Yanira Rivas Pineda de Melendez
Having recently submitted my finalized doctoral dissertation, “From the Barrio to the Ballot: How Crime and Policing Shape Latino Political Behavior,” I hold a PhD (conferral pending) from the University of California, Santa Barbara. My research, along with my activism, seeks to contribute to a better understanding of political participation in marginalized communities, the role of crime and the criminal justice system in explaining this political phenomenon, and to actively address the issue.
My areas of specialization are Latino Politics, Criminal Justice, Race and Ethnic Politics, American Politics, the Politics of the Poor, Comparative Politics, and Central American Politics (in the U.S. and comparatively). I have conducted research in Los Angeles and El Salvador and have taught at UCSB and Santa Monica College. I also worked at UCLA's Center for Oral History as an Oral History Interviewer for the Central American History in Los Angeles project. The project focused on individuals who founded Central American institutions in Los Angeles in the 1980s.
I am the recipient of numerous research awards, including the UCSB Chicano Studies Institute Research Grant, UCSB Humanities and Social Sciences Research Grant, UCSB Department of Political Science Graduate Research and Training Grant, and the APSA Fund for Latino Scholarship Grant. I have been a Graduate Division Dissertation Fellow, Graduate Opportunity Fellow, SAGE Fellow, and a Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Fellow.
Before beginning my doctoral studies, I worked for School on Wheels, Inc., a Southern California non-profit organization that provides tutoring services to homeless students in K-12. Before joining School on Wheels, I was a community organizer for LA Voice-PICO. This multi-racial, multi-faith community organization trains community members "to speak, act, and work together to transform their communities into one that reflects the dignity of all people." I was also an AmeriCorps Citizenship Volunteer with the San Luis Valley Immigrant Resource Center in Alamosa, CO.
I hold an A.A. from Santa Monica College, a B.A. from the University of Miami, and M.A.s from the University of Granada (Spain), CSUN, and UCSB. I was born in El Salvador and grew up in South-central Los Angeles. I am also a first-generation college graduate.
Having recently submitted my finalized doctoral dissertation, “From the Barrio to the Ballot: How Crime and Policing Shape Latino Political Behavior,” I hold a PhD (conferral pending) from the University of California, Santa Barbara. My research, along with my activism, seeks to contribute to a better understanding of political participation in marginalized communities, the role of crime and the criminal justice system in explaining this political phenomenon, and to actively address the issue.
My areas of specialization are Latino Politics, Criminal Justice, Race and Ethnic Politics, American Politics, the Politics of the Poor, Comparative Politics, and Central American Politics (in the U.S. and comparatively). I have conducted research in Los Angeles and El Salvador and have taught at UCSB and Santa Monica College. I also worked at UCLA's Center for Oral History as an Oral History Interviewer for the Central American History in Los Angeles project. The project focused on individuals who founded Central American institutions in Los Angeles in the 1980s.
I am the recipient of numerous research awards, including the UCSB Chicano Studies Institute Research Grant, UCSB Humanities and Social Sciences Research Grant, UCSB Department of Political Science Graduate Research and Training Grant, and the APSA Fund for Latino Scholarship Grant. I have been a Graduate Division Dissertation Fellow, Graduate Opportunity Fellow, SAGE Fellow, and a Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Fellow.
Before beginning my doctoral studies, I worked for School on Wheels, Inc., a Southern California non-profit organization that provides tutoring services to homeless students in K-12. Before joining School on Wheels, I was a community organizer for LA Voice-PICO. This multi-racial, multi-faith community organization trains community members "to speak, act, and work together to transform their communities into one that reflects the dignity of all people." I was also an AmeriCorps Citizenship Volunteer with the San Luis Valley Immigrant Resource Center in Alamosa, CO.
I hold an A.A. from Santa Monica College, a B.A. from the University of Miami, and M.A.s from the University of Granada (Spain), CSUN, and UCSB. I was born in El Salvador and grew up in South-central Los Angeles. I am also a first-generation college graduate.
