Yvette Reyes was awarded the Freedman Award for Undergraduate in Anthropology in May 2025. Yvette is a fourth-year undergraduate student triple majoring in English, Anthropology, and American Studies, with a minor in Education.
The Freedman Award was also awarded to Emma Dalla Costa, Remy Kageyama, and Sayuri Pfeiffer for their research projects. The Freedman Award was funded by an endowment established by Randy ‘75 and Howard ‘74, MBA ‘75 Freedman. The Freedman Awards support undergraduate students in undertaking anthropological research.
Yvette describes her research below:
From early May to early August, I conducted archival and ethnographic research for my Independent study, Literacy and Learning, using the Freedman Award. My research project explores how college students make sense of their early and ongoing literacy experiences. Through a series of narrative-centered interviews, I explored how feedback, classroom environments, family histories, and cultural contexts shape students' confidence, sense of belonging, and relationship to reading and writing. My goal was to move beyond deficit explanations of literacy and to highlight the creativity, resilience, and insight students bring to their learning.
Though I enjoyed hearing each and every story, some of the most meaningful moments came at the end of each interview, when the recorder was off. Participants would comment on how valuable it felt to be heard as they reflected on their own educational journeys, often saying that they had never been asked these questions before. Their stories, whether joyful, difficult, or deeply personal, revealed how much empathy and careful attention are missing from typical feedback practices in schools. These conversations ultimately strengthened my argument that we need more inclusive, student-centered approaches to feedback and literacy instruction.
This project provided me with rich qualitative data for my work, further confirmed my passion in research, and deepened my commitment to pursue my PhD. This support allowed me to conduct powerful research, challenging current models of literacy and writing/reading development. Most importantly, it affirmed the power of listening, no matter the age, especially because literacy is a lived experience each student undergoes, shaping their identity, care, and community.
