Sociology student wins nationally competitive Beinecke Scholarship
May 21, 2026 - Anneliese Mackel, Kristin Janka, and Melanie Brender
Michigan State University student Roberto (Marcos) Garcia has earned the nationally competitive Beinecke Scholarship. The Sociology and English major becomes MSU’s sixth Beinecke Scholar since the program launched in 1975. This year, he is one of 16 awardees out of 93 nominees from institutions across the country.
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. The scholarship is valued at $35,000.
“Engagement with the pressing issues of the day has always been MSU’s approach to our research, education, and outreach missions,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. “Marcos Garcia personifies that ideal with his impressive undergraduate research record and his continuing work to address the critical and persistent issue of homelessness. We applaud his accomplishments and his dedication, which make this recognition with the prestigious Beinecke Scholarship very well-earned.”
“Marcos is a positive force of community impact,” said Honors College Dean Glenn Chambers, Ph.D. “He has leveraged opportunities in the Honors College like the Giving Back Awards and Diversity Research Showcase to grow as a changemaker. He will continue to make a difference as a Beinecke Scholar.”
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.
“I am deeply honored to have been chosen as a recipient of the Beinecke Scholarship,” Garcia said. “I see this as an opportunity to pursue a career studying and advocating for one of America’s most neglected and devalued social groups: the unhoused.”
“It also provides a moment to reflect on the people who have invested in me,” Garcia continued. “I want to thank Dr. John Waller for believing in me and providing guidance throughout the application process. I also want to thank Khadja Erickson, the Tenant Resource Center of Mid-Michigan, and Dr. Stephen Przybylinski for allowing me to work with them and help actualize my passions.”
Research and community work for the unhoused
“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. “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.”
Three of the six MSU Beinecke recipients have been Social Science Scholars, Waller said.
Carla A. Pfeffer, Chair of the Department of Sociology, noted: “Performing impactful engagement is one of the core missions of the Department of Sociology here at MSU. Our students and faculty exemplify the very best in engaged leadership and excellence. Congratulations to Marcos for winning this very impressive national award and for demonstrating so clearly the vital and necessary work that sociologists do to positively impact their communities each and every day.”
Garcia has conducted five research projects focusing on underrepresented and vulnerable populations. He is currently a research assistant for Assistant Professor Stephen Przybylinski 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, 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 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 has received multiple accolades for community engagement. He was named a 2025-2026 Newman Civic Fellow and one of four students nationwide to earn Campus Compact’s Student Leadership Award. Garcia recently earned second place at the Honors Giving Back Awards for his housing insecurity work with the Tenant Resource Center of Mid-Michigan.
He is originally from Lansing, Michigan, and attended Waverly High School. Garcia worked with the MSU Distinguished Student Awards Office to apply for the Beinecke Scholarship.
Please contact Melanie Brender at brenderm@msu.edu for media inquiries on this story.