Welcome to our newest graduate student cohort! Please find their biographies below.
Anna Fernandez
B.A., Sociology, minors in Women and Gender Studies and Spanish, Seattle University; M.A., Sociology, University of Pittsburgh. Research interests: abolition and disability justice movements, abolition feminisms, disability and queer studies. Before graduate school I worked in Seattle Public Schools and taught preschool. I’ve been involved with various abolitionist projects in Seattle since 2016 and currently am part of a queer & trans support group at the prison in Monroe. For fun I enjoy hanging with loved ones – especially the kids and elders in my life, swimming in the lake, practicing somatics in queer politicized healing spaces, dancing with friends, reading fiction, and hiking with my perfect dog, Dave.
Madalena Monnier-Reyna
B.A., International Affairs with a concentration in Cultural, Political, and Economic Systems, and Geography, the George Washington University; M.S., Geography, the George Washington University. Research interests: feminist methodology, visual methods, social media, public space, protest, art, identity, how we use physical and virtual space to establish, negotiate, and maintain group identities. Regional focus: North America and Western Europe. Previously I worked on an NSF grant studying the creation and implementation of poverty maps in Morocco, France, and at an international level. Additionally, I worked on a research collaboration examining how executive branch leaders make foreign policy changes based on domestic pressures, my contribution looked at U.S. immigration policy shifts from the 1850s through the 1960s. My master’s thesis addressed a group of feminist street artists in Paris and on Instagram. This allowed me the opportunity to explore the intersection of public space, the relationship between citizens and the government, methods for researching social media, methods for researching online, all with the unique backdrop of France’s various lockdowns in 2020. This past year I spent half at home in the suburbs of Chicago and half in Spain, using the time to catch up with family and recharge for the coming school year. During this down time I also worked as a research consultant for an education advocacy group. My hobbies include painting, reading, getting lost in art museums, writing poetry, running, cooking, and trying to keep my plants alive.
Liz Peng
B.A., Geography: Data Science, UW. My research interests are in critical GIS, political geography and queer geography. In my spare time I love binging shows, theorycrafting and nerding out over video game lore. Occasionally I also do cosplays and bake pastries! As a cat lover, one of my favorite ways to spend the weekend is to visit the local cat cafe with friends.
Chase Puentes
B.S., Environmental Science, University of Southern California; M.S., Marine Affairs, University of Washington. Research interests: Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination; climate change adaptation; Arctic community science; subsistence food systems; digital storytelling; regional focus: Arctic Alaska, Finland, Greenland. My experience includes a year in the renewable energy industry, two years as marine lab technician and sustainability program coordinator, and two years as an international travel guide and naturalist. I recently held a science communication fellowship with Washington Seagrant, as well as a research assistantship supporting Kivalina, Alaska's volunteer search and rescue organization with ongoing climate change-related challenges. I'm an avid hiker, backpacker, and swimmer; I also love movies, bar trivia, anything white cheddar-flavored, and autumn in Seattle.