Sociology major nominated for nationally competitive Beinecke Scholarship

April 15, 2026 - Anneliese Mackel, Kristin Janka, and Melanie Brender

Michigan State University has nominated Roberto (Marcos) Garcia for the nationally competitive Beinecke Scholarship. The results of the scholarship competition will be announced in the coming months.

The Beinecke Scholarship Program provides graduate school funding for third-year students intending to pursue a research-focused graduate program in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.

Garcia is a third-year Honors College student majoring in sociology through the College of Social Science, and  English through the College of Arts and Letters. He is part of the Social Science Scholars Program, a research-focused cohort, and is also a member of the Associated Students of MSU.

“Marcos is dedicated to understanding why nearly 800,000 people across America are unhoused on a typical night,” said his mentor Associate Professor John Waller, Ph.D. “As a researcher, intern, and volunteer, he has gained the ideal preparation for an academic career that makes intellectual contributions and helps to inform policy.”

Waller said Garcia is “undertaking original research on the factors that put people at risk of losing their homes. A superb student with a genuine commitment to housing justice, Marcos will be the best kind of academic social scientist.”

Garcia has conducted five research projects focusing on underrepresented and vulnerable populations. He is currently a research assistant for Assistant Professor Stephen Przybylinski. Ph.D., on an independent project that examines risk factors for homelessness in mid-Michigan.

Garcia has served as a research assistant to Assistant Professor Donovan McCarty, Ph.D., J.D., director of the MSU College of Law Housing Justice Clinic, on a project analyzing housing laws. As part of this research project, Garcia is co-designing an artificial intelligence chatbot that will provide accurate legal advice to tenants at risk of eviction.

Previously, Garcia served as a research assistant for Associate Professor Heather McCauley, Sc.D., on a project focused on Michigan’s homelessness crisis and potential solutions. He also conducted independent research on the complexities around the Latino vote, supervised by Academic Specialist Michael Ristich, Ph.D. The results of these research projects were presented at two campus forums and conferences.

Garcia recently received second place at the Honors Giving Back Awards for his housing insecurity work with the Tenant Resource Center of Mid-Michigan.

Please contact Melanie Brender at brenderm@msu.edu for media inquiries on this story.