The Sociology Reporter | Winter 2025
The Sociology Reporter | Winter 2025
Message from the Chair
Happy New Year! We had a very busy and exciting Fall semester, packed with amazing events and incredible classes. Thank you to our faculty, students, and staff for all your hard work! Best of luck in the Spring semester!
– Dr. Eve Veliz-Moran, Department Chair
Fall 2024 Lecture Series
“Working with Immigrants in an Election Season: A Conversation with PC Alumni”
September 2024
Dr. Kara Cebulko and Caroline Lamarine, ‘25, organized this fantastic event this past September, inviting five PC alumni back to campus for a panel discussion. All five alumni, Pedro Aleman Perfecto ’17, Christina Roca ’21, Vania Ramos Pinto Pereria ’17, Jose Maza ’21, and Susan Mendl ’17, work within the immigration field in a variety of ways. They shared their experiences at Providence College and in their careers, providing incredible context to the reality of working within the immigration field during an election, as well as important career advice to the student audience.
The full panel is available to watch on the Sociology/Anthropology website and on YouTube.
The Voter Education Series
October 2024
In the wise words of Aaron Sorkin via Will McAvoy, “There’s nothing that’s more important in a democracy than a well-informed electorate.”
This October, Dr. Rhiannon Miller worked with Dr. Adam Myers from the Department of Political Science to put on a series of three panels over the course of the month to discuss different issues that would be on the ballot for the November 2024 Presidential Election. The three panels, Environmental Policy (Drs. Maia Bailey, Charlotte Roberts, Casey Stevens, and Dean Margaret Watkins), Family Policy & the Economy (Drs. Adam Myers, Sharon Murphy, Rhiannon Miller, and Brandon Martinez), and Immigration (Drs. Robert Hasson, Kara Cebulko, Richard Grace, and Dean Margaret Watkins), were tabled by several PC faculty from varying departments, and discussed and answered questions about a wide range of topics.
The department is very grateful to the faculty who dedicated their expertise to the panels, and their time to the very fun skit videos created to promote the events.
Faculty News
New Year, New Book!
Congratulations to Dr. Kara Cebulko on her newly published book, The Borders of Privilege: 1.5-Generation Brazilian Migrants Navigating Power Without Papers. In the book, Dr. Cebulko tells the stories of a group of 1.5-generation Brazilians to show how their ability to be perceived as white—their power without papers—shapes their everyday interactions. By strategically creating boundaries with other racialized groups, these immigrants navigate life-course rituals like college, work, and marriage without legal documentation.
The Borders of Privilege is now available for purchase at the Stanford University Press. Use code CEBULKO20 for 20% off.
(Image – Dr. Cebulko and her students at her book launch party)
Student News
SOC Students Bring Environmental Sociology to the Community
This fall, students in Dr. Charlotte Roberts SOC 333: Environmental Sociology course participated in a semester long community compost outreach project. The students partnered with Zero Waste Providence, a local organization that focuses on creating opportunities for members of the Providence community to participate in more sustainable lifestyles and economies.
The students took part in this collective effort by going door-to-door to talk with residents about food scrap recycling options, including drop-off sites at the Community Libraries of Providence. In total, the students knocked on 874 doors, registering initial interest from over 60 households and contributing to an increase in enrollments for the free drop-off service.
Thank you very much to Zero Waste Providence for their collaboration and support, especially Carla Doughty, Michael, Victor, and Denise!
The Alumni Section
Introducing the
ALUMNI OUTREACH PROJECT
This fall, the Department began working on a new community concept, the Alumni Outreach Project. This project grew out of a fantastic panel lecture the department hosted earlier in September 2024, “Working with Immigrants in an Election Season: A Conversation with PC Alumni”. The response to the panel and to the stories of our alumni was incredible – the students loved hearing directly from alumni and many immediately reached out to learn more about taking sociology courses and getting involved in the department. We want to build on this excitement and interest and use it to grow our community, connecting students and alumni outside PC. So far, the responses to this project have been awesome, and we are so excited to share some alumni updates here and on our website – you can check out alumni stories and more at Life After PC.
Want to Get Involved?
Here are four ways you can get connected with the alumni and student community:
Fill Out a Form!
Check out the Sociology & Anthropology Alumni Update Form below. This form invites to to give any news, career or life updates in text form.
Send In A Video!
In the age of modern technology, we’ve found that a great way to get information to students is through clips on our website and social media pages!
Become An Alumni Mentor!
This spring, we are planning a new Alumni Mentor Program, to facilitate connections between local alumni and current Sociology/Anthropology students. We are planning on piloting this program in the coming months, so keep an eye out for more information and updates!
Connect With Us On LinkedIn!
Join our LinkedIn group, Providence College Sociology & Anthropology, to get in touch with other alumni, past and current faculty, and current students.
Alumni Updates and More!
Congratulations to Shannon Sullivan ‘21, who graduated from Northeastern in May 2024 with her MPA.
Congratulations to Sara Squeglia ‘12, who is finishing up her PhD in Education at Lesley University, and gave birth to her son, Tommy, in March 2024.
Congratulations to Nathan Holterman ‘13, who finished his military service commitment in the Navy in June 2024, and is now a Public Health & General Preventive Medicine Resident at Emory University in Atlanta.
Best of luck to Autumn Tangney ‘23, who recently started a Master of Science in Public Health in International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Congratulations to Abigail Segal ‘23 who recently started a new job as a case manager at Family Service of Rhode Island.
Congratulations to Madison Cohen ‘22, who started a new job at the Refugee Processing Center at the US Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration in October 2024.
Congratulations to Eric Millen ‘87, who celebrated his 35th year working at Advocates, a human service agency providing supports to people living with Intellectual Disabilities, people living with mental health diagnoses and substance and alcohol abuse as well as outpatient clinics for psychiatry and counseling, in February 2024.
Congratulations to Kristen Keating Marx ‘91, who finished her MSW at Simmons University in October. We wish her the best of luck on her clinical exam!
Congratulations to Julia Neyen Dubrow ‘11, who started a new position in the Hendrick Hudson School District in September 2024.
Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm
Howley Hall 119
401.865.2125
sociology.anthropology@providence.edu
