My research topic is on Black student-athletes’ classroom experience at predominantly White institutions. As a Black student-athlete myself, I have been in classes where not only am I the only Black student, but the only Black student-athlete. The research shows that Black students are primarily affected by their perceived ability to succeed in college by the lack of Black representation in amongst their peers and professors, in the classroom. In my thesis, I build upon aspects of UCLA scholar, Tyrone Howard’s view of the critical race theory. In particular, I explore the idea that rather than race being biologically grounded and natural, it is socially constructed and functions as a means to maintain the interests of the White population. My thesis argues that Predominantly White Institutions set the “lay of the land” in terms of what is socially acceptable and deemed okay, and which often excludes Black student-athletes. The methods I use are surveys, individual interviews, and a focus group,  with an equal number of of Black men and women study participants. This qualitative data will show that Black student-athletes’ experience in the classroom at predominantly White institutions is directly related to whether they grew up being around White individuals.

My proposed research examines how sexual racism is experienced by LGBTQ+ community members in the greater Seattle Area who use Tinder and Grindr and other mobile dating apps. Sexual racism can be defined as a specific form of racial prejudice enacted in the context of sex or romance. My primary research investigates a series of in-person interviews that qualitatively analyze and articulate the various experiences of Black individuals, as well as focus groups to help to understand different and diverse manifestations of sexual racism. I use information/narratives from the in-person, and one-on-one interviews to analyze the experiences and compile them into a data set that can be closely looked at for trends and overlapping experiences. My research analyzing the effects of the experience of sexual racism as shown through mobile dating apps helps readers understand one form of inequity in our modern digital society that often goes unspoken. In addition, my research helps to identify how microaggressions work by the microagressor’s dismissing their racialized/sexualized comments as simply an issue of personal preference. While my primary research focuses on sexual racism in local communities, my secondary research draws on literatures that examine sexual racism both nationally and internationally. By working closely with a variety of people in the local community as well as drawing on research from other scholars focusing on the ideas of white privilege, constructed racism, and intersectionality, this research helps me speak up for Black LGBTQ+ individuals who are often marginalized by sexual racism.

Within the past decade, scholarly and media attention regarding the “homelessness crisis” across the country has increased. However, recent developments in the field have problematized much of the previous research done on homeless identity, due to the fact that “homelessness” has been treated as an unambiguous defining characteristic of the individual. Past research relied on the assumption that these individuals saw themselves as homeless upon entering a state wherein they were without stable housing. Contemporary research seeks to revisit the conceptualizations of homeless identity, and this project will investigate how individuals without shelter, or at risk of being without shelter, come to define their situation and identify themselves -- as “homeless” or otherwise -- in relation to that status. This study focuses primarily on homeless identity as self-acquired, rather than ascribed, by researching an understudied group: homeless young adults. Studying identity within the dynamic frame of emerging adulthood provides a suitable environment for understanding identity development and adoption. This project utilizes ethnographic interview techniques conducted with individuals aged 18-25 with a range of time spent homeless. Analysis of these interviews seeks to examine key mechanisms in negotiation between socially-ascribed identity and self-acquired identity among homeless individuals, and to shed light on the mental reasoning that informs such a process. By determining how and why people come to see themselves as homeless, this research project will inform modes of early-intervention social service outreach while simultaneously complicating traditional lenses of viewing and researching homelessness.

Scholarship on American Buddhism has, from its beginnings, struggled with defining “who” and “what” makes an American Buddhist. American Buddhism has thus been split off into two branches: one “ethnic,” which is defined as being practiced by Buddhist immigrants and their descendants, the other “convert,” which makes up Americans of all races and ethnicities who decide to convert to Buddhism. However, temples like the Tacoma Buddhist Temple, a Jodo Shinshu temple located in downtown Tacoma, is one of these many communities with varied membership that falls outside of the two-branch model and is thus why scholars have disputed the model for its inability to fully describe American Buddhists. The dualism of these the two terms create a divide within the American Buddhist community and also racializes the two categories since the term “ethnic Buddhist” is highly associated with the Asian community. As a result, the two terms fail to recognize many of those who fall outside the model, such as non-Asian Buddhists whose parents were convert Buddhists themselves and Asian Buddhists who grew up in a non-Buddhist household and chose to convert to Buddhism later on in their lives. The terms also have a tendency to polarize communities, making it seem as if “ethnic” communities and “convert” communities and thus “ethnic” and “convert” Buddhists have little interaction. The Tacoma Buddhist temple, however, is a community of not only “ethnic” and “convert” Buddhists practicing Buddhism side by side, but also those who the model fails to recognize. Therefore, through the research gathered at the Tacoma Buddhist Temple, it becomes evident that the two-branch model fails to capture the diversity of American Buddhism.

