M.A. Students
Also see
Adriana graduated in June 2015 from Stanford University with a B.A. in international relations, with an emphasis in social development and human well-being and Latin American & Iberian studies. Adriana studied abroad in Santiago, Chile, in Autumn 2013 and returned to work in Santiago the following summer as a recipient of Stanford's Monica Miller Walsh Summer Internship Grant. Though she had long been interested in Latin American politics and culture, it was during this time abroad that Adriana developed her passion for studying the connection between Latin American political history and today's societal norms and public policy. Most recently, Adriana worked in International Affairs at the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
In her free time, Adriana can be found skiing, reading, or eating ice cream with friends. Her favorite flavor is Rocky Road. Adriana is thrilled to join the Stanford CLAS family, and is looking forward to another year on the farm!
Allie was born and raised in the Bay Area. She received her undergraduate degree in international relations and a minor in Iberian and Latin American cultures from Stanford University and is thrilled to be on the Farm for one more year to delve deeper into Latin American studies. Her intellectual interests include Spanish, Portuguese, cultural self-identification, human rights, social and economic development, and environmental conservation. During her time as an undergrad, Alexandra studied abroad for three months in Madrid, Spain, and more recently for two months in Florianópolis, Brazil, under a FLAS Fellowship. Allie has definitely been bitten by the travel bug and hopes to engage in future hands-on experiences in the communities and countries she wants to one day serve. Outside of the classroom, Allie is a member of the Stanford Women's Rugby team and is an avid outdoor enthusiast. After graduation, Allie hopes to pursue a career in Corporate Social Responsibility in order to better serve as an interstitial between big businesses and the communities they affect abroad.
Mary received her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley with a major in psychology and a minor in anthropology. Since then, Mary has taught English in Peru, worked at Stanford, and done consulting work. As a native of the Santa Cruz mountains, Mary has always had a strong connection with nature. At the Stanford Center for Latin American Studies, she hopes to understand more about environmental conservation in Latin America, and its connection to social and economic justice. In her free time, Mary loves to cook, garden, camp, and spend time with the children in her life.
Gustavo graduated from Stanford in 2015, with a double major in political science and mathematics. Gustavo is from Florianópolis, Brazil, where he lived most of his life. During his time as an undergrad, Gustavo spent two summers in Ecuador with the Stanford program Volunteers in Latin America, returning the second summer as a trip leader. Gustavo has been working as a research assistant at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford, with Professor Beatriz Magaloni, on a police violence project in Rio de Janeiro. Gustavo’s personal research interests revolve around this same topic, encompassing not only police violence but also the incarceration system and crime policy in Brazil. Gustavo hopes to return to Brazil after earning his M.A.
Amelia graduated from Stanford University in 2015, with a dual bachelors degree in music and anthropology. She grew up in Ashland, Oregon, and values the knowledge she gained as a child from her parents and mentors about her environment and her impact on and in it. She concentrated in vocal performance for her music degree and is passionate about sharing her singing across the globe as she travels for research, performances, or adventure. Amelia has given impromptu and formal concerts at the Barcelona Festival of Song in Spain, at schools in the Galápagos Islands, and in Santiago, Chile, and hopes to give many more. Her love of music extends beyond the vocal arts to playing Taiko (Japanese ensemble drumming), in which she engaged through the Stanford Taiko group, all through her undergraduate years. Her research interests in Anthropology lie at the intersection of humans and the environment, with a focus on how people interact with their environments through ecological education and environmental literacy. Furthermore, with support from the Beagle II Award, the MUIR program through the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and the UAR Major Grants from Stanford University, Amelia conducted research to determine the scope of environmental literacy of students in schools on the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. She hopes to continue environmental education research and programming for students in the Galápagos and hopes to expand that research to mainland Ecuador and to Chile, where she studied abroad in Spring 2014.
A native of Montevideo, Uruguay, Magdalena recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Dominican University of California with a double major in political science and international studies. During her undergraduate years, Magdalena lead a study on the political participation of women in Uruguay that took her back to her homeland on three occasions to conduct primary field research. As part of the project, she interviewed members of the Uruguayan Parliament, political party leaders, and members of the office of the First Lady of Uruguay, Lucia Topolansky. Furthermore, Magdalena’s passion for social justice and volunteering encouraged her to go on service trips to Tijuana, Mexico, and Mytiana, Uganda.
