Ximena Sanchez Martinez

Ximena Sanchez Martinez is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include immigration, medical inequity, access to higher education, and qualitative methods. Her current work focuses on how immigration and health policies shape the experiences of Latino communities in Los Angeles County.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree with honors in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity from Stanford University, with a minor in Biology. Her undergraduate honors thesis, The Next Step: Reframing the Vulnerability and Difficulties of Undocumented Students Through Higher Education Milestones, was one of ten projects selected for the Hume Honors Fellowship. Her research was supported by grants from the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Stanford Humanities Center, and recognized with the Award for Excellence in Honors Thesis Presentation and the Arturo Islas, Jr. Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement.

Beyond her academic work, Ximena serves as a board member of the Stanford First-Generation and/or Low-Income Alumni Network, supporting first-generation alumni, and as a Dream Project mentor, guiding first-generation high school seniors through the college application process. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cat Luna, watching anime, scrapbooking, and listening to music.

• BA Stanford University, 6/2023