Daniela Pila, Ph.D. is currently an Assistant Professor in Sociology at Southern Connecticut State University. Prior to working at Southern, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Critical Race Studies at Fordham University. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University at Albany, SUNY, in August 2021. 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.
Daniela Pila’s research centers on the intersectionalities of law and society, race and ethnicity, immigration, citizenship, and families. Her dissertation investigates how Filipino immigrants navigate (or fail to navigate) the U.S. immigration system. The history of U.S. colonialism and imperialism in the Philippines provide different pathways for Filipinos within the U.S. immigration system. She draws her analysis from more than 100 hours of participant observation and 54 in-depth interviews with Filipino immigrants in the Greater New York metropolitan area. 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.