Benjamin Sanchez Pla

Benjamin Sanchez Pla (he/him) is a Political Science major at Yale University pursuing certificates in Human Rights and Spanish. His academic interests include migration governance, humanitarian aid sustainability, and human rights systems. His senior thesis examines migration governance and NGO sustainability in Southern Europe, analyzing how Spain and Italy have adapted to declining U.S. humanitarian funding. Previously, Benjamin conducted independent research on the European migration crisis while studying abroad in Switzerland, including field interviews with international organizations and refugee camp staff.

At Yale, Benjamin has served as a Yale College Council Senator and Director of Cultural and Religious Policy, where he worked to reinstate the Human Rights Certificate and expand cultural programming. He has also mentored first-year Latinx students as a Peer Liaison for La Casa Cultural and conducted research at the Jackson School of Global Affairs on global media narratives. Professionally, he has interned with the United Nations Development Programme in New York, supporting country office project reviews and initiatives such as UPR+ and the Digital Rights Dashboard. He has also worked with the U.S. State Department and a bipartisan lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., focusing on expanding Pell Grant access to trade schools and vocational programs.

Raised in a Cuban-American household deeply connected to questions of migration and democracy, Benjamin hopes to bring a transatlantic perspective to issues of governance, integration, and human rights in Europe and beyond.

Department: Political Science