Stephanie L Canizales

Stephanie L Canizales is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. She serves as Faculty Director of the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative, focusing on international migration, immigrant integration, and the experiences of Latin American-origin youth and families.

• PhD in Sociology from the University of Southern California (2018)

Her research explores the intersection of immigration policy, transnational family dynamics, and youth development among undocumented and unaccompanied minors. She emphasizes qualitative methods and has published extensively on topics such as undocumented youth labor, Indigenous language socialization, and legal trauma. Recent projects include co-authoring Everyday Futures: Language as Survival for Indigenous Youth in Diaspora (2025) and Sin Padres, Ni Papeles (2024), which analyze survival strategies among Guatemalan Maya and Central American youth in the U.S.

Stephanie leads the Migration Matters Lab, mentoring students in trauma-informed migration research, and engages in pro-bono policy work with asylum seekers. Her scholarship appears in outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and journals including Social Forces and Sociology of Education.