Email: smg8@illinois.edu
Research Interests
Stephanie is a PhD Candidate in Communications & Media at the 糖心vlog传媒, where her work broadly encompasses mediated Latine/x teen girlhoods, quincea帽era ontologies, and streaming media and platform consolidation. Her current projects merge media studies, girlhood studies, Latine/x studies, and cultural studies with reconceptualizations of visibility, presence, resonance, nationhood, and belonging. She holds a B.A. in English & American Literature and Latin American Studies from New York University, and earned an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from California State University, Los Angeles, where she wrote a master鈥檚 thesis titled “‘I Got You’: The Modern American Family and Latinx Reconfigurations in Netflix’s One Day at a Time.”
Recent Publications/Presentations
- P茅rez, S.M. (Forthcoming, 2026). Dazzling intimacies and the mirage of inclusion in And Just Like That…. In I. Molina-Guzm谩n & A.N. Valdivia (Eds.), (Re)booting Inequality: Critical Takes on Film and Television Remakes. New York University Press. ISBN: 9781479821914.
- P茅rez, S.M. (Forthcoming). Quincea帽era ontologies: (Mediated) Latine/x girlhood and other stories. In J.M. B谩ez & D. Le贸n-Boys (Eds.), Quincea帽eras: Mediated Approaches to a Cultural Celebration. University of Illinois Press.
- P茅rez, S.M. & Valdivia, A.N. (2023). Latina Teenhood: Intersectionalizing subjectivities in the post-network era. In B. Calafell & S. Eguchi (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Ethnicity and Race in Communication. Routledge. .
- Valdivia, A.N., P茅rez, S.M., & Herrera, Z. (2023). A Dream Quincea帽era? Latina Girlhood in Mainstream Media. Smithsonian Voices. National Museum of the American Latino. .
- Valdivia, A.N., Cano, A.A., P茅rez, S.M., Valkanova, D. (2022). Quincea帽eras: Celebration, Joy, and Ethnic Pride [Exhibit]. Spurlock Museum, Urbana, IL, USA. .
- P茅rez, S.M. (2021). Queen of the Neighborhood: Monse Finnie mobilizes and defies the ingenue trope in Netflix鈥檚 On My Block. FLOW Journal: OVER*FLOW. 8 October 2021. .
Courses Taught
- GWS 100: Introduction to Gender & Women’s Studies, Fall 2025 (TA).
- MACS 101: Introduction to the Media, Spring 2025 (TA).
- LLS/MACS 250: Latines/xs on the Bronze Screen, Fall 2024 (Instructor of Record).
- LAS 399: Leadership & Professional Development, AY 2023-2024 (TA).
Awards and Honors
- AY 2023-2025: Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Students
- Spring 2024: Legac铆a Award, La Casa Cultural Latina
- Summer 2023: Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies grant, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($1,000).
- Summer 2023: Tinker Foundation Field Research Grant, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($2,500).
- Summer 2023: Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship, Italian Language & Area Studies, US Department of Education / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($7,500, with supplementary funding provided by Middlebury College, VT).
- AY 2022-2023: Office of Vice Chancellor for Diversity Equity and Inclusion, 鈥淏roadening Inclusion Grant鈥�, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($5,000).
- Fall 2022: Lynne Blanton Student Travel Award, College 糖心vlog传媒, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($850).
- Spring 2022 Michael Haley Travel Grant, $1,000. International Communications Association, 72nd Annual Conference, Paris, France.
- AY 2020-2023: Graduate College Fellowship, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($75,000/3 years).
- Summer 2020: Summer Predoctoral Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($2500).
What Most People Don鈥檛 Know about Me
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and am interested in keeping up with issues and histories of gentrification, restrictive covenants, race, ethnicity, culture, food, public policy, and social justice in my hometown.