Brianne is from Pennsylvania and did her undergraduate studies at the University of Wittenberg there majoring in Sociology.  Because she took a class on basic societal differences of the genders, including differences in opinion, perceptions and stereotypes, she became interested in gender.  Her second area of interest is the sociology of statistics.  After taking ‘The Numbers Game: Facts vs. Symbols', where she studied the differences between statistics and semiotics, it prompted her to minor in statistics.  Brianne would like to conduct research on an aspect of comparative gender studies and possibly apply her undergraduate work in statistics to the subject.  Her goal is to become a professor.

Mercedes Rodriguez was born in Havana , Cuba but left in 1962 through Operation Pedro Pan.  Her parents joined them in Miami after a couple of months, and the family lived in Miami for a year.  They later moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Mercedes did all her schooling.  After graduating from Academia Santa Teresita in Santurce,Puerto Rico in 1976, Mercedes attended Loyola University in New Orleans, LA.   She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology in 1980.  She wanted to pursue a master's degree, but the family preferred that she work for a while instead of going straight into the master's program. Ms. Rodriguez therefore returned to Puerto Rico. She got married in December 1980, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1981.  While in Phoenix, she worked in social services in the rural community of Guadalupe, Arizona, right outside Tempe, and with a large, well-established non-profit social services organization called Chicanos por la Causa.  She enrolled in the MBA program at Arizona State University and took several courses.  She has lived in Miami since March 1997. In 2001, Mercedes joined the FIU staff and her interest in pursuing a master's degree emerged once again.  Mercedes will be taking classes part-time owing to her job.

I earned my bachelors degree from the University of Nortre Dame in Anthropology and Film.  My interest includes Hiatian migration to the US, the future of Haiti and the future of African Americans in the US.  After Teaching in the Miami Dade County public school system I also became interested particularly in the role of education in the future of African Americans and Haitians immigrants.  I hope to apply my acquired knowledge to discovering ways to improve the education system here in the US for both African Americans and Haitian immigrants.

Ryan is originally from St. Charles, Mo.  He received his undergraduate degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Truman State University (formerly Northeast Missouri State University) in June of 2002.  He then moved to Taichung, Taiwan where he taught English to elementary and junior high school students while studying Mandarin Chinese.  In 2003 he returned to Missouri where he held a teaching position at St. Charles County Community College while also working in employment rehabilitation for Metropolitan Employment Rehabilitation Services and Goodwill Industries.  His current academic interests are in environmental anthropology, cultural ecology, sustainability, and small-scale agrarian natural resource management. 

Meredith is from New Jersey and did her undergraduate studies at Drew University there majoring in Behavioral Science.  She did an internship at Mote Marine Laboratory where she was given the opportunity to spend time in Mexico tagging sharks for migratory studies.  Working long days with local fishers and getting very small catch sizes made her aware of the social and economic problems that arise from a decline in fish stocks.  She went on to get her MA in applied anthropology from American University where she did ethnographic research with the crabbers of the Chesapeake Bay.  After coming to Florida International University she became interested in political ecology and intends on completing her doctoral research in southeast Alaska.  There she looks at the king and sockeye salmon fisheries and how the Alaskan government manages these very important resources while keeping in mind the concerns of all stakeholders involved. 

Courtney grew up in St. Charles, Missouri. She earned her BA in a combined Sociology & Anthropology department at Truman State University. After graduation she moved to Taiwan to teach English for a year until SARS chased her home. In the following three years she worked in St. Louis City as coordinator of an employment rehabilitation program helping students with disabilities transition from high school into the working world. She found FIU while following a paper trail on water privatization issues. She was compelled by the department’s focus on applied studies and wants to learn more about the innovative ways laborers negotiate their own place in an increasingly global economy.  

I am originally from South Florida but recently moved back to Miami after having lived in Tallahassee, Atlanta, and Mallorca, Spain.  I was formerly a criminal investigator who worked with death row inmates in Florida.  She also worked as a late-night radio personality in Tallahassee.  My interest in graduate study at FIU stems from many years in the internet technology world combined with an interest in social groups and what they do.  I hope to utilize my cyber junkie experience as I develop ideas and conduct research in the sociology of the internet as an environment.  My involvement with the internet began at a mainstream publishing company in Atlanta and eventually whisked off to Spain where I directed software engineers and web designers in the creation and deployment of erotic entertainment websites for a telecom in Mallorca.  I am currently works as a clinical data analyst at Human Health plan and will be taking graduate courses part time.  I have an undergraduate degree in English and Film from Florida State University.

Started Fall 2003, finish MA Fall 2005, now working on PhD.

