Andreina Barajas Novoa, ‘24, recently completed a five-month Latina Leadership fellowship with Esperanza United in Washington, D.C., one of ten students chosen nationwide to participate in the program, which aims to support Latina students who are pursuing careers in research or policy advocacy. Barajas Novoa is interested in protecting the rights of working-class people in the immigrant community, many of whom are undocumented. She developed an interest in labor issues after observing how her father, a Mexican immigrant and construction worker, felt after long, arduous workdays.
A double major in sociology and political science with a minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Barajas Novoa worked closely during her fellowship with the Connecticut Worker Center, which supports, informs, and advocates for labor rights across the state. An article in CTLatinoNews.com discusses her efforts on behalf of domestic workers.
Domestic work “is not like a typical job because…the definition of an employer and employee relationship is kind of blurred, so it’s really unregulated – both in Connecticut and in the US,” Barajas Novoa is quoted as saying in the article. “So, because it’s unregulated, gender-based violence is bound to happen in some way, whether that’s like harassment, assault, or other kinds of like sexual violence.”
Read the full article on CTLatinoNews.com: “Student Advocates for Domestic Worker Rights” (By Belén Dumont, December 16, 2022).