In her junior year, Magdalena studied abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, in (Quarter and year), an experience that intensified her curiosity in international affairs and flooded her soul with wanderlust. Magdalena’s academic interests include international relations, political institutions, human rights, and public policy. She is eager to delve deeper into the political, economic, and social development of Latin America at Stanford. In her spare time, Magdalena enjoys wandering along Bay Area mountains, planning trips to far-off lands, and capturing memorable moments in amateur photographs.
Julieta graduated from the University of Denver (DU) with a B.A. in English and Spanish in 2013. She was born and raised in Denver, to where her family migrated from Mexico, and has traveled to various countries, which has broadened her perspective on what it means to be Latin@ in the U.S. After graduating from DU, Julieta spent some time serving as an AmeriCorps member in Denver and later as a volunteer English teacher in Spain for 6 months. Her travels and her and her family’s heritage have influenced her decision to pursue graduate level studies in the Latin American Studies program at Stanford. Her interests include studying intersectional identities and educational policies in the U.S. Latin@ community. In her free time, Julieta enjoys going Latin dancing, reading, spending time with friends and family (a.k.a. eating lots of delicious food), and being outdoors in her native Colorado!
Christopher Kai Medeiros is a JD/MA joint degree student with Stanford Law School and the Stanford Center for Latin American Studies. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2013, with majors in global studies and Spanish and a minor in linguistics. As an undergraduate, he conducted field research on legal pluralism in the Tsotsil-speaking township of San Pedro Chenalho, Chiapas, Mexico. During his first year of law school, Kai worked as a research assistant for Professor James Cavallaro of the Stanford Human Rights Center. Kai is also student leader of Stanford Law School’s Immigration Pro Bono, which assists Community Legal Services of East Palo Alto in serving the area’s low-income immigrant population.
Julia was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her B.A. at Wesleyan University, where she majored in Latin American studies. During her college years, she studied in Chile and interned in Nicaragua. After graduating, Julia worked for a youth development organization in Panama, Paraguay, and the Bay Area. She then transitioned to the Foundation for Sustainable Development, where, as a program officer, she connected community-based organizations in Latin America with grant funding and volunteers. Julia is interested in the role of NGOs in community development and how they can use grassroots solutions to affect positive change. Julia loves exploring California, snuggling with her kitty, and riding her pink bike around Stanford.
Jessica was born and raised in Michigan but now calls San Francisco home. She was a chef for ten years, most recently working in a kitchen with Hondurans. Friendship piqued her curiosity in this small country, and when she had the opportunity to return to school in 2010, she was set on a course of study. While completing her B.A. in interdisciplinary studies at Dominican University of California, Jessica became enthralled with Honduran history, specifically U.S. intervention. At Stanford, she is excited to further her research and illuminate the history of a country so often over looked. Jessica continues to cook, but now it is at home for her wife. She also enjoys quilting, photography, and traveling as much as possible.
Jin received a B.A. in Portuguese from Beijing Language and Culture University under the 1+1+1+1 program, in which she spent one year in Macau and another in Portugal to have an immersing experience of Portuguese language and the Lusitanian culture. While studying as an exchange student in Portugal, she assisted Professor Amy Liu from University of Texas in conducting interviews with the Chinese community of immigrants in Lisbon. Her interest in Brazil was ignited while she was writing an essay concerning a book written by Jorge Amado, a well-known Brazilian writer. Apart from studying at school, she worked as the interpreter of a Brazilian director during the Beijing Film Festival and news assistant of Beijing correspondent of Folha de São Paulo, with the desire to make good use of Portuguese as a tool to broaden her horizon and hone her skills in various areas. Although she has never been to any Latin American country, Jun has particular interest in Chinese immigration and ethnic groups in Brazil and the Sino-Brazilian relationship, among other areas. In her spare time, Jun enjoys reading, traveling, doing volunteer work, and acting in dramas.