Safietou is enrolled in the PhD program in Comparative Sociology. Born and raised in Senegal, she received her B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of the District of Columbia in Washington D.C. and her M.A. in African Studies from The African New World Studies Department at FIU in May 2005. Her research interests are on Development in Senegal and Africa at large as it relates to Women, education and health. With her doctorate degree, Safietou wishes to work with Development organs catering to Senegal and Africa.

Francisco lived in Florida for many years after relocating from his native Uruguay.  He received an M.A. in Latin American Studies and an M.S. in Business Management from the University of Florida.  Prior to coming to FIU, Francisco worked at the Latin American Health Institute (LHI), a public health organization for the Latin American community of Boston.  At LHI he conducted extensive work in the field of HIV/AIDS concentrating on the areas of program evaluation and cultural competency to improve health care access and services.  Francisco is continuing this work at FIU by studying the cultural negotiations and stressors in the process of identity formation among Latinos living with HIV/AIDS.  He is currently conducting smaller research projects as a research assistant at FIU’s Center for Research on U.S. Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse (CRUSADA).  Some of the projects include research assessing HIV federal funding patterns and a study evaluating HIV knowledge among college students.  Francisco is a devoted and proud Gator and Red Sox fan.

Christine McVay completed her undergraduate degree at FIU with a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and a minor in Religious Studies. She will be graduating Spring 2007 with her Master's in Comparative Sociology.
Christine has had a productive year presenting her paper, Remembering the Homeland, The Role of Pentecostalism in a Haitian Diaspora, at the Global Awareness Society International Conference in Chicago (May 2006) and the American Sociological Association Conference in Montreal (August 2006). Her paper was awarded first place at the GASI Conference to be published in its upcoming issue of the Journal of Global Awareness. Christine's academic interests include the sociology of religion, cultural globalization, and gender. She studied Haitian Creole at the FIU Haitian Summer Institute (Summer 2006) and hopes to work within the Haitian community.

TRICIA VANDERKOOY

ALEJANDRO (ALEX) ANGEE

Alejandro is originally from Colombia .  He obtained his undergraduate degree from FIU. Because of the socio-cultural mix that Miami offers, he has become aware of the social problems that endanger our communities.  With the conviction that research and education in the social field lead to better understanding of social issues, he is confident that an MA in Comparative Sociology will allow him to apply acquired knowledge in the private or public sectors while maintaining a high degree of dedication and professionalism toward the betterment of social conditions and all the factors that surround them.

SEAN BANTON

Sean did his undergraduate work at SUNY-Purchase and did some graduate work at NYU.  He has pursued a career and currently works as a trainer at BellSouth.  His research interests are reflected in his work background:  developing theoretical and practical models to analyze the effects of outsourcing on the population of South Florida .  He may choose the upcoming contract negotiations with CWA as a case study to apply the models learned through course work.  He hopes to apply his significant practical experience in the corporate world, coupled with theoretical sophistication from studies at FIU, to pose new paradigms to understanding changes in the workplace.  Owing to his full-time job, Sean will be attending the graduate program part time.

JULISSA CASTELLANOS

Julissa Castellanos was an FIU undergraduate and was granted a MA in International Development at American University in Washington, DC . She works in the Latin America & Caribbean Center (LACC) as Associate Director. As mentioned in her “Statement of Purpose,” her interest in the graduate program in Comparative Sociology is to acquire skills that will contribute to her professional development and satisfaction of personal interests, in particular research design, data analysis, theory and project evaluation procedures. Julissa will be working on her degree part time given her full-time job.

JASNEY COGUA-LOPEZ

Jasney is from Colombia where she did her undergraduate studies at the Central Colombian University.  She did graduate work at the University of Nebraska.  Her primary ambition is to contribute to finding a solution to the Colombian conflict.  She feels this can come about through the study and resolution of Colombia 's complex problems (e.g. the rising levels of violence, the production of commodities or illegal use, the economic downfall, the constant violation of human rights, and the mass exodus of the peasants).  This is why she is pursuing more education.  This program fits her goals because it offers substantive area courses on subjects (i.e. development, social change, and ethnicity, race and migration).  Jasney (pronounced Haz Náy) will enroll in Spring 2005 but will be coming periodically to the department this fall. 

ELIZABETH DICK

Elizabeth Dick is a second-generation Scottish-American.  Her parents emigrated from Scotland and they have all just returned from a “roots” trip there this summer.  She likes to travel, at least once a year and like to go outside Scotland in places that she can expand her horizons and learn about people.  She attended FIU and was in the Honors College where she went to Italy and mastered Italian.  She has also visited Cuba .  She worked as a Manager in NTT/Verio's web and was responsible for directing the creation of statistical reports which are used by all divisions of the business, including sales, finance, operations, and customer service.  Last April she stopped working so she could return to school.  She wants to continue her education and wants to earn a Ph.D. to teach at the college level.  She wants to learn about society and human groups.  She sees “the study of anthropology/sociology as the perfect synthesis between my love for writing and travel, my background in data gathering and organization for business, and my natural curiosity about other cultures.”

