Shirley Leyro
Born in the Bronx, Shirley Leyro was raised in the Castle Hill Projects. She earned her PhD and is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Borough of Manhattan Community College – CUNY. A critical criminologist, Dr. Leyro’s research focuses on deportation effects – including the impact of fear resulting from the vulnerability to deportation. Her research interests include immigration, deportation, social disorganization, and the impact of all the above on mental health. Professor Leyro is currently working on a research project exploring the impact of deportability on belonging and membership of CUNY noncitizen students. She has a blog: The Académica: A Blog About This Latinx’s Struggles as I Navigate the Halls of the Ivory Tower, and is also a member of the Leadership Team for the Latina Researchers Network. Dr. Leyro is a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor, and is also part of the social media campaign: #thisiswhataprofessorlookslike. She is co-editor of “Outside Justice: Immigration and the Criminalizing Impact of Changing Policy and Practice.”
Collected Work
“Exploring Feelings of Belonging and Membership of CUNY Noncitizen Students”
This study explores feelings of belonging and membership of noncitizen students and the impact on their mental well-being. Data were drawn from 137 participants across multiple undergraduate campuses across the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Initial findings of the CUNY Belonging Study indicate that, consistent with existing research, noncitizen students’ immigration status impacts their ability to form a sense of belonging, and belonging and membership is related to the level of institutional support they receive.