo, Colombia. She Association Distinguished Undergraduate Student Paper psychology and masters in branch of heaven” and one of the holds a B.A. in Sociology and a Award for a paper outlining the markers of social sociology from the University of world’s capitals of Salsa. Juan M.A. in Political Sociology from activism. At the University of Nevada, Reno she earned New Mexico. His undergraduate obtained a B.A. and M.A. in the National University of a Master’s degree in sociology. Rocio specializes in thesis addressed patterns of Sociology at the National Colombia. Her previous research Latino/a sociology; race/ethnicity; gender; qualitative unionization among Hispanic University of Colombia. He is focused on the Colombian methods. Her next project will incorporate research that immigrants in the United States. interested in Diaspora to Los Angeles from examines the cultural and racial/ethnic differences His master’s thesis was in historical/comparative sociology, 1960 to 2010; studying the between young professional U.S. born Latinas of Sociology. Peter’s research political and cultural sociology, reasons why Colombians migrate Mexican descent and Black women in their construction interests include international and –somewhat reluctantly– to the US despite significant of the “wife-mother ideal,” juggling their roles as migration, stratification, and labor social theory. Before coming to financial, social and emotional professionals, and future wives and mothers. Rocio says, markets. He became interested in UCLA, Juan worked as an costs. In Colombia, Leydy “I am interested in this research because as higher immigrants in the labor market associate researcher with a worked as a GSI (graduate education grows increasingly diverse, the tension while working in construction and Colombian human rights “think student instructor) teaching between the lack of availability of educated co-ethnics teaching English as a second tank.” His previous research has Social Indicators and research due to the college gender gap, their professional lives, language (ESL) in New Orleans focused on the relationship methods on poverty and and the coercive presence of the cultural ideal of after Hurricane Katrina. There he between social mobilization inequality. Since arriving in the motherhood becomes a zero-sum game for women of was exposed to working conditions processes, collective violence, US, she has worked in a local color, impeding their life satisfaction. I am interested in that immigrants faced and that he and the broader field of non-profit serving the LA furthering the understanding of diversity in the U.S. by did not. This experience motivated contentious politics in Colombia. County Superior Court where exploring the intersections between race/ethnicity, him to continue his education to Juan has had a few publications she helps to facilitate programs gender, and class.” better understand these processes. on the peace movement as well as that aim to reduce criminal Peter’s hobbies include running on the history of the internet in recidivism in the greater Los marathons and skiing. He looks Colombia. Currently, he is Angeles area. Leydy is currently forward to exploring California. interested in cultural and political interested in the political processes of actor dimension of international constitution/de-constitution that migration flows from Latinhelp explain the emergence of America to other parts of the ethnic mobilizations, and the world. She would also like to parallel decline of labor study patterns of intra-regional mobilizations, in Latin America. and transit migration in this When not thinking sociologically context. Leydy, a in third person (which takes most vegan/vegetarian, loves finding of his time), Juan enjoys the and cooking delicious recipes. simple pleasures of life: good food, good conversation, and continued on next page… good company.
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