Nicole Latham

First degree: B.A. in History from Scripps College in Claremont, California, USA

A Latin American history course taught by a particularly influential professor at my undergraduate college sparked my initial interest in the region. The following summer, I interned at CHIRLA, The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, an experience which solidified my interest in Latin America, and focused that interest on the issues surrounding migration. I continued to work at CHIRLA for the duration of my undergraduate degree and participated in workers' rights organizations on campus. My undergraduate thesis addressed nationalism and European immigration to Argentina. While studying abroad in Granada, Spain, I had the opportunity to visit Oxford, and I immediately fell in love with the place. The high quality of professors, emphasis on "one-on-one" and small group tutorials, and incredible resources (including, particularly in light of my interests, the Refugee Studies Center and the International Migration Institute) convinced me that Oxford was the place I wanted to pursue a graduate degree. At Oxford, my thesis was a historical and sociological analysis of Central American migration through Mexico. I hope to work as a part of the immigrant rights movement in the United States.