Catalina ValdezGraduate Studentshe/her/hers

I am a graduate student pursuing a joint PhD in sociology and Civil Society & Community Research. My primary research interests center on contemporary racial ideologies in the U.S. In addition, I care about well-being and sense of belonging among immigrants and immigrant families, which I study by examining the link between heritage language use patterns and parent-child relationship quality in U.S. immigrant families. I also assist in research on racial inequality in K-12 education as well as perceptions of school safety amidst the proliferation of school security technology in U.S. schools. Alongside quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies, I aim to incorporate community-based participatory research principles in all aspects of my work and its potential impact.

Awards and Recognition

• Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship – Tagalog, May 2023–August 2023
• Daniels Scholar, August 2018–August 2022

Selected Publications

Valdez, C., Fisher, B. W., & Beneke, A. J. (2025). Decriminalizing or Reassembling Schools? Implications of Removing Police from Schools for Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Criminal Justice System Contact. Social Problems, (00), 1-20.

Wang, A. N-Y., Niwako, Y., Green, J., Nohagi, Y., Umphress, R., & Valdez, C. Economic Abuse, Compared to Emotional Abuse and Physical Abuse, is Minimized More, Victims are Blamed More, and Victims are Provided With Less Legal Advice. Psychology, 16(11), 1372-1396.

Valdez, C. (2023). Helpful or Harmful? The Effect of Heritage Language Use on Perceived Maternal Closeness in United States Immigrant Families. Theses and Dissertations, 10115.

López, J. L., Munoa, G., Valdez, C., & Terron Ayala, N. (2021). Shades of Belonging: The Intersection of Race and Religion in Utah Immigrants’ Social Integration. Social Sciences, 10(7), 246-254.