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What Does the Undergraduate Research Group Do? The Civic Experience undergraduate research group is comprised of Sac State undergraduates working on political science research. Our research group meets throughout the semester and we work collaboratively to apply to academic conferences and poster sessions, write papers and policy briefs, organize panels, and introduce undergraduate students to all phases of academic research. In the 2019-2020 academic school year we have nine undergraduate research affiliates working on immigration research. Their bios are contained in the following sections. Two students, Wendy Martinez and Jacob Benitez (pictured below) recently participated in the Sacramento State undergraduate research poster session with their project on "Displacement of Children within Mixed-Status Families." Gabriela Hernandez will be participating at the Western Political Science Association in the Spring of 2020, presenting her research on DACA. Six of our undergraduate research affiliates presented at the Sacramento State Keeping the Dream Alive Conference on December 6, 2019. On March 14, 2020 nine of our undergraduate research fellows will be presenting at the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS), Norther California Conference at Sacramento State. At the NACCS the students will be presenting on mental health and well-being among undocumented and DACA recipients in K-12 and higher education. Undergraduate Research Affiliates Bios Wendy Martinez: Wendy is a Junior at Sac State, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Chicano Studies. She is a first generation college student, and grew up in a mixed status family. Her academic research focuses on the impact of immigration policy on mixed status families. Wendy has worked with the school board of education to install a permanent Marriage Family Therapist at local school sites, worked with students with disabilities in high school, and has continued to volunteer as a youth leader at church. Jessica Riestra: Jessica grew up in Santa Ana, Orange County and is currently attending Sacramento State. She currently serves as the Western Regional Director for National Council under College Democrats of America, is the chair for the Refugee and Immigrant Caucus under College Democrats of America, serves as the Director of External Affairs for GenUp, while at the same time being the Northern Director for March for Our Lives California. In the past, Jessica has served as a field organizer for the California Democratic Party. Her heart and soul is dedicated to activism and making sure womxn of color are being represented. She is pursuing a dual degree in International Relations and Chicano Studies to make sure she continues fighting for her people. Overall, she keeps busy doing community service within each region she lives in. Jacob Benitez: Jacob is a senior at Sacramento State majoring in Political Science and minoring in English Creative Writing. Jacob feels a close relation to immigration politics as he is in a mixed status family himself and has presented on mixed status families in this year's poster forum at Sacramento State. Jacob enjoys tutoring both high school students and Sac State students with English and is a peer mentor within his major. His experiences with immigration politics has motivated Jacob to pursuing a career in law. Gabriela Hernandez: Gabriela is a junior at Sacramento State majoring in Political Science. She is a first generation college student who is interested in examining the impact of documented status in immigrant communities. She will be presenting her research this spring at the Western Political Science Association and at the Keeping the Dream Alive Conference at Sacramento State in December. She plans to attend law school after graduation. Jovanna Justo-Sanchez: Jovanna is a junior at Sacramento State majoring in Criminal Justice and a minor in Spanish. She chose Criminal Justice and Spanish majors so that she may one day become an immigration lawyer. She is a child of immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador, but was born in the US. Throughout Jovanna’s time here at Sacramento State she has worked as a first year peer mentor and orientation leader and has helped many students from different backgrounds and stories to have a smoother transition to college. Beverly Lopez Martinez: Beverly is a third year transfer student at Sacramento State. She is a first generation student majoring in Political Science. She is foreign-born, and has resided in the US since she was five years old. She is part of the community of immigrants who only knows the United States as their home. As a child, she moved regularly because her parents where always searching for better opportunities for her family. Moving around gave Beverly the aptitude to be socially active which led her to be involved in many organizations that offer advancement which are essential to share, create new paths, and to better evolve these opportunity for the future generation of foreign-born residents. Diego Veronica Torres: Diego attends Sacramento State, where he is a senior majoring in Political Science. He is part of the Sacramento Semester Program and is currently interning in the office of Assemblymember Boerner Horvath. He staffs the member on education, LGBTQ issues, utilities and energy, and veteran’s affairs. Diego is a first generation immigrant and hopes to pursue a masters degree in Political Science with a focus in American politics. Celeste Navarrete: Celeste is a junior at Sacramento State. She is currently majoring in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and minoring in Italian. Celeste is a first generation college student in a mixed status family, which has fueled her interest in immigration. Currently most of her research in immigration focuses on the impacts of language acquisition. Larissa Ramirez: Larissa is a senior at Sacramento State. She is currently majoring in Political Science. Celeste plans to work for the state of California while pursuing her Masters degree in American Politics. Currently her research focuses on the traumas faced by undocumented and DACA individuals in the United States. |