Research Assistant
Incoming Ph.D. Student in History, Harvard University
Daniela Rocha Acosta is an incoming History Ph.D. student at Harvard University. As a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, she received her B.A. in Law, History, Culture from the University of Southern California in May 2026 and completed her senior honors thesis titled, “Los Callejones: Exploring Spatial Contestations, Legalization and Social Interactions.” This body of work spans from the late 19th century to the late 20th century surrounding the Los Angeles Fashion District and Los Callejones, translated from Spanish as the alleyways. Within her thesis, she analyzes Latinx brick-and-mortar businesses, loncheras (food trucks) and street vendors through periods of economic and political uncertainty and unrest. This also includes ways in which vendors have advocated for each other through community activism.
Daniela’s research interests include analyzing informal & formal economies, Latinx entrepreneurship, urban history, labor history, immigration and community activism through ethnography and archival research.