Meet the Team
Jayda Clarke – Trinity College.
Jayda Is a Sophomore at Trinity College Double majoring in English and Political Science. She is a Bloomfield CT native who has a passion for helping others. On Trinity’s campus, Jayda is the president of the Trinity College Gospel Choir, the marketing and communications chair of The Caribbean Students Association, member of the Elemental Movement Dance Crew, and a member of the Trinity College Pipes, a co-ed acapella singing group. Outside of Trinity, Jayda loves all things pertaining to music, literature, and social justice.
Ava Caudle – Trinity College.
Ava is a Florida native and Junior at Trinity College with a double major in Public Policy and Human Rights Studies and a minor in Community Action. She loves to read, journal, explore new walking/hiking trails, and try out coffee shops around Hartford. On campus, her commitments include Student Government as VP of Finance, the Trinity Tripod newspaper as an Opinion Editor, and the Community Service Office as a leader for both Habitat for Humanity and Amnesty International. As an advocate and aspiring public interest attorney, Ava resonates greatly with this project’s ability to showcase the importance of effective and inclusive media in broadening the public’s access to policy knowledge.
Nathaniel Gardner – CT State: Capital Community College (CCC) ’24.
Nathaniel is a Sophomore at Capital Community College currently majoring in Liberal Arts. As a cohort member of the Bridge to Morehouse program Nathaniel will be continuing his education in Atlanta, Georgia with intentions to major in Marketing and minor in Television & Emerging Media. Being a Connecticut Native and spending most of his early childhood in Hartford the Media Diversity project spoke to him personally and sparked his passion to join the Liberal Arts Action Lab and actively giving back to the community. In the future expect Nate to be at Morehouse early Fall 2024 after completing his path at CT State CCC.
Michelle Romero – Trinity College ’24.
Michelle will be graduating in the spring of 2024, double majoring in Sociology and Human Rights Studies at Trinity College. She resonates most with her identity as a Mexican-American first-generation student from Houston, Texas. Her identity drove her motivations to join the Liberal Action Lab’s Media Diversity and their goals in curating resources for Hispanic & Latinx communities through media. In her free time, she enjoys reading poetry, from poets such as Yung Pueblo, and Amanda Lovelace. Michelle is excited to take the skills learned through the Action Lab with her into the career field of her choice.
Isaiah Reyna – Trinity College.
Isaiah Reyna is a Senior graduating from Trinity College with a major in Political Science and a minor in Hispanic Studies. On campus, he’s involved in a Cultural Organization, La Voz Latina (LVL), and a manager at a student-ran coffeeshop: The Underground Coffeehouse. His passion for social justice is what brought him to join the Liberal Arts Action Lab.
Jessica Jones – CT State: Capital Community College (CCC) ’23.
Jessica is an 2023 graduate of the Communication’s program at CT State CCC. She loves all things film, photography, and media related. She plans to continue her Communications studies further and apply the newfound skills she has gained from the Liberal Arts Action Lab (LAAL) for her future endeavors. Jessica is excited for what the future has in store for her.
Faculty Fellows
Dr. Aidali Aponte-Aviles – Senior Lecturer and Language Coordinator, Language and Culture Studies.
Dr. Alex Helberg – Visiting Assistant Professor, Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric.
Dr. Camilo Ruiz – Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Connecticut.
To learn about the Liberal Arts Action Lab visit: https://action-lab.org for more information.