My work centers the racial politics of Afro-Latin identity, specifically looking at how youth negotiate their racial and ethnic identity within schools. I am also interested in researching immigrant/undocumented youth and their social mobility through education.

Manny is a first-generation Dominican college student from NYC. Manny is research/teaching assistant working under Dr. Sophia Rodriguez and Ph.D. student studying Minority and Urban Education within the Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership program at the University of Maryland, College Park. He received his B.A. degree in English and Textual Studies and Political Science from Syracuse University, an M.A.T degree in Secondary English Education (7-12) from New York University, and an M.A. in Education Policy, with a specialization in law, from Teachers College, Columbia University. Manny was a former middle school English teacher at a charter school in NYC. His research interests center the resistance and resilience of undocummented youth as well as the exploration of ethnoracial identity development of Afro-Latinx men in education. He hopes to expand and leverage his critical thinking, analytical, and research skills to become a changemaker for urban communities and work towards crafting sound and equitable policies in schools.

Ronald E. McNair Graduate Fellowship - 2020-2025

The Graduate School - University of Maryland, College Park

The McNair Graduate Fellowship program enhances opportunities for our campus doctoral programs to recruit and retain outstanding McNair alumni from institutions across the country. The AY 22-23 McNair Graduate Fellowship is an enhancement package that may total $40,000 per student over the duration of the award.  Since the inauguration of the McNair Graduate Fellowship program, 63 exceptional students have been recruited to the University of Maryland Graduate School.

Deans Fellowship - 2020-2023

The Graduate School - University of Maryland, College Park

The Graduate School's Dean's Fellowships are offered by graduate programs in order to create greater flexibility in creating overall support packages for students. Graduate School Dean's Fellowships may be used as recruitment tools for prospective students or as awards for currently enrolled students. Each year, the Graduate School allocates a certain number of Dean’s Fellowships to colleges who then allocate the fellowships to programs.  Programs are then responsible for recruiting and retaining outstanding students. 

Rodriguez, S., Douglass, C., & Zapata, M. (Under review). Critical (curricular) encounters: lived curriculum of belonging for newcomer migrant youth. In Cathryn Magno, Jamie Lew & Sophia Rodriguez (Eds). Innovative Migration Methodologies. Brill Publishing.