Lassila Smith, Astrid, PhD

Biography

Dr. Astrid Lassila Smith is an anthropologist of education who joined the Husson faculty full time in the fall of 2018. She is a life long resident of the Bangor area, who only left to pursue higher education (BA Anthropology University of Massachusetts Amherst, PhD Anthropology of Education Teachers College Columbia University) before returning to her hometown of Orono. Her dissertation research focused on the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in Maine as they pursue upward social mobility through higher education. This work touched upon her broad interests of immigration, race, gender and class, focusing on how they impact access and opportunity in the US education system.