Christian Baca

Christian, a sophomore majoring in Political Science, is originally from South Florida and is of Colombian and Mexican descent. His academic interests examine trends in democratic backsliding and democratic reform within Latin America. He is currently working on a research project surrounding the emergence of pseudo-democratic leaders in El Salvador and Ecuador.
Christian is concurrently pursuing a certificate in Education Studies, with a focus on investigating how Latin American educational systems contribute to the manifestation of democratic values among citizens. This past summer he studied abroad in Quito, Ecuador (2023) where he studied public infrastructure in indigenous communities. Outside of the classroom, Christian is a Yale College Council (YCC) Senator, a TA for the Statistics &
Data Science Department, a Co-Director for the College & Career Readiness Program at Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), and a Pedagogical Partner for the Poorvu Center for Teaching & Learning.

Areas of research and geographical interest:
Democratic Backsliding, Comparative International Education, Comparative Welfare Systems, Ecuador, El Salvador, México