Born in El Salvador and raised in the Bay Area Dr. Celia Lacayo is proud to be bilingual and bicultural. She is the product of public schools and considers herself a public servant that fights for immigrants’ rights and values racial and social justice. In the past, she worked at the non-profit organization CHIRLA that advocates for immigration rights and as a community and political organizer within the Labor movement at SEIU.

Dr. Lacayo earned her PhD in ethnic studies at University of California, Berkeley. She previously served as associate director of community engagement for the UCLA Division of Social Sciences. She is a former adjunct faculty in the UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies and the Department of African American Studies. Her commitment to social justice extends to her teaching, where she mentors students and encourages critical thinking and activism. Her leadership has been pivotal in developing programs that support underrepresented students and scholars and creating pathways for future generations of leaders.

Dr. Lacayo’s research and teaching expertise includes topics in race, ethnicity, and immigration studies. Her article “Perpetual Inferiority: Whites’ Racial Ideology toward Latinos,” published in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (vol. 3, no. 4, October 2017) interrogates how external racial ascription affects the racial group formation process for Latinos. The article won the Distinguished Contribution to Research Article award by the American Sociological Association Latino/s Section. Her article “Latinos Need to Stay in Their Place: Differential Segregation in a Multi-Ethnic Suburb” contributed to the literature on Latino segregation in the US and was featured in The Guardian, OC Weekly, and CityLab Latino. Dr. Lacayo also established a three-course series reflecting Black and Brown Solidarity that are cross-listed with several departments and has contributed to many Spanish and English language media outlets, including PBS, where her research was featured in the documentary 187: The Rise of the Latino Vote (2020). 

In her administrative capacity as the Assistant Director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC), Dr. Lacayo oversees staff operations and academic and public programming. Through her role at the CSRC, she also contributes to the campus-wide Latinx Infrastructure Initiative as UCLA pursues federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Dr. Lacayo is also working towards institutionalizing support for youth participatory action research at the University of California, and helping coordinate a network of junior scholars from low-income BIPOC communities who are collaborating with grassroots youth organizing groups across California. 

Dr. Lacayo also leads the Latina Anthology for the state-funded Latina Futures 2050 Lab. The anthology that will feature publications on grassroots and grasstops cutting edge research with policy implications that empower Latinas and improve the larger society. Additionally, she coordinates with the various community groups and scholars to elevate the work of Latina Futures, manages various other projects and serves as a thought partner on the executive team of Latina Futures.

Beyond her academic and administrative roles, Dr. Lacayo is deeply engaged with the community. She collaborates with grassroots organizations and policy makers to address pressing social issues and advocate for equitable solutions. 

Dr. Lacayo’s contributions to the field of Ethnic Studies and her unwavering dedication to justice for historically marginalized communities make her a vital asset to UCLA and the broader academic community. Her work continues to inspire and effect meaningful change, bridging the gap between scholarly research and real-world impact.