Kristen Surla

Kristen Surla serves as a Summer Intern at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.  Currently, she is a 2nd year M.Ed. Student in the Higher Education Student Affairs Program at Loyola University Chicago, where she previously graduated with a B.A. in English and Sociology in 2013. While at Loyola, Kristen contributed to multiple research initiatives through the Center for Urban Research and Learning and the Graduate School of Education, focusing on undocumented students, mixed immigrant status families, college choice among Southeast Asian students, and Asian American political engagement around affirmative action. Prior to graduate school, Kristen worked at Oberlin College and Conservatory as the Assistant Director and Asian/Pacific Islander Coordinator at the Multicultural Resource Center. Kristen's interests include the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality in higher education. Specifically, Kristen hopes to continue pursuing her education and apply to PhD programs where she can continue uplifting the experiences of Asian & Pacific Islanders and queer women of color through research.