Department of Education

Jose Arriaza is a Guatemalan-American grassroots organizer born and raised in Miami, Florida. He is a graduate of Colgate University and a master's student at Brown University, where his research focuses on memory, educational equity, and the radical imagination. He was raised by working-class immigrant parents originally from Guatemala, whose hardships are the main focus of his personal essays. His experiences living in Miami led him to grow passionate about social justice work and grassroots organizing, especially advocating for equitable education and economic justice. He is interested in learning more about the sociological dimensions of school closures, working with labor unions on grassroots campaigns against co-location, and using visual design to communicate what future, resilient school systems could potentially look like.