Laura Mendez Carvajal

Laura Mendez is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science with an emphasis in Transnational Politics and Conflict Management at Kent State University. Laura’s research examines the unintended and negative consequences of development assistance for local development in disenfranchised communities in Colombia. Her broad research interests are critical development studies, international political economy, intersectionality, structural violence, and post-colonial studies. She teaches courses at the undergraduate level in Political Economy, Latin American Politics, and Comparative Politics. Laura hopes her work can amplify the voices of the community members she works with in rural Colombia and inform development foreign policies to avoid reproducing inequality in the Global South. Laura practices yoga, meditation, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to strengthen her character and discipline for self-grow. Laura enjoys traveling and getting to experience new cultures.