Sara I Rodriguez Rivera

Graduate Student in Architectural History

I am currently a graduate student in the Architectural History Program at the Architecture School of the University of Virginia. My studies are focused on historical preservation and late nineteenth century and early twentieth century Caribbean architecture, particularly in Puerto Rico. My scholarship aims to construct a more truthful and broader historiography on plantation sites, giving the space to incorporate the contribution of neglected voices, like the ones of the workers. In the same way, I am very much interested on topics related to the construction of identity through space and the effects of tourism development within historical sites. Previously, I worked in Puerto Rico as a librarian assistant at the History of Art Seminar at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, as well as a history teacher in a private school called Centro Educativo: Juego, Exploro y Aprendo. These experiences have shaped my work to be strongly interconnected with community engagement and finding new ways to make history more available and dynamic through the incorporation of digital humanities. In a near future, I look forward to continuing my education path by pursuing a doctorate degree on History of Art, concentrating on architecture and historic preservation.

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