Yolanda Borquaye

Sociology and Government, '14 working with Professor Michèle Lamont

This past year, I've had the incredible opportunity to work as a research assistant to Professor Michèle Lamont. The project that I've been working on has focused on the responses to stigmatization by African Americans in the US, Afro-Brazilians in Brazil, and Ethiopian and Mizrahi Jews in Israel. The work is a collaborative effort with other researchers in each of the countries, and it has been interesting to learn about the varied responses to similar cases of stigmatization. Throughout the year, I've been able to look at tables, revise chapters, and collect additional literature. In doing so, I've been able to learn a lot about stigmatizations and its effects, which aided me in my thesis work. Looking at how some of the responses were unfolding in Professor Lamont's work motivated me to consider an alternative explanation like stigmatization for the social phenomenon I was trying to explain in my thesis. 

 Aside from the wonderful knowledge I've been able to acquire, I have been able to gain a wonderful mentor in Professor Lamont. Working closely with her has enabled me to see how research for books and articles is actually carried out. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to simply learn from her in a non-classroom or lecture setting. Having the opportunity to work and learn from her is an incredibly unique experience, and has made me strongly consider some of my postgraduate plans in research. As a senior, I only wish that I would have pursued such an opportunity sooner, and I cannot help but encourage Sociology concentrators to do the same!