Cecilia Caro
Cecilia CaroMacalester College, anthropology and educational studies
GSEF Fellow, Cohort 1
Research Placement: University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Besides reading and watching Marvel movies, my ideal days consist of spending time with my family, eating my mom’s Mexican food, indulging my sweet tooth, and traveling.”
How would you describe yourself in a few sentences?
I was born and raised in rural Colorado. Besides reading and watching Marvel movies, my ideal days consist of spending time with my family, eating my mom’s Mexican food, indulging my sweet tooth, and traveling.
What kind of research are you working on this summer? Who are you working with?
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Stacey J. Lee in the Educational Policy Studies department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A phenomenal educational anthropologist, Dr. Lee supported me on my research which focused on long-term English language learners and the effects of current language policy/programming on their academic experiences.
What have you learned so far?
This has been a wonderful opportunity to learn more about not only graduate school and academia, but about myself and the ways I want to contribute to society. After this experience, I’ve come to realize that I see myself as more of a “practical” actor of change more than an “abstract” scholar. Someone who creates change through practice, but is informed by the theoretical shifts occurring in academia. That is not to say that research won’t be a part of my future at all, but maybe just not in my immediate future. Though if I do pursue research, time management will continue to be one of my greatest challenges!
