New Faces

Cailyn Brookens is a junior studying human capital and society in the MSU School of Human Resources and Labor Relations (HRLR). She is also pursuing a minor in organizational leadership and hoping to continue her studies in the HRLR dual graduate program. During her time at MSU, Cailyn has been involved in the Big Sister Little Sister program and the Black Student Union. “I believe in change management and bringing people together for a common goal,” she said. “My passion comes from community service and giving back to others.”

Currently, Cailyn is vice president of the College Advisory Board for a nonprofit organization that provides leadership to students attending 50+ colleges around the nation. Its mission is to create opportunities to intersect between college life, lived experiences, and civic engagement. We build community through the combination of sharing knowledge, developing skill sets, and networking.

JSRI Scholarship Recipients

Vivian Morales is a first-generation Mexican American student at Michigan State University, completing her junior year. She is from the suburbs of Chicago. Vivian has always sought to participate in initiatives that help the Latino community. As an urban planning student with a particular interest in public policy, she is interested in the intersection of politics and its influence on quality of life. Vivian not only wants to study policy’s effects on marginalized communities, but she aspires to implement change by becoming a leading academic in her field.

Erika Lee Vallejo is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University. She is also a student in the Chicano/Latino and Women’s & Gender Studies certificate programs. She obtained her B.A. in political science and philosophy (with honors) from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Vallejo studies American politics, specifically state and local candidates and politicians, with an intersectional approach that examines race/ethnicity, gender, and class.

Teresa Rivera is a dual-major Ph.D. student in the Chicano/Latino Studies Program and Department of Sociology. Originally from Texas, she combines her previous experiences growing up in a border town with her B.A. in sociology (Texas A&M University) and M.S.W. (Ferris State University) to her work at MSU.

Teresa believes research can be used to strengthen individuals, bridge communities, advocate for others, and aid in systemic change. Her research interests include understanding the lived experiences of Latino immigrants, collective conceptualizations of trauma, the duality of resilience, and how U.S. mental health interventions can holistically support the Latino immigrant community.