Biography
Ricky grew up on Chicago's Northside where he grew up amidst gentrification and the criminalization of his family members. Originally hoping to be a classical trumpet player and attend the Manhattan School of Music, he withdrew and instead focused on interrogating the vast differences in wealth and training that he witnessed as a low-income student in elite spaces.
As an undergraduate at the University of Illinois he enjoyed his time working at La Casa Cultural Latina UIUC, where he was surrounded by critical scholars and activists who aided in his personal and professional development.
Research Interests
Mobilities, U.S. Empire, Science and Technology Studies
Research Description
Ricky hopes to bring Mobilities research and STS into conversation with issues of U.S. colonialism and empire. Thinking about the U.S. transnationally, looks at how the imperatives of dispossession and exploitation shaped and were shaped by encounters between racialized people and colonial technologies across various temporal and geographical contexts. He does this with an eye towards contributing to contemporary debates on urban transport, technology, and racial justice in light of these ongoing histories.
Education
B.A Economics | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign