Vivien Ahrens, M.A.

Vivien Ahrens is a doctoral candidate in the School of Human Ecology’s Civil Society and Community Research program. Growing up in a US-English/German bilingual household in Bremen, Germany, she became interested in the dynamics surrounding cultural stereotyping and prejudice from an early age. After completing her studies in cultural anthropology (LMU Munich, Germany, & Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil), Vivien began working as an after-school youth program coordinator for Centro Hispano of Dane County. She now focuses her research on participatory and asset-based evaluation and research approaches, aiming to leverage their potential towards strengthening youth voice, critical consciousness building, and wellbeing.