Hometown: Annandale, Virginia

Bio: Marina recently graduated from The George Washington University with a double major in Human Services & Social Justice and Latin American & Hemispheric Studies, with a minor in Spanish & Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Born and raised in a bicultural household in Northern Virginia, Marina was and is still determined to learn more about Peru and - in general - Latin American history, politics, culture, and current problems.

In her youth (and to the present), Marina has traveled to Peru to spend time with her family. There, she noticed the structural inequalities and social issues during each visit, and would compare and contrast them to problems facing the U.S. In addition to this, her time volunteering and working in case management with various nonprofits in the DMV area, such as the Latin American Youth Center, CASA DC, and the International Rescue Committee, have also shaped her personal and career interests.

Marina is a first-year graduate student pursuing a Master's in Latin American Studies, with a certificate in Global Human Development. She hopes to work in a domestic or international nonprofit afterward that utilizes bottom-up approaches. Currently, Marina volunteers with TECHO US, a youth-led organization aiming to combat extreme poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean by building transitional housing and expanding social inclusion programs, while also connecting volunteers and donors to the communities TECHO works with.

Concentration: Governance and Leadership

Research Area - Substantive: Immigration; war trauma and collective memory/erasure, democracy building and social justice; poverty alleviation and eradication; indigenous mediums and social movements

Research Area - Geographic: Peru; Andean Region; Northern Triangle