Iris Delgado '09
Originally from Carteret, New Jersey, and later graduating from a high
school in Edison, New Jersey, Iris Michelle Delgado, a senior in the
College of Arts and Sciences first became interested in inequality studies
through very different social dynamics growing up. She is currently
majoring in English and Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies with
minors in Latino Studies and Inequality Studies. Through out her
time here at Cornell, Iris has been able to work with “The Future of
Minority Studies: Redefining Identity Politics,” as well as non-profit
organizations focused on the betterment of multicultural youth in America.
As a writer, Iris’ focus is to develop the voice of the Latina women in
the United States who have suffered oppression due to socioeconomic
status, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and cultural differences.
She is hoping to attend law school after graduating in May 2009 where she
will focus on gender and civil rights matters. She lives each day by the
words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in this world.”
Graham Rengert '09
Graham Rengert has been concerned about social inequality since childhood, but in his few years at Cornell these concerns developed into a passion for social justice. He began to understand how historic imbalances of power perpetuate the systemic injustices that produce inequality and he began to study the politics of oppression and people's movements of resistance. His research and activism mainly focus on systems of criminalization and incarceration and the oppression of racial, gender, and sexual minorities in U.S. society. He is a senior in the Government Honors Program with minors in Spanish, International Relations, Africana Studies, Law & Society, Latin American Studies, Inequality, and Lesbian, Bisexual, & Gay Studies. Graham is a member of the Roosevelt Institution's Equal Justice Group and a Roosevelt Institution Research Fellow studying policy responses to structural inequality as an intern with the Center for Social Inclusion. On campus he is a member of the Prison Activist Coalition, Direct Action to Stop Heterosexism, and the Women's Resource Center Board. He knows that the Center for the Study of Inequality has helped him build an academic foundation for his future of activism and community organizing. Read the abstract of my paper on adoption policy and gay parents.