Education: M.A., Sociology, 2020, University of North Texas

Master's Thesis Title: "Framing a Sacred Fight: Framing Analysis and Collective Identity of the #noDAPL Movement"

Research Interests: Emilia Gaston is an A.B.D. doctoral student interested in race/ethnicity and equity, higher education, and topics concerning Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her master's thesis focused on how social movement framing was used by the Sacred Stone Camp, a collective of Standing Rock Sioux, Cheyenne River Sioux, and other tribes to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline's construction through treaty-designated tribal land. Her forthcoming dissertation uses collective identity theory, critical race theory, and racial capitalism theory to examine how Native and Indigenous students navigate college through the lens of their Indigenous identities.