Five new faculty fellows have joined the Institute for Latino Studies this academic year.
The new additions are Steven Alvarado and Anna Haskins of Sociology; Jenny Padilla of Psychology; and Elena Mangione-Lora and Rachel Rivers Parroquín of Romance Languages. Currently, 36 fellows are in the program.
Both Haskins and Alvarado came from Cornell University. Alvarado uses quantitative methods and longitudinal data sets to research the unequal distribution of resources across racial and ethnic groups in schools and neighborhoods.
His work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as Social Forces, Social Science Research, and The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
“I was beyond impressed by all of the great projects ILS is doing and especially by the spirit and drive motivating everything you do,” Assistant Professor Alvarado says. “I am fully on board and am excited to be a part of a community whose goals are aligned so much with my own.”
Haskins is a former elementary school teacher who focuses on the triad of education, family, and criminal justice. She is co-editor of a recent book, When Parents are Incarcerated: Interdisciplinary Research and Interventions to Support Children (2018, APA Press). Her current projects look at how schools promote family engagement as well as public attitudes around college-in-prison programs.
“I was so impressed by what ILS offers to undergraduates, grad students and faculty alike at ND,” Associate Professor Haskins says. “[I’m] [h]onored to be an affiliate.”
Jenny Padilla, an Assistant Professor of Psychology, joins Notre Dame from Arizona State University. Her research focuses on the family as a context of development, especially during adolescence and young adulthood.
Of particular interest to her are sibling-related family dynamics. One of her primary goals is to advance understanding of the diversity of youth and family experiences among people of Latin American descent in the U.S.
“I am thrilled to come on as an ILS Faculty Fellow,” says Padilla, adding that she’s particularly excited to tap into ILS’s community contacts in South Bend, Elkhart and Goshen.
Teaching Professor Rachel Parroquín decided to apply after several years directing Notre Dame’s Spanish-language Community Based Learning program, an initiative of the Center for Social Concerns.
She’s worked closely with Teaching Professor Elena Mangione-Lora, who leads sections of Spanish CBL, as well. As part of their curricula, both partner with Holy Cross School to bring together Notre Dame undergraduates and local Latino children and families for educational exchange.
The Spanish-English immersion program at Holy Cross is fruit of a collaboration between ILS and Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE).
ILS Faculty Fellows are faculty, professors of the practice, and teaching professionals at Notre Dame who fulfill the majority of six criteria. These include teaching courses involving U.S. Latinx topics, mentoring students, and advancing the field of Latino Studies through research, among others.
Fellows are eligible for grants towards research; conferences; workshops; cultural events; and other academic ventures in Latino Studies. For Academic Year 2021-22, Fellows may receive up to $2,500 for their research projects.