Marinel Martinez-Benyarko

Education - Student Affairs
University of Maryland, College Park

Marinel identifies as a proud AfroDominicana and first-generation college student from Brooklyn, New York. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Her research centers on AfroLatinx/a/o identity development, student activism, and critical consciousness. Her dissertation uses plática as a methodological approach which provides space for AfroLatinx/a/o student activists to reflect on their socialization, lived experiences, racial/ ethnic identity, and activism through collaboration and community building. Marinel currently serves as the Coordinator for Curriculum, Training, & Development at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union—Center for Campus Life at UMD. She has been a student affairs educator for the past nine years working in various capacities such as residential life, multicultural education, and student development. Marinel loves to dance salsa, explore the Maryland area with her family, and listen to audio books.