PhD Student Anali Silva Puentes Receives Student Scholar Award

She will expand her research while leading summer programming with Pittsburgh migrant youth.

Anali Silva Puentes, a fourth-year doctoral student in the School of Education studying urban education, was recently awarded the Student Scholar Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice. Silva Puentes will use the $1,000 grant to advance her community advocacy for Latino migrant students.

“I’m truly thankful and honored to have received this award,” Silva Puentes said.

Originally from Venezuela, Silva Puentes moved to Pittsburgh in 2014 to pursue her college education. She quickly focused her studies on the experiences of Latino migrants in the U.S. education system.

“I’m an immigrant myself, so it’s an important topic for me,” she said.

The Law School award will support Silva Puentes’ work.

She presented her research on truancy and absenteeism policies in public schools in Pennsylvania at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference in Denver in April 2025. Her research examines how these policies disproportionately impact migrant families

“I’ve met migrant families who were fined thousands of dollars by the district, and I want to better understand how attendance policies are affecting families,” Silva Puentes said. “What these policies do not understand is the other issues that these families are going through, like migration, housing insecurity, and language barriers. Schools are not taking that into consideration.”

Beyond her research, Silva Puentes is directly supporting migrant youth in Pittsburgh through workshops developed in partnership with Casa San José, an organization based in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Beechview serving the Latino community. After conducting two pilot workshops in March and April on identity and migration journeys, she is expanding the program for Casa San José’s summer programming.

“The purpose of these workshops is to talk about the identity migration journey and create a sense of belonging for children in the community,” she said.

Silva Puentes has also built support within the university community, hosting a workshop at Pitt Education in May 2025 that drew 13 participants, including faculty and students from multiple institutions. Five participants signed up to volunteer and help develop curriculum for the youth workshops.

Through education degrees from Community College of Allegheny County and Slippery Rock University, Silva Puentes brings practical knowledge to her work. Her advisor Lisa Ortiz, assistant professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leading, praised Silva Puentes’ dedication to the community.

“Anali has always demonstrated a strong commitment to Pittsburgh’s Latine community,” Ortiz said. “Her scholarly interest in the structural conditions shaping truancy and absenteeism while acknowledging the experiences and interests of those who migrate is significant and a welcome topic within and beyond the area of education.”

The Student Scholar Fund, created in 2023 by the Center for Civil Rights and Racial Justice, provides up to five $1,000 awards annually to students advancing civil rights and racial justice work.

In 2024, PhD in Urban Education student Chelsea Jimenez received the student scholar award for her dissertation focused on the language and literacy practices of the Gullah Geechee people in South Carolina.

Silva Puentes’ selection highlights the intersection of education policy and civil rights.

“My commitment is to the Latinx community here in Pittsburgh, and anywhere,” Silva Puentes said. “I’m very passionate to support in any way I can.”