Alejandro Garcia

Alejandro is a third-year graduate student in the Experimental Psychology PhD program at the University of Mississippi. He received his B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and his M.A. in Psychological Sciences from California State University, San Bernardino. His research broadly investigates the psychology of collective action and social movements, with a focus on how cultural narratives, social identity, and authenticity shape participation in protest, perceptions of legitimacy, and sustained allyship. His current projects examine respectability politics and public support for nonviolent protest, existential threat and authenticity following political events, and identity alignment as a driver of collective action, with emerging work on authenticity in transgender identity and censorship as barriers to engagement. Alejandro also serves as the lab manager of the LBC Lab, created the department’s Rebels in Research series, and is actively involved in graduate student leadership as the Social Chair and Area Representative for the Psychology Department Organization of Graduate Students. Outside of academia, he enjoys staying active and caring for his two huskies, Juneau and Bandit.