DARLENE LUNA, COHORT 2

Darlene Luna is a Junior at City College of New York. Majoring in psychology, Darlene’s academic intentions are directed towards community psychology and public policy. As a Dominican-American woman, she feels it important to center her work around latinidad and the LBGTQ community. Darlene currently serves as Chair of Community Service and Outreach for the Dominican Student Association at  The City College. This organization aims to help students affirm their Dominican roots and teach the broader CCNY community about the intricacies of this culture and is diasporic manifestations. As a Bronx native, Darlene observed first hand the infrastructural neglect and harsh reality/experience of gentrifications displacement of communities. Darlene works to develop a nuanced understanding of the various factors that continue to put folks in her community at distinct risk for low socio economic and health outcomes. She hopes nurture her writing, further develop her praxis, and continue to conduct her research from a biopsychosocial perspective.