PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Miguel A. Avalos (he/they) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a graduate minor in Queer Studies from the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies. He was born in San Diego, CA, but grew up in Tijuana, Mexico, until his family moved to the United States in the late-1990s. His childhood and adolescent cross-border experiences informed his decision to become a sociologist and continue to shape his research agenda. Before beginning his doctoral studies, Miguel earned an AA in Sociology from San Diego Mesa College and a BA in Sociology from California State University, Channel Islands.