Matthew Bereza

Matthew Bereza serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor and Academic Division Chair of Behavioral Sciences at St. John Fisher University. With over two decades of ethnographic research experience across Spain, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras, he actively engages with Spanish-speaking communities and social justice initiatives to strengthen cross-cultural relationships.

His research centers on pan-Americanism, examining historical and cultural connections between Latin America and the United States since 1492. He investigates how exposure to diverse cultures reduces stereotyping, racism, sexism, and classism while addressing housing security disparities across the hemisphere. His work emphasizes shared responsibilities among Americans for improving quality of life through unity and cooperation.

Bereza secured a Fisher University travel research grant to conduct fieldwork in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala for his 2024 textbook Common Ground: Understanding the Gap That Unites Latin America and the U.S.. He integrates research into teaching through a design lab and plans a 2025 Habitat for Humanity student trip to El Salvador comparing housing insecurity in Central America and disadvantaged U.S. cities.

As Behavioral Sciences Division Chair, he leads academic strategy and teaches the Cardinal Experience course (4990), providing immersive cross-cultural education that fosters students' understanding of their hemispheric responsibilities through direct community engagement.