Yancili Lozano-Torres
Yancili is a PhD candidate at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at FSU. She was born and raised in Tumaco – Colombia. Her broad research interests are related to the interrelation between marginalized communities, economic development, and local government actions. Thanks to pursuing these interests, she came to realize that gender is one of the most universal forms of inequality. Using a non-Western Feminist perspective, her theoretical background in planning and economics, and her experience as a practitioner, she seeks to explore interdisciplinary questions, such as solutions to spatial marginalization of women, defining elements of social justice and gender equality, and the development of local, sustainable, and inclusive growth. Yancili is an experienced instructor who has taught, developed curricula, and guided higher-education students since 2006. She has been an active community leader in her hometown and in the afro-Colombian movement. She is the cofounder of the Hispanic Graduate Student Association at FSU, as well of a successful scholarship program to help economically-disadvantaged students of Tumaco-Colombia pursue higher education.