Kimberly Landaverde Guillen

Kimberly (she/her) is a fourth-year student at the College of Arts & Sciences, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science. With aspirations in law and policymaking, she is enthusiastic about supporting the IOC’s ongoing research into the effects of gentrification on communities within the Greater Boston area.

A native of East Boston—a predominantly immigrant and Latino community—Kimberly has observed neighborhoods’ demographic, cultural, and physical transformations over time. This exposure has fostered her interest in studying gentrification and its repercussions on communities similar to her own. In 2020, she began engaging with City Life/Vida Urbana (CLVU), a housing justice organization, after receiving the Seevak Human Rights and Social Justice Fellowship during her junior year at Boston Latin School. Since then, Kimberly has actively collaborated with CLVU to empower residents in East Boston regarding their tenant rights, the legal eviction process, and the importance of building working-class power through individual empowerment. In 2021, she partnered with Associate Director Danielle Mulligan—then a student in the Tufts University Urban and Environmental Policy program—along with other East Boston youth to investigate the impact of neighborhood changes on Boston Public School students. They plan to continue their research at the IOC and explore how gentrification affects public education, particularly in East Boston.

Additionally, as the daughter of immigrants from El Salvador, Kimberly dedicates her free time to organizing with the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES). In February 2024, she served as an international observer during the historic elections in El Salvador and has participated in international delegations to engage with civic leaders in the country. Influenced by her mother’s career as a public school teacher, Kimberly deeply appreciates education and advocacy, focusing on teaching underserved communities about their rights and the necessity of equitable political participation.

Kimberly enjoys long walks along the East Boston waterfront in her leisure time, listening to Jeff Buckley’s music and attempting to prepare Salvadoran pupusas with her roommates.