About a year ago I was informed that I had been selected as a fellow for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. This is a national fellowship that is meant to put students from underrepresented backgrounds on the path to academia.
One of the perks that comes with the fellowship is a stipend for research funding for junior and senior year and the summers before them. Thanks to this research funding, I got to design my own research trip as I started to think ahead to my senior thesis.
My research interest began broadly at the intersection of immigration and gender and sexuality. I decided to use my funding to make stops in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the bay area. I flew into San Diego first and slowly made my way north.
I quickly learned how emotional this research could get. One of my first stops was at Friendship Park, a place where people on the U.S. side and Mexico side of the U.S.-Mexico border are able to see relatives and friends through holes in a fence.
Friendship Park Entrance
Being undocumented myself, I was definitely worried about seeing border patrol agents in person, but I had a friend in the area who was able to go with me.
Me yelling at border patrol from a safe distance.
After the more stressful first stop, the rest of the trip consisted more of museum and archive visits.
LGBTQ+ museum display in San Diego
Chicano Park, San Diego
I made my way to Los Angeles next, where I met up with my sister. I made sure to take some breaks in between research stops to do touristy things for self care as well.
Views of Hollywood sign and me from Griffith Park
I found a lot of great books to add to my reading list throughout the trip. I got to visit lots of archives on campuses that ended up doubling as grad school tours.
The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles
I then flew into San Francisco, where my first stop was Angel Island, the site of a detention center-turned-museum that housed mostly Chinese immigrants between 1910 and 1940.
Angel Island Immigration Station
I made more stops at colleges and archives before culminating the trip with a sibling reunion. The three of us are pretty scattered now with school so it’s really great when we all get the opportunity to be together.
A sibling reunion!
I am very thankful for the opportunity I had to ease into my research over the summer. My time in California helped me to solidify my desire to go into academia after college and my research has developed significantly since then. I am now getting ready to do more research this summer and dive right into the thesis process. I’m excited to do that work and provide more updates once that’s finished!
A photo of the Harvard Art Museums
This is the opening page of Harvard's Office of International Education, where you can find plenty of resources in your study abroad journey.
On a sunny day, I chose to take a selfie of myself with the iconic Melbourne city skyline in the back.
First-time snorkeling!
Ana with her family member at her high school graduation.
View from the hotel in Sidi Bou Said, Tunis
Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience Senior Thesis Writers
Cheering you on in your scholarship application journey!
My view from atop a hill near a mining camp.
Our first day we were taken on a city tour to explore!
16th St Baptist Church Birmingham, AL
I passed through Cañar on my trip to my hometown, where I got to visit the Ingapirca Ruins!
Sunrise during our first morning at sea.
Fall foliage
This is LS50.
My First Harvard Yale Game
Adding as thumbnail for blog
A friend and I celebrating our high school graduation!
My one of my Floridian roommates in the snow last year looking warm in a coat and jeans!
To relax after midterms, some friends and I enjoyed donuts for breakfast in Leverett Dining hall.
Cake from Paris Baguette & my Thesis Title Page
The SEF is just one way for low-income students to receive extra support towards the cost of attendance at Harvard
Photo of side of Apley Court
I transformed my desk to a workstation to dissect the worms for my lab.
Studying on a cold day with some coffee.
Pictured with me (on the left) are Louisa (student at the Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity in Paris), TJ (Harvard Class of 2020), and Gabi (Harvard Class of 2021) from left to right.
Me giving out homemade awards to my MFP students!
A picture of Agassiz House, taken during my first visit to Harvard. Although I had not previously considered Harvard an option, I applied Early Action two months later, feeling an immediate connection to the campus.
I've gotten to make some incredible friendships during my time here, and these lovely people are some of my closest friends.
My view out the window as I flew to Europe for the first time
The office threw me a mini goodbye party to thank me for my work during the summer!
My field team in Bazil.
A sophomore and I at a mosque in the City of the Dead!
As a part of orientation, my program took us on a bike tour of Havana. Here we are in "Plaza de la Revolución" , a large public plaza dedicated to the revolution and its leaders.
Taking a victory picture with one of my best friends and teammates.
I got to go to Paris over Spring Break of my sophomore year and I was honestly living my best life.
Test tubes in a laboratory
