Research & Information Associates 2022-2023
Andrés Villalba '25
Email: avillal1@swarthmore.edu Major: Special Major Educational Studies & Sociology/Anthropology
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
As a FLI student, I know how difficult and daunting the research process can seem. As a RIA, I hope that I can help demystify the research process for you and help you make the most of the resources at your disposal! Outside of my role as a RIA, I’m a historian with the FLI Council, and an archivist with the Voices editorial board. Feel free to reach out to me about all things FLI @ Swat, archives, comics, animal crossing amiibo tags, and daschunds (Weiner dogs).
Camille Valentine ‘24
Email: cvalent1@swarthmore.edu
Major: Art with a Concentration in Photography
Hometown: Durham, NC
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
As someone with a wide variety of academic interests, I know how difficult it can be to narrow down your focus on one specific topic for a research project, and with the wide variety of information available, just getting started can seem like a daunting task. Thankfully there are many resources available to students to help ease this process and break down the complexities of research. As an RIA I look forward to exploring other students’ interests and being a part of their research process. I hope to encourage students to reach out for help, not only from RIAs, and build upon their support system here at Swat. In my free time, I enjoy doing a wide variety of activities including playing cello, ballet, baking, and knitting.
Daniella Fadjoh ‘23
Email: dfadjoh1@swarthmore.edu Major: Political Sociology and Philosophy Hometown: Lansdowne, PA Pronouns: they/Daniella
I think it can be hard to be as intentional as we want to be about our research when we have impending deadlines, countless responsibilities, and class the next day. As a RIA, it is my hope to help students develop their thoughtful research questions and make known to them all of the incredible resources we have access to at Swarthmore and beyond. And while we have an abundance of resources, I hope to help students prioritize quality and specificity, ultimately creating rich work with a few really great sources. My goal as a RIA is to affirm people in the questions they come in with, help students get started on any research they have (for school or otherwise), and encourage them to see “everything as text” - in other words, see everything as worth analyzing, able to be made relevant and treated as valuable knowledge. I want to make the process of research feel as natural and accessible as possible, while leaving room to be surprised by what we find. Outside of being RIA, I work as a French tutor, can be found in Singer or the cherry blossom field, trying to do my own thesis research, or scouring McCabe for good free books <3
José E. Valdivia Heredia ’23
Email: jvaldiv1@swarthmore.edu Major: Religion and Latin American Studies special major Hometown: Sonoma, California Pronouns: they/them/theirs or elle/ellx
I’m very excited for my second year working as a RIA supporting student and faculty research. As an interdisciplinary scholar, my hope is to encourage others to think widely and critically about the sources they use— and most importantly, to think outside the box and cross disciplinary boundaries. I look forward to also learning from students’ research, especially those cases that are completely outside of my own area of study. I also form part of the Library’s User Experience (UX) Assistant and worked as an Archival Intern with the College Archive’s anti-racist, archival project during the 2021-22 school year. I am also the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of Swarthmore’s new interdisciplinary feminist research journal, Crossings.
Jimmy Nguyen ‘25
Email: jnguyen1@swarthmore.edu Major: Cognitive Science Major Minors: Computer Science + Film Hometown: Atlanta, GA Pronouns: They/Them or He/Him
Researching here at Swarthmore can be a daunting process, especially because for many students this is the first time that we’ve had such easy access to a multitude of resources. As an RIA I hope to make researching less terrifying and help students take advantage of resources and materials here to help them. I want to ensure that students feel supported and comfortable in their research process and also promote a welcoming environment where students can feel safe to ask questions and become less stressed and gain a better understanding of the information available to them. While I’m not working as a RIA, you can find me enjoying a nice drink and snacks with a movie, TV show, book, or anything else you can think of!
Karina Flores ‘25
Email: kflores1@swarthmore.edu Major: Linguistics and Spanish Hometown: Chicago, IL Pronouns: She/her/hers
As a RIA, I know the frustration and discouragement that ultimately leads to procrastination when having to write a 12+ page paper in such little time. My goal is to make students feel more confident in the research process by introducing them to different resources Swat has to offer. Aside from being a RIA, you can catch me at target, listening to Paramore, making different Pinterest boards, and indulging in a new hobby, which is currently roller skating.
Katie Carlson '23
Email: kcarlso1@swarthmore.edu Major: Sociology/Anthropology with a Minor in Dance Hometown: Duluth, MN Pronouns: she/her/hers
I used to feel that asking for help with my research paper or project was only something I should do when I had a specific question or research roadblock. As a RIA, I hope to encourage students to speak freely about their research interests and feel comfortable asking for help, wherever they may be in their research process. Besides working as an RIA, I am also a tutor with Dare2Soar and a research assistant in the SOAN department.