Not only a form of self expression, fashion is one of many markers used by society to assign class, race, gender and sexuality. These assignments are made based on a set of norms which dictate which people are, or are not, privileged. Because of its power to assign privileged traits to an individual, it is also able to create a certain norm for what certain identities are meant to look like. In queer spaces, these norms are often thought to be challenged. This study engages with queer and feminist theories to analyze the ways queer individuals interact with the world of fashion. It argues that fashion should be viewed not only as a way through which individuals show self-expression, and explore identity, but also a form of powerful discourse. In order to do this, I have conducted 15 filmed interviews of queer individuals int the city of Seattle. These interviews seek to provide a platform through which participants can express the complexities of identity formation within a liberal, capitalist system as it relates to fashion. Interviews are collaborative and semi-structured, allowing for participants to share what they find important to their person and communities. From these interviews, this research engages with how the intersections of queer identities with race, class, gender, and sexualities work to form identities through fashion. This research and knowledge is then produced in the form of a thesis paper as well as a video. I have chosen to represent this research in a video format as there is something inherently visual about engaging with identity formation and fashion. This research and its methods are important in exploring and displaying the ways complex and multifaceted intersectional identities interact with systems of power through expression and fashion.

This presentation explores an array of literature, theater, and cinema in order to understand the evolution of transgender expression in Spain. Throughout the modern history of Spain, from before the Franco regime until present day, there is an observable change in the language used to discuss transgender identity and the way gender expression is represented in Spanish media. This presentation examines the various ways media displays the performance of gender and seeks to understand how transgender identity reflects aspects of history or societal events and human experience as a whole. Through exploring several stories and learning about the experiences of characters as well as the directors and authors behind the characters, we can better understand the truly fluid nature of gender expression and performance. From Pedro Almodóvar’s La mala educación and La piel que habito, to Federico García Lorca’s El público, to the Ventura Pons documentary Ocaña, Retrato Intermitente, with support from gender theory and historical context, one can trace the full panorama of transgender identity in Spain. This presentation will discuss the lives and art of drag queens, forced gender reassignment surgery, the celebration of gender fluidity, and more. Through these unique stories we gain a deeper understanding of the various ways individuals can perform gender and how authors and directors utilize these identities to help audiences more deeply understand transgender identity and more broadly, human experience.

Research has shown transgender children respond similarly to categorical measures of gender identity as their gender-matched cisgender peers, rather than those who share their sex assigned at birth. However, categorical measures may be limiting responses and not encompassing the diversity of gender identities. We presented a continuous measure to 223 transgender children (socially-transitioned children to live and present as a gender opposite the one assigned at birth), 71 gender nonconforming children (children who have not socially transitioned but show characteristics stereotypically associated with a gender other than the one assigned at birth), 281 cisgender control participants, and 181 cisgender siblings of transgender and gender nonconforming participants. Provided a line, participants were asked to mark their gender identity, with the left-most end indicating feeling completely like a boy, the right-most end indicating feeling completely like a girl, and in between representing varying degrees of a mixture of both. Each participant’s mark was converted to a percentage, with 100% indicating feeling completely like the gender they present as (for transgender/gender nonconforming children, opposite the gender assigned at birth). A univariate ANOVA examining the effect of participant group on identity showed a significant main effect, F(3,752)= 38.72, p < .001. Post-hoc Tukey comparisons showed, consistent with previous research, transgender children (M=0.81, SD= .189) did not differ significantly from the cisgender controls (M=0.87, SD= .181), nor cisgender siblings (M=0.87, SD=.206), in their identification with their current gender. However, gender nonconforming participants (M= 0.59, SD = .309) differed significantly in their scores from each of the other groups (ps < .001). These results are consistent with previous research conducted with categorical measures. Additionally, as none of the groups showed 100% binary identification, this study also demonstrates the importance of continuous measures of gender identity within gender development research.

My guiding question is, “how we can I use storytelling to empower the stories and experiences of the black community in the Central Area that has been displaced through gentrification?” Redlining has historically made it harder for people of color to obtain a mortgage or buy a property in certain neighborhoods, and it continues to exist as gentrification. As tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Airbnb among others continue to expand their presence in the greater Seattle area, rent prices have risen and property owners have started building expensive apartments and living complexes for the influx of workers with a high income. This expansion has displaced people of color who have historically lived in the Central Area. Currently there are stories of resilience in communities that have been displaced by gentrification, but they are often not showcased in the public eye and media outlets. I want to focus on the use of radical storytelling as an act of defiance against erasure, and the role of tech companies in the greater Seattle area in displacing communities. Inspired by the interactive digital stories like “Trump Wants a Border Wall. See What’s In Place Already” in the New York Times or “Microsoft By the Numbers” on Microsoft Story Labs, I hope to create a visual digital story about the ways and means of gentrification, and I hope this story can be used to educate the public about the mechanisms of gentrification and where communities move. By conducting interviews with activists and community members in the Central Area and highlighting their perspective through direct quotes and testimonials, I hope to educate everyone about the strength of communities in the Central Area. My goal is to create a project that focuses on empowering people of color and their stories through community activation.