Ana Elena Smith

Class of 2024

Advisors: Ana Minian and Vivian Brates

Ana Elena Smith was born and raised in Redwood City, CA. She is majoring in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford.  Ana Elena’s coursework has centered around migratory and diasporic experiences, with special emphasis on how literature and films can help shed light on these experiences. Ana Elena has also worked with several immigrant rights organizations while pursuing her bachelor’s, in roles ranging from completing work permit applications to being a teaching assistant for an E.S.L. course. She spent several years volunteering for Al Otro Lado, helping asylum seekers enter the United States while the border was closed under Title 42. Her experience at A.O.L. exposed her to the current swell of Haitian migration, and she has since spent much of her coursework exploring Haiti’s language, culture, and history through the full Haitian Creole sequence.