Biography

Mariana (Nikki) Brown is a fourth-year doctoral student and Aviles-Johnson fellow studying the sociology of education, Latinx studies, and social justice. Her current research is on examining how Latinx-Greek Letter Organizations (LGLOs) cultivate multiple forms of capital: aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant, to sustain cultural heritage and promote social mobility. Employing a qualitative approach, her current research compares LGLOs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and non-HSIs through in-depth interviews and content analysis. Across both contexts, LGLOs function as treasuries of heritage where members actively preserve traditions, cultivate resilience, and leverage community cultural wealth to enhance their educational experiences and expand pathways to success. The experiences of members from both types of institutions will shed light on how cultural preservation is practiced through different institutions.