Catarina de A. Mello da Costa (She/Her)

Student, Barnard College
  • People
  • United States of America
Hannah Isabelle Holness

Research Scholar, Barnard College of Columbia University

Jennifer Quisi

Laidlaw Scholar , Barnard College

Eden Martin

Research Scholar, Barnard College

I'm majoring in sociology and minoring in feminist/intersectional science and technology studies! My project is about the (social) experiences and perspectives of long term survivors of HIV regarding the AIDS epidemic and COVID pandemic. Through my interviews, I hope to learn about collective response and risk distribution as experienced by vulnerable/marginalized populations, particularly as public attention and precautions wane. 
Mira Nayak

Student, Barnard College

I am a sociology major on the pre-medical track at Barnard College. For my Laidlaw research summer I am conducting interviews with people of color who are currently pregnant or have recently given birth to understand how how healthcare professionals can better support their POC birthing patients.
Kirsten Trevino

Student, Barnard College

Hi all! My name is Kirsten Trevino, and I am a rising senior at Barnard College majoring in Sociology and Human Rights. My interests in identity, sexuality, and sociology led me to research the coming-of-age experience and identity formation practices of white lesbian elders who came of age during the post-WWII, Cold War period in Detroit, Michigan, during my first summer.  In my second summer, I am currently volunteering with the organization Rainbow Faith and Freedom to further their mission of securing affirmation for 2SLGBTQIA+ by ending religious-based homophobia and transphobia 🌈 
Sabrina Gulotty

Student, Barnard College

Hi everyone! I'm a student at Barnard College in New York City. I'm researching feminist consumerism in cosmetics marketing. I'm really interested in political and feminist theory, as well as many fields of philosophy! I look forward to connecting :)
Isadora Li

Scholar, Barnard College

Nina Thakur

Student, Barnard

Reese Taylor

Research Scholar, Barnard College, Columbia University

Reese Taylor is a rising junior majoring in Philosophy, History, and Human Rights on a pre-law track. As a Laidlaw Scholar, she spent her first summer researching the role of labor in the economic and social uplift of Black Americans in the wake of Reconstruction. She was selected to present this research at Johns Hopkins University, The University of Pennsylvania, and the Global Laidlaw Scholars Conference. In her second summer, Reese founded The Voices in Action Initiative which is a program developed to empower and mobilize youth voices by providing them skills and practice in speech and debate. She enacted the program in Nassau, Bahamas with sponsorship from both the Laidlaw Foundation and The Kiwanis Club of Nassau.
Jezlyn Montas

Student, Barnard College

Isabel Iino

Student, Barnard College, Columbia University

Isabel Iino is an American Studies and Economic and Social History student at Barnard College, Columbia University. With the support of the Laidlaw Foundation, she explored the emergence of "voodoo" doctors, magico-religious healers, their relationship to Black diasporic healing practices, and how magico-religious healers acted as a form of resistance against medical racism for the Black Harlem community during the early 20th century. 
Anushka Khetawat

Student, Barnard College of Columbia University

Smiti Modhurima

Student, Barnard College

Adam Lutz

Administrative Assistant, Barnard College

Allyson Katz

Student Researcher, Barnard College

Evangeline Eastman

Laidlaw Scholar, Barnard College

Ihita Ghosh

Student, Barnard College

Amanda Cisse

Laidlaw Scholar, Barnard College of Columbia University

Sophia Mariano

Laidlaw Scholar, Barnard College

Terrah Garner

Undergraduate Leadership & Research Scholar, Barnard College

Hi everyone, my name is Terrah — or Danae if you know me from Danalize, my startup, where I’ve helped over 500,000 college and high school students get smart about their college loans and promote financial literacy. I’m a junior at Barnard College, Columbia University, double majoring in sociology and human rights on the pre-law track. I'm also a part of the 2025 Laidlaw scholar cohort. My mission is to help others through my experience as a first-generation, low-income student from an underserved high school. This passion, combined with the disparities I’ve seen in financial literacy—especially in communities of color—has inspired my current research on the relationship between financial literacy and higher educational attainment. Feel free to connect as we grow together, not just as scholars, but as passionate advocates for change.