Hi, my name is Anisa (she/her). Thanks for stopping by. Here's a little about me, the places and people I come from, and the things I spend time thinking about.

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My mother and father gifted me the name Anisa, after Surah An-Nisa (النساء), the fourth chapter of the Quran, and its 176 verses that demand a relentless struggle for justice and a radical care for others as fundamental responsibilities of all people. My parents immigrated to the United States over three decades ago and established roots in Madison, Wisconsin (Teejop, home of the Ho-Chunk people), where I was born and raised. We belong to the Minangkabau tribe of Padang, West Sumatra, the largest matrilineal society in the world. The women in my family have always led the way, in every way, and it shows.

I earned my bachelor's degree in Education Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This is where I began my work with youth-centered organizations and first engaged in community-based research, supporting and learning from our incarcerated kin and their children.

Before beginning my doctoral studies, I was a youth worker, a high school social studies teacher, and a college advisor. My students are at the heart of my inquiry. I am inspired by the brilliant and creative ways that our young people insist upon life, no matter the circumstances.

Currently, I am a PhD candidate in Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE) at Stanford University. Broadly, I think about race, space, and schools, and the ways youth navigate and make sense of them together. My scholarship is supported by the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and the Vice Provost for Graduate Education. To learn more about my research, click here.

You can also find me updating my Bay Area matcha, coffee, and boba recommendations spreadsheet, outside wherever the sun graces us with her presence, bouldering, and watching women’s basketball.