Sarah E. Castillo is a Ph.D. student in the Critical Race and Ethnic studies concentration with secondary emphasis on statistics. Her research interests include the impact of race on refugee and asylee immigration policies, the study of whiteness, social theory, and social science applied statistics. 

Before beginning her doctoral studies, Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Houston. Her master’s thesis examined the impact of gender, social class, and political party affiliation on the self-race labeling choices for multiracial people. 

Sarah has presented her research at several academic conferences, including the Society for the Southwestern Social Science Association, the Southern Sociological Society, the Mid-South Sociological Association, and the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) annual meetings. She serves on the Budget Audit and Finance Committee, the Kimberle Crenshaw Article Award Committee, and the Michael Harrington Article Award Committee for SSSP. She has also served as a peer reviewer for Sociation and has one published article in a peer-reviewed journal, Social Sciences.

Sarah is deeply committed to teaching, mentoring, and research. She has served as a graduate teaching associate for undergraduate courses in sociology at UTK and sociology and math courses at Maryville College. Sarah currently works as a Research Consultant/Statistician in the Research Computing Support department in the Office of Innovative Technologies. 

Sarah is also active in her department and university community. She has served as a co-leader for the Sociology Graduate Student Association, a member of the Sociology Climate Committee, a member of the Dean of Libraries Student Advisory Committee, and as a graduate student board member for the Center for the Study of Social Problems. In the community Sarah volunteers as a legal observer and as a volunteer for Bridge Refugee Services. 

Upon completion of her Ph.D., Sarah hopes to secure a faculty position and or a research position that allows her to continue her research on refugee/asylee policy, whiteness, and social inequality while also mentoring the next generation of sociologists.

The most important and motivating factor in Sarah’s life is family. She has been married for over three decades to her high school sweetheart, is a proud mother of three sons, and is obsessed with her two grandchildren, Mia and Benny. She loves to play golf, is a novice woodworker, and enjoys spending time in her flower gardens. Overall, she wants to do whatever she can to help make the world a more equitable place for all.