Faculty & Staff > M. A. Alumni in Latin American Studies
Class of 2009
Lynda Abend is originally from Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007 with a B.A. in Political Science and Hispanic Studies, and a minor in Latin American Studies. During her undergraduate years, she interned with the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. She also served as an intern with the U.S. Department of State in Asunción, Paraguay, and the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lynda volunteered with Las Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo, a nongovernmental human rights organization. She spent the summer following graduation as a fellow with the American Jewish Committee in Santiago, Chile, and the 2007-2008 academic year as a Language and Culture Assistant in Madrid, Spain, on a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. Proficient in Spanish, Lynda looks forward to improving her Portuguese and exploring issues of human rights, democratization and decentralization in Latin America while at Stanford. Her hobbies include running, baking and salsa dancing.
Mariana González Insua grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and graduated from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella with a degree in International Relations. In her undergraduate thesis, she focused on the influence of the United States in Colombia and Venezuela's bilateral relations. After graduating Mariana taught English in Buenos Aires before moving to Germany for a year, where she studied German language and culture in Dresden. Her love of travel and languages has provided an important hands-on dimension to her study of IR. Since college Mariana has also kept her hand in the academic side of things, working mainly on a variety of research assistantships, the most recent of which concentrates on constitutional law in the provinces of Argentina. She is looking forward to coming to Stanford and broadening her study of South America. In addition to traveling, Mariana also loves reading, movies, dancing, tennis, and swimming.
Paola Kim grew up in the melting pot of Los Angeles, California. The daughter of a Korean-American father and first-generation Colombian mother, she frequently made trips to Colombia and briefly attended grade school there as a child. She left California to attend college in Minnesota and earned a Bachelor's in Political Science/International Relations in 2005. After working in the field of immigration the past few years, she looks forward to delving deeper into the political and economic issues of South America while at Stanford. She enjoys the outdoors, adventures of all sizes, photography, and reading.
Kate Leary graduated in 2007 from the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in Government and a minor in Hispanic Studies. She studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and later returned there to intern at a human rights organization. Her main areas of focus are economic and political development in Latin America, and she is also interested in immigration and the border culture. Following the Latin American Studies program she plans to obtain a public policy master's degree. A native of the East Coast, Kate is excited to move to California and looking forward to her time at Stanford.
Megan May completed her undergraduate degree at Stanford University, receiving a B.A. in Human Biology with a focus in International Health. Megan’s interest in Latin America stems from her experience growing up in San Diego, along the Mexican-American border. She has spent time studying both community health and resource conservation in Mexico. During her time in the Latin American Studies program, Megan hopes to learn more about the political and economic structures in Latin America in order to better understand the process of immigration and gain insight into the ways the US can better serve this population. Megan enjoys traveling, dancing, going to the beach, and doing anything that doesn’t involve sitting.
Elena Pérez, a Washington D.C. native, graduated from Stanford in June with a BA in Psychology and is excited about continuing her studies here as a Coterminal student in Latin American Studies. As an undergrad, she was introduced to the study of culture through the lens of psychology as a research assistant in Professor Hazel Markus's Mind, Culture, and Society Lab. Her most memorable research assignment sent her to San Antonio, Texas, to study the relationship between personal agency and social class by interviewing Hurricane Katrina survivors. In the fall of 2006, Elena studied at the Pontificia Universidad Católica: Madre y Maestro in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where she also volunteered at a public hospital, leading HIV/AIDS information sessions for pregnant women. Her experiences in Santiago and the Markus Lab have motivated her to examine more closely ways in which cultures can overcome psychological biases to promote better communication and alleviate conflict. Certified in the techniques of mediation, Elena conducts conflict resolution workshops for students, in collaboration with Assistant Dean of Students Thom Massey. Elena was awarded the Stanford in Government Fellowship to work at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia this summer. During her time there she had the opportunity to research and analyze the current socio-political conflict in Bolivia, and to contribute to the Carter Center's plans regarding the country's negotiations efforts in the upcoming year. In her spare time, Elena loves learning dances from around the world and laughing with friends.
