Brenda Machado-Montiel

Brenda Machado-Montiel is from El Salvador and grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. As a first-generation student, Brenda obtained her Bachelor's degree in Global Studies with a regional focus in Latin America and an emphasis on human rights, migration, and social movements with a minor in Spanish. She has volunteered and worked at Casa Alitas in Tucson assisting asylum seekers released from detention centers. She moved back to the Washington D.C area in 2023 to work as a Family Reunification Specialist for the International Rescue Committee, where she submitted Lautenberg applications, Priority 3, and Priority 2 Central American Minors (CAM) Affidavits of Relationships. Brenda is pursuing a dual master's degree in Latin American Studies and Bilingual Journalism, where she will continue to advocate and assist those forcibly displaced. At the moment, Brenda is a member of Migrant, Immigrant, and Refugee Rights Alliance (MIRR) Women’s Global Consultation where she is working with other women leaders and experts to discuss, research and share findings to advance immigrant rights in multiple regions of the world. During her free time, she likes to volunteer, and is currently volunteering for an organization called Empower Through Play which provides sneakers, cleats, and sports equipment to children in refugee camps and impoverished regions.  Her research interests include global migration, human rights, and sports.