Undergraduate Migrations Scholars
The undergraduate Migrations scholars collaborate with the Einaudi Center's Migrations team to help shape the content and direction of Cornell's Migrations Global Grand Challenge.
These seven students across colleges are passionate about critical migration issues, and many of them are migration studies minors. In addition to participating in Migrations initiative programs, they will coordinate an undergraduate migration research symposium, as well as monthly migrations events throughout the semester.
Danielle Berkowitz-Sklar
Developmental Sociology
Danielle’s interests include the environment, public health, and human displacement. Her interest in migrations stems from her work on sea turtle conservation with an NGO she co-founded when she lived in Costa Rica. She hopes to keep exploring migration through a multidisciplinary lens encompassing science, history, economics, politics, ethics, and agriculture.
Alexis Fintland
Industrial and Labor Relations
Alexis is a senior studying Industrial and Labor Relations with minors in migration studies and law & society. She spends her time as a research fellow for the ILR Worker Institute studying how various legal statuses impact migrant worker precarity. This research will turn into her senior honors thesis, and she will examine COVID-19's impact on undocumented and lawful permanent resident workers. Inspired by her Cuban roots, Alexis hopes to dedicate her career to advocating for comprehensive immigration reform.
Aliou Jabari Gambrel
College Scholar (Intra-African Displacement) & Africana Studies
Aliou’s research attempts to discern and record disparate Senegalese public opinion concerning the nature and intention of economic development programs. Moreover, he aims to center these varied concerns, arguments, and philosophies in an analysis of informal outward migration and transformation of space and civil society.
Joanna Moon
Biological Sciences
As a biological sciences major, Joanna has always been interested in research centered around the human body, health, and well-being. She is involved with community-engaged courses and organizations that have inspired her to think critically about global health and human rights within underserved communities. She hopes to continue to actively participate in these discussions focusing on access to healthcare for vulnerable migrant populations.
Vanessa Olguín
College Scholar (Climate Refugees) & Government
Vanessa’s interests lie in the intersections between migrations, environmentalism, and international relations. She aims to understand the impact of climate change on migration in Central America and how climate migration is examined in international politics. She hopes to continue to discover the impact of international migration policy on climate refugees to ultimately aid in advocacy and policy solutions. Watch Vanessa Olguin '22: Einaudi Student Path (video).
Danny Strouse
Policy Analysis and Management
Danny’s research aims to expand the understanding of the economic, political, and social motives underpinning immigration from the Northern Triangle by examining socioeconomic and security conditions. He hopes to broaden the discussion of immigration policy’s role around the world and build empirical evidence for more empathetic, efficient policy-making.
Luis Tamayo
Sociology & Spanish
Luis seeks to understand migration as a life-long social process that requires a humanistic perspective. As a research assistant with Dr. Filiz Garip, he has studied migration both in Mexican and American contexts. Through these research experiences, he became fascinated by qualitative research methods as they have enabled researchers to see beyond statistics. He plans on becoming an immigration attorney to help uplift his community and contribute to comprehensive legislative reform.