Daniela Pila, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Sociology (Critical Race Studies) at Southern Connecticut State University and an Assistant Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut, Storrs (the Asian and Asian American Institute). She was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow in Critical Race Studies at Fordham University. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology at the University at Albany, SUNY, and her B.A. in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College.
Daniela Pila’s research centers on the intersectionalities of law and society, race and ethnicity, immigration, citizenship, and families. Daniela Pila is an award-winning scholar. She was an American Association for University Women Dissertation Fellow for 2020-2021. The American Sociological Association International Migration section awarded her article “Legal Status Fluidity: Theorizing Legal Status Transitions and How Filipinos Navigate Immigration Pathways” the 2020 Aristide Zolberg Distinguished Student Scholar award. She is also one of the 135 graduate students in the country who received an Honorable Mention for the 2020 Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship.
Her upcoming book manuscript, entitled “‘Through the Needle’: Filipinos Avoiding Illegality”, focuses on how immigrants transition between different legal statuses and navigate the U.S. immigration system. She draws her analysis from 54 in-depth semi-structured interviews and more than 100 hours of multi-sited participant observation with Filipino and Filipino American immigrants from the Greater New York metropolitan area from 2015 to 2018. She focuses on the experiences of 20 U.S.-nativeborn Filipino Americans and 61 foreign-born Filipinos: 3 naturalized U.S. citizens, 14 legal permanent residents, 21 non-immigrant visa holders, and 24 undocumented. To access immigrant pathways and be “legally fluid”, immigrants need to a) acquire immense amounts of social and financial capital necessary to change immigration statuses pre- and post-migration b) access varied immigrant pathways through family and employment and c) utilize their historical relationship with the receiving country. She argues that the legal status fluidity of immigrants also shapes their perceptions and experiences with the U.S. immigration system. Daniela’s research is informed by her extensive experience as an advocate and service provider—including internships with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants, and the American Bar Association. She is committed to combining her interests in research, advocacy, and community.
Daniela is a proud 1.5 generation immigrant from the Philippines and a Californian expat. When not working on dismantling institutional discrimination, Daniela enjoys photography, traveling, taking care of her many houseplants, and tabletop board games.