
Zaira Martin (2018 Cohort) (NMSU BA Government, Spanish, Anthropology and Gender & Sexuality Studies, 2021; Zaira completed her MA in Anthropology at NMSU in May 2023).
“Participating in the Research Experience for Undergraduates on Immigration and Border Communities was meaningful to me on an academic and personal level. As a lifelong fronteriza, I was appalled by the injustices happening in my own back yard, affecting my community and affecting my people. This experience was also my first exposure to academic research. This experience helped me understand research and craft my own ideas into a project. I have been able to shift and integrate some the concepts of REU project to fit my undergraduate thesis which has served as a foundation to research as I transition into graduate school.”