Joshua Stech was born in Rochester, NY, and has lived in San Diego since he was 4 years old. He graduated from Stanford in June 2008 with a double-major in Economics and Spanish with Honors. Josh is interning this summer with Mercer Human Capital Consulting in San Francisco, and had previous summer internships with Manzanillo International Terminal in Colón, Panama; Purpose Built Real Estate Investments in San Diego; and Circle of Nations, a non-profit committed to preserving and promoting Native American culture. Josh lived and studied in Santiago, Chile, as part of Stanford’s study-abroad program. He intends to continue his honors-thesis work this year on “The 2007 Sub-Prime Lending Crisis and its Effects on the Latino Community”, and his research interests include Latin American monetary and fiscal policy, and Latin American languages and dialects. Josh enjoys golf, fitness-training, exotic cars, travel, snowboarding, and serious socializing!
Johann Strauss, born in Cali, Colombia and raised in Seattle, WA, received a B.A. this
past June from Stanford in International Relations with a minor in Spanish. As a
Stanford undergrad, Johann pursued a diverse education in the field of International
Relations with a keen interest in the study of international trade, underground
economies and migration. Throughout his undergraduate experience, Johann maintained his
admiration of Latin America as an intern for a Seattle non-profit that informs citizens
on the topic of free trade in the Americas, as an active member of the Chicano/Latino
Community and through involvement in various research projects regarding the issue of
undocumented immigration by peoples of Latin American origin. Through a Masters in Latin
American Studies, Johann hopes to delve deeper into the geopolitical issues surrounding
his home country of Colombia as well as gain deeper understanding of international trade
in the South American economic arena. In his spare time, Johann enjoys traveling,
listening to Colombian music, cooking and playing soccer.
Class of 2008
Ikira Di Lorenzo, born in Caracas, Venezuela, moved to Los Angeles at 7 years of age. She moved to Miami, Florida two years later where she eventually pursued her degree in International Studies and a double minor in Latin American Studies and Political Science. In 2006 she had a summer abroad experience with the ACC accredited program through the University of Maryland. She traveled in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay and studied social movements in these countries examining first-hand and from a comparative perspective the contemporary politics of globalization. This experience included investigations with the NGO Action Aid in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and an internship at the Instituto Nacional de
Administración. Her main focus is social movements and human rights and she is looking forward to an exciting year at Stanford. She loves to dance, read, travel, learn and have fun with friends.
Elizabeth Dumford graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a major in Zoology and minors in Neuroscience and Latin American Studies. After graduating, she worked with VIDA, an international healthcare nonprofit that sends medical supplies to clinics in Latin America. She later traveled to Ecuador to study Amazon community medicine. During the past year, she has spent much time in Ecuador living in Shuar and Kichwa communities while teaching various subjects and studying the Ecuadorian Kichwa language.
MaryKate Hanlon became enamored of Latin America while studying issues of Population and Environment as an undergraduate in Anthropological Sciences at Stanford (class of 2007). She spent two summers in social science and ecological research in a corner of the Peruvian Amazon called Tambopata. Her research interests include ecotourism as a land use strategy, ethnoprimatology, rights of Amazonian peoples, and indigenous natural resource management. She enjoys exploring the connections among biology, anthropology, and Latin America. MaryKate is excited to be returning to Stanford and joining the Bolivar House family.
Cristina Hung grew up mostly in Iquique and Santiago, Chile. She obtained her B.A. from New York University in 2006 with a double major in Spanish and French Literatures and Cultures. She is looking forward to the Latin American Studies program and learning more about Latin America’s culture through an interdisciplinary perspective. Her interests are national identity formation and individualism in the Southern Cone, and transatlantic studies. She plans on working in South America after completing the masters degree and then continuing on to a doctoral program in 2009.
Daniel Lasaga hails from New York, where he received a Bachelor's of Music Composition, with a minor in History, from NYU. Daniel has worked as an Internet Developer and Software Engineer for Barnes&Noble, Rockefeller University, and Genergy. Most recently, he worked for AOL Time Warner as a Systems Analyst. His interest in Latin America was reinforced during the summer of 2005 when he taught music and English classes to children in Puno, Peru. Now at Stanford, he hopes to deepen these interests by studying history and economics of South America.
Daniel Lopez is originally from Tacna, Peru. He graduated from the University of California - Los Angeles in 2006 with a degree in History. After graduation he traveled to Spain and France with a study abroad program. Afterwards he returned to his hometown of Napa and worked at the Napa Valley Adult School as an assistant teacher in the ESL department. He hopes to focus on education in Latin America while at Stanford. He enjoys running and watching movies during his spare time.