EMILY EISENHAUER

Emily is from Melbourne, FL and did her undergraduate degree at Stetson University in Deland, FL. When she was reading our website, she was hooked by the phrase “understanding what people do” and the words “multilingual” and “culturally pluralistic;” she knew this was the program that she was interested in. She was in China with the Peace Corps, and while there she was learning from their way of life. Then she decided to come to Miami. She worked in Miami Dade Community College in Little Havana and enjoyed working with its diverse student community. This “culturally pluralistic” environment is what drew her to Miami. Intercultural communication, interethnic relations, globalization and community involvement are the kinds of things she would like to work on researching while at FIU. She would like to have a career in academia.

SUNG KIM

Sung is from Palm Beach though he has lived in many places including Cairo where he volunteered at NGOs, 
one for deaf children and the other preparing asylum seekers for their UNHCR interview, and took a course 
in Forced Migrations.  He also has lived in Guinea where he spent a summer teaching English in a rural village.  
He enjoys cross-cultural experiences, even when they occur in a hospital as was his fate when he came down 
with malaria.  Sung graduated with a BA in Sociology from Northwestern University.  
He joined the department in Spring 2004 and is now off for a year in Tallahassee as a Governor's Fellow.  
During his fellowship he is working on creating a research network across the state of Florida that will 
coordinate all research in hydrogen/fuel cell related technology. This is related to his research interest in 
complimenting theoretical knowledge of development with the practical knowledge of creating a new
 institution through government. 

RICARDO POLLO

Ricardo recently graduated from FIU and is one of nine children, eight boys and one girl. He is the son of Cuban-American parents, and was born and raised in Miami, FL. Before settling down to finish his undergraduate studies, Ricardo did a great deal of traveling. He relocated to Atlanta , GA toured the US three times with different rock bands, and sailed across the Atlantic in a 44-foot catamaran with two other people.  Ricardo began his undergraduate studies focused on electrical engineering and computer science, but traveling increased his curiosity of how others live, and so a switch was made. In 2002, Ricardo graduated with a degree in sociology & anthropology from FIU, with a second major in environmental studies.   After graduating, Ricardo trained as a professional community organizer with the Direct Action and Research Training (DART) Center. He was hired and given a position as associate organizer for a faith-based community group in Volusia County, FL. He returned to Miami after a year, and worked as a welfare case manager, and as project coordinator for a non-profit group who educate county jail inmates with HIV/AIDS on the importance of seeking treatment, and the treatment options available for them in Miami-Dade County .

AMY REID

Amy graduated from our department with her BA in 2003.  She joined the grad program in January 2004.  Her areas of concentration lie in medical sociology, public health and sustainable communities.  She had a research assistantship in the Spring of 2004 with Dr. Gladwin and research assistantships in the Summer and Fall of 2004 with Dr. Rivers.  The research related to issues concerning hurricanes and their impact on communities including vulnerable populations.  She is currently assisting doing research and evaluation of the Jail Diversion Program and The Dependency Court Intervention Program.

DUSAN UGRINA  (pronounced “Dushán  Oogrínah)

Dusan is from Slovenia but did his undergraduate studies in anthropology at Wright State University in Dayton , Ohio .  There he became engrossed in theory.  He is interested in the historical roots to the problems that Latin Americans face.  He would like to explore the problems to see their impact on the lives of people in the region.   He is particularly interested in Cuban migration and the relations Cubans have with their homeland and U.S. government policies.  He has traveled widely in Europe and the U.S. He enjoys observing the actual relations that exist among people, their beliefs, their world views and the problems they face in their daily lives in order to see what anthropologists can do to help.  A skier, Dusan missed the mountains of his homeland while in Ohio but feels the diversity of Miami will make up for its flatness.

MICHELLE HAMANN URBINATI

Michelle emigrated from Peru to Miami as a child.  She earned her BA at FIU and her MA in Anthropology at the London School of Economics.  Her master's thesis was on migration to Spain .  She has been working on various research projects at FIU over the last year and a half, including with Dr. Mahler.  Currently she is working on research on Hispanic women and their daughters.   She believes that her enrollment in this program will help increase her knowledge in the theories, research methods, ethnological writing, and migration analysis associated with comparative cultural analysis.  She would like to utilize this new knowledge in future scholarly work to understand the impact that Latino immigration has had upon the American cultural landscape.  Michelle is newly married to a Brazilian.

CONNIE VIAMONTE

Connie M. Viamonte has a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology with a minor in Religious Studies. She also just recently received her M.A. in Comparative Sociology. Her current research interests include gender and relationship studies over the Internet, as well as the effects of technology through globalization.