Melissa Quintela

Melissa grew up on the plains of West Texas, but has lived recently in New Mexico before coming to Indiana. She received a Bachelor of Science at Texas Tech University and a Master of Arts in Sociology at New Mexico State University, both summa cum laude. As a doctoral candidate and a Latino Studies Dissertation Fellow, she is currently writing her dissertation entitled, “The Power of Youth in an Emerging Latino Community, “a long term multi-method project which documents immigrant youth adaptation in both urban and semi-rural communities in a critical manner. Her research interests include children and youth, immigration, race/ethnicity, education, mental health, research methods (qualitative, quantitative), social psychology, social movements, and Latina/o sociology.

Outside of research, Melissa is engaged in improving racial/ethnic dialogue, participatory theatre, serving as a facilitator in youth organizations and free trade activist issues benefiting indigenous Mayan women of Mexico. For diversion, Melissa likes to run, bike, hike, dance, draw, practice yoga and energy balancing, read tarot and interpret dreams, and futilely attempt to encourage her two Chihuahuas to not be neurotic.