This qualitative research utilizes a combination of ethnographic narrative and phenomenological approach. This study is guided by two research questions: 1) What issues are immigrants faced with when applying for citizenship in the United States under the current administration 2) What issues did the rescinding of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) pose for immigrant beneficiaries? Since there is insufficient data on the effects anti-immigrant policies have on immigrants when applying for citizenship, and a lack of research on the effects ending DACA had on its recipients hence, the importance and the need to develop this qualitative study. The field site for this study was the nonprofit organization servicing San Diego County- UURISE (Unitarian Universalist Refugee and Immigrant Services and Education). The target population in this study are immigrants in San Diego County. The target sample in this study are UURISE clients. My data was collected through field site observations and interaction with the clients of UURISE from the months of July to December of 2017. The findings suggest that qualified resident immigrants are fearful and hesitant to apply for citizenship. In addition, DACA recipients will no longer have a work permit thus, they will be forced to drop out of college or work several hours at low paying jobs.

The focus of this piece is the geographic area originally named “El Rincón Del Diablo” or “The Devil’s Corner”; now known as The City of Escondido, in California. (The Spanish word “escondido" means “hidden.”) This work proposes to “unhide” the true population of Escondido - hidden behind published numbers from accredited organizations and respected sources. By using the US Census data, the number of documented citizens in Escondido was accounted for as “visible numbers.” The undocumented residents estimated number was uncovered by this research and accounted for as “invisible numbers.” These human beings are community centered and contribute to the economy and to society. But according to the US Census, they are invisible, they are hidden in plain sight. Inspired by how John Cage adopted a consistent and relatively simple mathematical formula for composing his music, in this installation performance, I adopted the relative change calculation formula to find the ratio between the visible and invisible numbers, which turned out to be 20%. In conclusion, this ratio was used to develop the recipe for the bread made during the performance, as well as the displayed ingredients and all relative space vs surface area of the object made, and the piece of clothing used by the performer. The symbolism involving the choice of making bread evokes the thoughts of union and making peace among those sharing the bread, for in many different cultures those who share their bread make peace. All parts used to create the installation were acquired in salvage stores in Escondido, CA.

In the United States, unequal access to healthcare disportionately affects the Latino population and other marginalized groups. According to the CDC, 21.9% of Hispanic or Latinos under the age of 65 are uninsured, which negatively impacts access to health services such as preventative care, increasing the number of hospitalizations and delay of chronic disease diagnoses. Contributing to these health disparities are cultural barriers such as health literacy, language barriers and patient-provider communication. These challenges increase the need for more cultural humility in healthcare and health promotion. One way in which cultural humility can be implemented is through Promotoras de Salud/Community Health Workers, who are committed to culturally-tailored health promotion that is responsive to the needs of the populations they serve. This research focuses on examining the education practices of Promotoras de Salud and the potential for technology incorporation in their outreach and promotion efforts. Methods include an analysis of qualitative data collected from semi-structured interviews and structured focus groups with Promotoras de Salud. Previous research has shown that interventions and approaches that include Promotoras de Salud can significantly improve health access and quality. It is therefore important to understand how Promotoras de Salud effectively engage in culturally-tailored health promotion and to identify how technology may be useful in their work to further support them in their efforts. Findings from this research will provide recommendations for future culturally-tailored technology interventions and to raise awareness of the importance and impact of Promotoras de Salud within our communities.

Portland, Oregon takes the lead in the highest strip clubs per capita, however, strip clubs in Portland have gone unregulated, allowing for poor management and oversight of health and safety issues. When violence and exploitation occurs, exotic dancers have scarce resources to turn to due to the continued stigma of being a sex worker. Past research has explored limited issues related to exotic dancers, including drug use, sexually transmitted infections, and mental health problems, but few have questioned what safety measures are needed to protect women in this industry. This study aims to explore the exploitation and abuse that exotic dancers experience in order to improve the laws and regulations of strip clubs. Through this qualitative study, I will use semi-structured interviews in order to better understand experiences of interpersonal violence against exotic dancers including various forms of violence from clients, employees and law enforcement in Portland. Data will be analyzed using thematic analysis in order to establish working themes. The anticipated results of this study is that the interviewed participants will express various experiences of interpersonal violence and that there may be common variables to violence experienced in strip clubs such as race, age, structural safety features in clubs, and the availability of outside resources to report violence. It is also expected that violence perpetrated by clients and club managers will be among the highest reports by the participants. Lastly, it is hypothesized that women who have not experienced abuse and exploitation (or limited amounts) while at work will still fear experiencing it, which is still a cause for concern. This study provides a platform for exotic dancers’ voices to be heard, while also attempting to improve better working conditions of adult entertainment establishments.

Post-secondary education is often seen as critical to the ultimate goal of progressing up the socio-economic ladder. However, social inequality can impact academic success. Social inequality can be expressed through classism, obstacles and interruptions in the academic journey of low-income college students, racial isolation in schools, residential segregation, negative academic experiences, and differences in child development. This type of inequality establishes divisions of privilege where obtaining the “American Dream” is easier for some and harder for others. So how can children from lower class families break out of the poverty cycle when society treats them unequally? This study examines social inequality in families, social institutions, and post-secondary education. This research focuses on racial/ethnic minorities in the United States within the age range of 21-25 years old and explores questions related to their family, childhood experiences, and future goals. This work aims to emphasize the great importance of breaking down the inequality barriers of classism.

Within the dimensions of temperament, effortful control (EC) is the ability to regulate urges over certain actions and adapt to the demands of an environment.  EC is salient to study for its contributions to socio-emotional development, regulations, and child adjustment. It is instrumental to further examine the role of EC as it allows the caretaker to handle the child and take actions to alleviate their undesired dilemma. In this secondary correlational study, we examined the positive association between children’s (N= 301) EC levels from kindergarten to second grade and adjustment to school, including their academic performance and peer relationship quality. Measures include reports from both parents and teachers of children’s peer relationship, effortful control, the relative level of chaos in the classroom, and children’s standardized assessment of academic achievement. We analyzed whether classroom chaos based on teacher reports modified the relations between EC and children’s adjustment. We predict that for children in low chaos classrooms, EC would correlate to stronger academic performance than for children in high chaos classrooms. For children in high chaos classrooms, we predict that EC has a stronger association to peer relationships than children in low chaos classrooms.