Student Affiliate

Dori-Taylor Carter

Research Program Coordinator

Dori-Taylor Carter (she/her) is a Sociology PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley and BIMI's Research Program Coordinator. Dori-Taylor's research is centered on issues of identity classification, political representation, and panethnic social movements. More closely, Dori-Taylor focuses on the construction of identity categories and populations, the political representation of identity groups, and the mobilization of shared identities and experiences toward collective political power. Her current project examines how political action committees construct identity...

Vera Parra

Community Partnerships Coordinator
Vera Parra is a PhD candidate in Sociology at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on labor, migration, and political economy. Her current research examines how shifting trade and development regimes impact labor organizing on either side of the US-Mexico border. Vera conducts research and training with immigrant worker centers and labor unions. Before graduate school, she spent 10 years organizing in the immigrant rights movement. As an organizer with the Cosecha Movement, she led a successful statewide...

Lena Ramos

BIMI Research Analyst

Lena Ramos is a Research Analyst with the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI) and a student at UC Berkeley, pursuing degrees in Legal Studies and Society and Environment on the pre-law track. She is passionate about immigration law, policy, and reform, with a particular focus on Latin American communities. Her academic interests are rooted in her dedication to advocacy and humanitarian aid.

Lena serves as a Staff Editor for the California Legal Studies Journal, Co-Director of Finance for the Berkeley...

Meriel Fay Zeltzer

BIMI Research Analyst

Meriel Fay Zeltzer is a Research Analyst with the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI) and a student at UC Berkeley, pursuing degrees in Political Economy and Sociology on a pre-law and diplomacy track. She is passionate about policy, international relations, and the arts. She is interested in exploring how social structures, migration, and economic systems shape local and global communities.

Meriel also serves as an Associate for the Multicultural Initiative Fund under the Associated Students of the University of California, Berkeley (Office of the President)....

Ishita Srivastava

Community Research Scholar

Ishita Srivastava is a Research, Practice, and Policy Scholar at the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI), where she focuses on health inequities and expanding medical access for marginalized communities. As an Indian immigrant and a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology, she brings a unique perspective to the intersection of research, policy, and community advocacy.

Her research explores systemic barriers to care, particularly for rural and underserved populations. She has published work on innovative solutions for reducing health...

Jonanne Talebloo

Community Research Scholar

Jonanne Talebloo is a Research, Practice, and Policy Scholar at the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI), where she explores the intersection of healthcare access, policy, and immigrant health outcomes. As an Iranian American with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley, she combines her research background with a deep commitment to addressing health disparities affecting immigrant and refugee communities.

Her research focuses on social determinants of health and healthcare inequities, with...

Donya Atashie

BIMI Research Analyst

Donya Atashie is a Research Analyst with the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI) and a student at UC Berkeley, pursuing degrees in Psychology and Legal Studies on the pre-law track. She is deeply passionate about the intersections of law, psychology, and human rights, particularly in advocating for underrepresented communities. Her academic interests center on the ways legal systems shape social structures and the psychological impact of migration and displacement.

Beyond her academic pursuits, she serves as the Culture Chair...

Avery Samai

BIMI Research Analyst

Avery Samai is a Research Analyst with the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI) and a student at UC Berkeley pursuing degrees in Political Science and Society and Environment. She is passionate about human rights, climate justice, and international policy. She is interested in studying the intersection between international affairs and the environment to promote peaceful and sustainable communities across the world.

Beyond BIMI, Avery is a volunteer college counselor for low-income, first-generation, East Bay high school seniors through...