Tharuna Kalaivanan

Tharuna Kalaivanan is a PhD student in the Public and Applied Sociology Program at George Mason University. She graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2020. She is also an Honors College Alum. Currently she is an Instructor and Graduate Professional Assistant in the Honors College. She is also a Lead Research Mentor in the Social Science Research Lab (SSRL) led by Dr. Blake Silver. The SSRL is a multi-disciplinary lab that uses team-based social science research to understand student experiences in higher education. Her research interests include immigrants and how their experiences are shaped by race, ethnicity, and other dimensions of identity in higher education and the workplace. Currently she serves as the Secretary in the Public Sociology Association where she plays an active role in encouraging students to explore, learn, and do public sociology through pursuits devoted to activism around social problems on-campus and beyond.

Research

Kalaivanan's research interests include first-generation college students and students with immigrant backgrounds, focusing on their experiences in higher education and the workplace.

Education

BS, Psychology, George Mason University (2020)

Publications

Kalaivanan, Tharuna, Blake. R. Silver, Lily Krietzberg, and Bianca Kwan. Forthcoming. “The Senior-Year Transition: Gendered Experiences of Second-Generation Immigrant College Students” Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education Silver, Blake, Lily Krietzberg, and Tharuna Kalaivanan. Forthcoming. “Transitioning Out: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Students’ Concerns in the Senior Year” Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition Silver, Blake R., Freddy Lopez, Fanni Farago, and Tharuna Kalaivanan. 2021. “Focused, Exploratory, or Vigilant: Reproduction, Mobility, and the Self-Narratives of Second-Generation Immigrant Youth.” Qualitative Sociology. doi: 10.1007/s11133-021-09489-w. Silver, Blake R., Freddy Lopez, Tharuna Kalaivanan, and Lily Krietzberg. 2021. “Second-Generation Immigrant Students and the Senior-Year Transition.” Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice 58(4):388–400. doi: 10.1080/19496591.2020.1789467. Silver, Blake R., Tharuna Kalaivanan, Lily Krietzberg, and Jordan Hawkins. 2020. “Distance, Alignment, and Boundaries: How Second-Generation Immigrant College Seniors Negotiate Parental Involvement.” Journal of College Student Development 61(5):558–73. doi: http://dx.doi.org.mutex.gmu.edu/10.1353/csd.2020.0055.

Grants and Fellowships

OSCAR Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. “How Racialization Affects First-generation Asian-American’s Perception of Organizational Commitment and Identification” PI: Tharuna Kalaivanan. (8/2019-12/2019). OSCAR Undergraduate Student Travel Fund. “How Racialization Affects First-generation Asian-American’s Perception of Organizational Commitment and Identification” PI: Tharuna Kalaivanan. (2020). OSCAR Undergraduate Student Travel Fund. “Distance, Alignment, and Boundaries: How Second-Generation Immigrant Seniors Negotiate Parental Involvement”. PI: Tharuna Kalaivanan. (2019). OSCAR Undergraduate Student Travel Fund. “Supporting First-Generation American College Students in the Senior-Year Transition”. PI: Tharuna Kalaivanan. (2019).

Classes

HNRS 110: Principles of Research and Inquiry
HNRS 131: First-gen College Students