Sarah is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research examines how immigration and education policies are experienced by immigrant children and families in geographically specific ways, shaping their opportunities for inclusion in the United States. Her book project explores how Latina immigrant mothers navigate racialized federal immigration policies, local sanctuary ordinances, and gendered family roles while contending with gentrifying neighborhoods. At Penn, Sarah will be co-authoring a book with Roberto Gonzales about how place informs the opportunities and limitations of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) for immigrant youth. Sarah’s research has been published in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Social Sciences, Journal of Marriage and Family, Teachers College Record, the Harvard Educational Review, and the Journal of Social Issues. In addition to her work at Penn, she is a partner in collaborative research project with youth, school administrators, and community leaders from a predominantly immigrant city that aims to understand youth’s perspectives on individual and community well-being. Sarah received her PhD from Harvard University. Prior to graduate school, she taught in public schools in Washington, DC and Dearborn Heights, Michigan.
Recent publications:
Bruhn, S. (2023). “Intersectional Recognition: Motherhood and Immigranthood as Resources for Belonging in a Sanctuary City’s Schools.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 49 (1), 232-251.
Bruhn, S. and Gonzales, R.G. (2023). “Geographies of Belonging: Migrant Youth and Relational, Community, and National Opportunities for Inclusion.” Social Sciences.12 (3), 167-185.