ASU doctoral students earn national fellowship to advance research on Latino communities

Two Arizona State University doctoral students have been chosen for a highly selective national fellowship that supports emerging scholars as they begin developing their dissertation research.

Roberto Ortega, a sociology PhD student in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, and Gabriela Aros, a transborder studies PhD student in the School of Transborder Studies, were named 2026–27 Crossing Latinidades Mellon Predoctoral Research Fellows. The award includes a $30,000 stipend, tuition, health insurance and participation in the Crossing Latinidades Summer Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago.

The program, including the summer institute, brings together doctoral students from across the country at an important stage in their academic work — after completing coursework and as they begin defining their dissertation projects.

Fellows are selected for projects focused on U.S. Latino communities and are expected to develop dissertation proposals while working closely with faculty mentors. Through seminars, workshops and mentorship, participants refine research questions and establish a clear plan for their research.

Roberto Ortega is a sociology PhD student and graduate teaching associate. His work centers on streetwear fashion and the meanings people attach to their clothing, examining how style operates as a form of social and cultural expression. He also looks at how institutions such as schools, police and employers interpret appearance as a marker of identity.

“My research focuses on what the streetwear clothing style means for those who wear it,” Ortega said. “Specifically, I explore how streetwear becomes a method of cultural and identity expression that challenges racialized gang stereotypes in our society.”

For Ortega, the fellowship is a huge step in his academic journey, offering both recognition and the support to deepen his work. 

“I'm hoping to explore different theoretical methods that I can apply to my research,” he says. “I'd like to develop a better sense of illustrating the symbolic significance of streetwear and how it serves as a self-expression and resistance mechanism.”

He also sees his dissertation project as something future students can connect with, and hopes that it “contributes to inspiring future generations of students who relate to my own work and upbringing.”

Gabriela Aros is a transborder studies PhD student. She studies life along the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly within the 100-mile enforcement zone where surveillance and enforcement influence daily life for the communities that live there. Her work examines how those conditions affect motherhood and the decisions people make within that environment.

For Aros, the fellowship provides a commodity that’s been in short supply throughout her studies: time.

“I’ve worked at least two jobs at all times throughout my graduate school career, pulling 65-hour work weeks to support myself,” she said. “Not only receiving the financial support, but being given the time and space to dedicate to my research is an incredible opportunity for me.”

At the summer institute, she plans to map out her research design and move her dissertation from concept to execution. She is also looking forward to building connections with faculty and peers working through similar questions.

Aros said her research carries a responsibility to reflect the experiences people have shared with her, and the fellowship gives her the ability to do that work more fully.

“I don’t just want my research to be informative,” she said, “I want those who have given me the opportunity to learn about their experiences to feel like they were heard and their story was told.”

As they prepare to join a small, selective cohort of fellows in Chicago this summer, both Aros and Ortega are looking ahead to the questions they want to pursue and the impact they hope to achieve.

“I’m excited to learn directly from experienced professors and mentors who are established in the field and to connect with the other emerging scholars who are taking this journey alongside me,” Aros said.

For Ortega, the fellowship is also a moment of personal validation.

“This fellowship means a lot to me in this current stage of my PhD journey,” he said. “It reminds me that I am capable of pushing myself to grow as a scholar and erases any self-doubts that I've encountered along the way.”