Research
Doctoral research in Geography, Environment & Urban Studies at Temple University, on land, displacement, and memory across the Puerto Rican diaspora.
Dissertation research
Puerto Ricans are experiencing large-scale displacement due to rapid development by nonresidents, echoing long-standing forms of historical dispossession. On the mainland, the Puerto Rican diaspora faces similar pressures from gentrification in its neighborhoods.
These have traditionally been studied as separate phenomena. My dissertation examines them as interdependent processes, following Puerto Ricans in Philadelphia and Puerto Rico through gentrification, displacement, and the vaivén of diaspora life. The project brings together Caribbean and Latine studies with critical human geography to understand how displacement and dispossession are embodied.
Advisor: Dr. Christina Rosan · Temple University, Department of Geography, Environment & Urban Studies
Areas of interest
- Puerto Rico
- Displacement
- Diaspora studies
- Latine geographies
- Land justice
- Environmental equity
Methods
- Oral history
- Storymapping
- GIS
- Community archiving
- Decolonial community practice
Projects & past research
- OngoingOral history projectDocumenting land, displacement, and resistance between Philadelphia and Puerto Rico. View the storymap ↗
- 2023–Research Assistant, NSF PIREBuilding Decarbonization via AI-empowered District-Wide Heat Pump Systems
- 2017Reevaluating the "Jíbaro": Postcolonial Identity in Puerto Rico and the Specialty Coffee RevitalizationM.A. thesis, University of Colorado Denver
- 2014–15Coffee Culture: Avid Coffee Drinkers & EnthusiastsField methods in cultural anthropology, Bloomsburg University
Writing & public scholarship
- 2024Municipalism ToolkitContributor and fellow, Municipalism Learning Series
- 2023Gentrification: When neighborhood changes aren't shaped by us and are no longer for usCommunity-Centric Fundraising · essay
- 2023highrisesCommunity-Centric Fundraising · poem
- 2021DisplacedKensington Voice · poem and reading
Talks & presentations
Conferences
- 2024Spatial Solidarities. From History to Group Chats: Exploring Resistance Across Geographies & SpacePuerto Rican Studies Association
- 2017Puerto Rican Coffee Revitalization and the Postcolonial Farmer IdentitySociety for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting · paper
- 2015Constructing Coffee Culture: Identity Through Coffee ConsumptionAmerican Anthropological Association Annual Meeting
- 2015Constructing Coffee Culture: Identity Through Coffee ConsumptionCollege of Liberal Arts Research Day, Bloomsburg University · poster
- 2015Identities of Avid Coffee DrinkersPASSHE Applied Anthropology Research Conference
Panels & invited talks
- 2025Advancing Equity and Environmental Justice in PhiladelphiaPenn Environmental Innovations Initiative
- 2024Language, Institutions, and Outcomes: Advancing Justice, Inclusion, and Sustainability Beyond BinariesCommunity-Based Global Learning Collaborative
- 2024Building Generational Wealth Through Community Partnerships & InnovationPanelist
- 2024Power and Land: Land Stewardship Panel #2Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance · panelist
- 2021Preparing for a Warmer, Wetter PhiladelphiaThe Academy of Natural Sciences
Teaching
- 2026–Instructor, Sustainable EnvironmentsTemple University · asynchronous online course
- 2015–17Teaching Assistant, Biological AnthropologyUniversity of Colorado Denver
Work with me
I partner with organizations on research, engagement, and storytelling through Raíces Consulting.