Lesly Chávez-Valencia

Lesly Chávez-Valencia is a senior pursuing a major in Sociology, RIM (Race, Indigeneity, and Migration), and Mexican American & Latina/o Studies. Inspired by firsthand experiences, her academic and research interest include education policy, race, policing, immigration, and stratification. Most recently, Lesly completed her honors thesis dissecting the impact of policing on undocumented communities. In addition, Lesly is a Mellon Mays fellow where she works under the mentorship of Dr. Angela Valenzuela examining education attainment for migrant students. This past summer, Lesly took part in a research assistantship at the University of Notre Dame under the mentorship of Dr. Anna Haskins and completed a research project titled “A Lineage of Alienation: The Impact of Surveillance System Avoidance on Children of Undocumented Immigrants in the United States.” She also partook in the Migrations Initiative Summer Pathways Program at Cornell University. Lesly is part of University Leadership Initiative, a student organization supporting undocumented UT students, and Rooted, a collective of immigrant students supporting undocumented students. With the hope of representing her community, Lesly intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Sociology.