Nathan Lubetkin grew up in Woodinville, Washington. He completed his undergraduate work at Claremont, McKenna College where he graduated with a degree in International Relations in 2002. Nathan is very excited to be returning to school after spending the past three and a half years living and working in South America. He was a Peace Corps small business development volunteer in Paraguay from 2003-2005 and then worked in the technology industry in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His hobbies include reading, traveling, skiing, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Araceli Ortiz, originally from Chicago, IL, will receive her BA in International Relations with a minor in Portuguese from Stanford in June 2008. Her interest in Latin America began after she studied abroad in Santiago, Chile through Stanford's study abroad program and was reaffirmed when she returned to South America on her own to work at a non-profit in Sao Paulo, Brazil called Vida Jovem (associated with Boys Hope Girls Hope of the U.S.). Araceli is on the Women's Varsity Rowing team at Stanford and hopes to combine her interests of sports and Latin America by working in sports development in Latin America in the future. For the next two years Araceli will work for the United States Golf Association in Colorado Springs, after which she will return to Stanford to attend the GSB.
Alicia Riley graduated with a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford in June. As an undergrad, she conducted research and wrote a thesis focusing on tuberculosis in the San Diego-Tijuana border region. She also had a great time living in co-ops at Stanford which involved a lot of cooking, costume parties, and fountain-hopping. Alicia grew up in Chula Vista, California, and since leaving the area for college, has been able to appreciate the uniqueness of border culture and how it has influenced her. Alicia hopes to explore how economic and immigration policies which impact the Americas, in turn, affect community health.; She is especially interested in infectious disease and use of traditional medicine. Alicia enjoys live music, dancing, days at the beach, and warm weather.
Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Richard Welsh graduated from Stanford in June 2007 with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Spanish, with interdisciplinary honors in Latin American Studies. During his entire undergraduate experience, he has maintained a strong interest in the Caribbean and Latin America. This interest has manifested itself through participation in Overseas Studies in Santiago, Chile as well as continued involvement with the Caribbean Students Association. His honors thesis examined the impact of ethnic, linguistic and religious disparities on the success of economic policies in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Richard has also worked as a summer analyst in Latin American capital advisory for JP Morgan Chase and has returned to Stanford to explore Latin American history and culture. His interests include education, politics and economic development, especially in the developing world. In his spare time, Richard can be found making music in his home studio, reading, or watching sports.
Class of 2007
Sofia Castillo is originally from Caracas, Venezuela. She graduated from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada in
2005 with a double major in Anthropology and International Development Studies. After taking a year off, she has come to Stanford for her MA in
Latin American Studies. She is interested in nationalism and how national identity is brought onto the political arena in contemporary
Venezuela. Her biggest hobby is photography.
Laura Duros is a first-year graduate student at Stanford, studying for her M.A. in Latin American Studies. She enjoys studying history and politics, and would love to travel to Peru to see Incan ruins. Laura received a degree in International Relations and Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was also a member of the gymnastics team. In her spare time, Laura likes to read, run, and shop for more shoes.
Alberto Garcia is a first generation American of Mexican descent. He grew up in Winters, California, a small farming community 30 miles west of Sacramento, with his parents and his two older siblings. He did his undergraduate work at the University of California, Davis, where he double majored in communication and history. He graduated from UC Davis in 2005. Since then, he's worked and done some travelling. He spent two weeks in Mexico last winter, and he recently spent three weeks in Europe. He likes to enjoy everything that life has to offer, and he's looking forward to an exciting year here at Stanford.
Fabiola Puerta is a native of Lima, Peru. She spent 1997 through 2005 working as a journalist for Agence France Presse in Uruguay, Peru, and Brazil. She also spent a year in Paris as a European Commission sponsored student at Foundation of Journalists in Europe. Fabiola is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, French and English. She is particularly interested in studying Latin American electoral politics, with a focus on the rise of left-wing political movements throughout the Americas.
Gillian Quandt is excited to be returning to Stanford to receive her Masters after completing her B.A. here last spring. Gillian is specializing in the political economy track of the Masters program, and she is particularly interested in human rights and Latin American markets. Gillian hopes that her classes will help focus her wide interests in Latin American developmental issues for a future career. After graduating in June of 2007, Gillian will begin her Fulbright grant in Talca, Chile where she will be teaching English at la Universidad Católica del Maule and doing a photographic project about vineyards workers in the Central Valley.
This page last updated August 25, 2009