Briana Navarro is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Spanish as well as a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. Briana is also a first-generation college student and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2022.
She is involved in countless organizations and clubs throughout campus such as the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), SSS-TRIO, the McNair Scholars Program, Delta Delta Delta, Movimiento Activista Social (MAS), and is currently serving as an ASUI Senator. Briana has also worked at the University of Idaho Women’s Center for three years, where she has held the position of Events and Programming assistant from 2018 to 2020 as well as the position of Social Media and Outreach Assistant from 2020 to 2021. In the Spring of 2020 she was selected to be a part of the DISA Committee by the director of the International Studies Department where she researched non-profit organizations in the Northwest in order to award one organization with the Distinction in International Service Award and as a result of her work in the DISA Committee she gained a considerable interest in non-profit organizations.
This past summer, Briana took part in the Summer Research Institute through the McNair Scholars Program. As a part of the Summer Research Institute, Briana conducted her own research throughout the course of 8 weeks alongside Dr. Ryanne Pilgeram who served as her research advisor. Briana’s research focused on studying the lived experiences of queer youth who grew up in rural Idaho and who also come from farm working backgrounds, in order to obtain visibility and consideration to that group and to their struggles. Briana conducted multiple interviews and composed an in-depth literature review to support her research throughout the 8 weeks. Her research interest arose from her own personal experience growing up in rural Idaho and constantly witnessing the constraints which queer people face within not only the rural atmosphere, but also the within the family dynamics that exist amongst a farm working family.
In the future, Briana hopes to obtain her PhD in Political Science and, as previously mentioned, she is very interested in working for a non-profit centered around promoting policy change and advocating for marginalized groups. She hopes to be knowledgeable enough to enact true change within the legal system to benefit those who have been unfairly affected by the current legal and justice systems. She hopes to have the opportunity to work with politicians and help make a difference in her community.
