Liv Reyes is a senior research analyst focused on community-engaged research (CEnR), a collaborative approach to research that asserts the value of lived experience and invites community members to both participate in and actively contribute to research that affects them.
Liv, can you start us off by briefly listing your research activities and responsibilities at Child Trends?
I work on a variety of project tasks that support research, technical assistance, dissemination, and project management. In research, I work predominantly with qualitative data and use CEnR approaches where possible.
Can you tell us about your primary research interests?
I am passionate about CEnR because our collective production of knowledge is richer when we involve communities, and because I’ve seen firsthand the sustained changes that happen in communities when members are meaningfully engaged in research processes. I’ve been fortunate to work on projects spanning several research topics, including criminal and juvenile justice, violence against women and girls, housing, community safety, community investments, and education (to name a few). Overall, I am interested in how communities and larger systems (i.e., schools, transportation, housing) impact young people’s well-being, sense of belonging, and agency.
What sparked your interest in community-engaged research?
While I didn’t know about CEnR until graduate school, my previous roles and career goals were community-centered. That is what brought me to a public policy graduate program, where I took a course focusing on participatory action research (PAR). Three colleagues and I embarked on a project for the course and didn’t look back! We pursued a nearly three-year PAR project exploring criminal expungement for individuals who had experienced sexual exploitation. That engagement was deeply meaningful, led to positive policy changes, and solidified my interest in pursuing work that would allow me to continue CEnR.
What books or journal articles have most influenced you?
I’m indebted to scholars and thinkers who offer structural frameworks for addressing complex social challenges, particularly Kimberlé Crenshaw. When I’m not in the mood to get too heady with theoretical frameworks (which is often), I find great value in reading fantasy. Community working together for a shared purpose and outcome is a common theme in fantasy stories, and I find both personal and professional inspiration in these tales.
What are your hobbies or interests outside of research?
I've been exploring playfulness in adulthood lately, which has informed many of my hobbies in recent years. I love cooking new things, reading sci-fi/fantasy, playing Dungeons and Dragons, thrifting clothes in bright colors, sewing, biking, and dancing! I also care deeply about urban design and how our environments can be designed for human connection—admittedly less playful on the surface, but I’m aware that well-designed environments can help us center playfulness in our daily lives!
To wrap up, can you tell us a fun or interesting fact about yourself or your family?
I grew up cooking with my grandmother, so I started eating garlic at a very young age. My grandma would fry plantains and top them with salt and chunks of raw garlic, create garlic-forward mojo, and score meats to insert garlic cloves as they cooked. When my sister and I would go home after being with Ma, my mom would wonder why we smelled so bad—to which we said, “It's the white stuff!” To this day, garlic is largely featured in all my cooking, I have garlic-themed clothing, and I receive a beautiful garlic braid from a family member every year.