IMS Symposium Digital Program | Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute | Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Immigration & Migration Studies 2026 Symposium

Agenda

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM: Opening Remarks

10:15 AM - 11:15 AM: Panel 1 — Policies, Rights and the Well-being of Migrants

Isabella Franco: Reimagining Agricultural Labor Reform: Structural Failures, Migration Policy, and the Case for a Modern Bracero Program
Kaitlin Wing: Threads of Resistance: Understanding Migration and Cultural Revitalization in Senegal through Textile Production
Alex Ryan: Narrative Sovereignty: Chinese Media and the Silencing of Tibetan Exile Testimonies
Jhovana Bohigas-Gutierrez: The politics of exile: recognition, acceptance, and the 'other'

11:20 AM - 12:20 PM: Panel 2 — Immigrant Identities and Communities: Rethinking Race and Ethnic Differences

Madison Viger: Constructing Culture: Syrian-Lebanese Ethnic Identity and Migration to Argentina, 1880-1940
Ezra Esayas: Between Two Homelands: Identity Across Generations in the Ethiopian American Diaspora
Gloria Aguilar: Beyond One-Way Migration: Identity, Language, and (Re)integration in Migration to Mexico
Carenna Thompson: Identity and Immigrant Integration in Belfast, Northern Ireland

12:20 PM - 12:45 PM: Closing Remarks

12:45 PM - 1:30 PM: Lunch

Presenter Bios

Panel 1: Policies, Rights, and the Well-being of Immigrants

Image	Elizabeth Vaquera, PhD (Moderator) Associate Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration and Sociology
Image	Isabella Franco Isabella is a junior double majoring in Geography and Criminal Justice with a micro-minor in Immigration and Migration Studies. Her academic interests include organized and transnational crime, border security and infrastructure, and migration systems. She plans to attend law school and pursue a career focused on international law, human rights, and policy reform affecting migrant communities.
Image	Kaitlin Wing Kaitlin is a senior at The George Washington University studying anthropology with a minor in political science and a micro minor in immigration and migration studies. Her academic interests include memory and ruination in post conflict societies. Following graduation, Kaitlin will continue her studies at The George Washington University, receiving her masters in anthropology in 2027
Image	Alex Ryan Alex is a senior at George Washington University, pursuing a B.A. in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict Resolution. Her academic and professional interests focus on global conflict, migration, and human rights. Alex has conducted independent research on Tibetan exile communities, including fieldwork in Nepal and India, examining the relationship between state narratives and lived experiences. She is particularly interested in storytelling as a tool for understanding conflict and amplifying underrepresented voices.
Image	Jhovana Bohigas-Gutierrez Jhovana is a senior at George Washington University, studying International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict Resolution, a minor in Criminal Justice, and a micro-minor in Immigration-Migration Studies. Her academic interests include: Latin America, organized and transnational crime, migration, and study of the carceral state. She hopes to go to law school and pursue immigration law.

Panel 2: Immigrant Identities and Communities: Rethinking Race and Ethnic Differences

Image	Manuel Cuellar, PhD (Moderator) Associate Professor of of Latin America and Latinx Studies
Image	Madison Viger Madison is a third-year student pursuing a degree in Political Science and Sociology with a Micro-Minor in Immigration and Migration Studies. Her research interests include humanitarianism, migrant and refugee policy, international development, and urban poverty. In the future, Madison hopes to pursue a career in the humanitarian field, with a particular interest in supporting refugee communities worldwide.
Image	Ezra Esayas Ezra is a first-year student studying Finance with a micro-minor in Immigration and Migration Studies. His academic interests include quantitative data science, accountancy, and business analysis, specifically focusing on how these disciplines interact within global markets. In the future, Ezra plans to pursue a career in financial services, with a focus on investment banking, corporate finance, or wealth management.
Image	Gloria Aguilar Gloria is a Junior majoring in Political Science, with a minor in Criminal Justice, and a micro-minor in Immigration and Migration Studies. Her academic interests include intersectionality, constitutional law, and how the judicial system impacts the lives of those who enter the criminal justice system. In the future, Gloria would like to pursue a career in criminal defense, specifically supporting minors wrapped up in the criminal justice system.
Image	Carenna Thompson Carenna will be graduating in May 2026 with a Bachelor’s of Science in International Affairs and Geography with a concentration in Conflict Resolution and a minor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Her research examines the effects of immigrant integration in post-conflict cities, using a case study of Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was awarded the Undergraduate Research Award to conduct interviews in Belfast with immigrants and first-generation residents. Carenna is a member of The Eta Society for Global Affairs and Director of the non-profit, Kesem at GW. In Fall 2026, she will begin a Master’s of Urban Spatial Analytics at the University of Pennsylvania.