Alicia Wright

Alicia M. Wright is a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology with a concentration in linguistic anthropology at University of California San Diego (UCSD). Their research examines the relationships between Black Deaf signers and hearing interpreters in the United States with a focus on questions of identity, ideology, neutrality, and language access. Alicia has been recognized as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, received dissertation research support from the Wenner-Gren Foundation’s Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, and is currently a Sara Clark Kaplan Dissertation Fellow with UCSD’s Black Studies Program. Previously, they graduated with honors and earned a double Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Linguistics from University of Chicago, where they were an African Studies Program Research Fellow and recipient of the university’s Odyssey Scholarship. 

Through their work and service responsibilities, Alicia has shown a deep dedication and commitment to advancing the needs of underrepresented students in higher education. While in undergrad, they served as president and board member of two LGBTQ student groups that maintained safe spaces for LGBTQ students particularly LGBTQ students of color. At UCSD, they have served as the Chair of their department’s Graduate Student Association for two years. While in this role they advocated for better working and learning conditions for anthropology graduate students. They continue to provide formal and informal mentorship to graduate and undergraduate students through their position as Graduate Writing Consultant. In their future research and educational career, Alicia plans to continue serving, advocating for, and supporting students through mentoring and service.