Originally from Connecticut, Erin graduated from Villanova University in 2017 with majors in History and Spanish and a minor in Peace and Justice. In her senior thesis, “Innocent Criminals and Convict Leasing: How Southern Industrialists Exploited the Black Body,” Erin explored how in the decades following the Civil War African Americans were forced into the criminal justice system in order to serve as laborers for the South’s flourishing coal industry. Erin remains interested in exploring the links between racial caste systems and economic interests while at Columbia and LSE.
During her time as an undergrad Erin also studied abroad in Cádiz, Spain and served as a translator/interpreter at the Villanova Law School where she worked with undocumented immigrants. These language experiences not only improved her command of the Spanish language but also demonstrated to her the connectedness between language and historical and social understanding. Erin is looking forward to utilizing her Spanish communication skills at Columbia and LSE while studying modern Latin American history.
Erin is interested in themes of race, incarceration, and colonialism.
