My So-Called Research

After working for Obama and Clinton, the civics research trenches brings out the “inner geek” in Laura Barberena

by Lisa Crider

Graduate research assistants like doctoral student Laura Barberena are the unsung heroes of the research world. They collect, code, and crunch data – spending long hours in libraries and labs – drafting reports, running focus groups, creating exhibits.

In short, they’re the indispensable foot soldiers that make university research possible.

Barberena’s enlistment as a GRA at the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation at UT began with a chance conversation at an orientation party. Barbarena (BS RTF 1990) casually mentioned that working at Strauss would be “a dream come true.”

Two days later, then assistant-director Mary Dixson phoned her with a job offer. Not your proto-typical GRA, Barberena is a seasoned political professional who has consulted on numerous campaigns, including for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But she says she always nursed a secret desire to return to school for a doctorate in political communication.

“I wanted to establish more credibility among the consulting world,” she says. “It’s a very male dominated field, and I wanted folks to know that I was capable of playing with the big boys.”

And play she does. Barberena’s specialty is Latino outreach — she’s translated her background as a film producer and a master’s degree in international relations — into a successful career developing Spanish language radio and television ads for some of the most prominent politicians in the state and country, including former President Bill Clinton.

Her current life as a GRA lacks the glamour of the campaign trail. Like many GRAs, Barberena spends much of her days in the trenches hunched over a computer screen, analyzing data and coding it for projects such as the Gates Research Grant with Dr. Sharon Jarvis, and Dean Roderick Hart’s Campaign Mapping Project. Other days she’s busy moderating focus groups or assisting with the coordination of conferences for Strauss’ New Politics Forum, while keeping a grueling schedule that includes an early morning workout, a daily commute from San Antonio, campaign work for her clients and the ongoing work on her doctoral dissertation on Latino youth political socialization.

Yet, Barberena says she wouldn’t trade a second of it: “The experience has been wonderful. I’ve learned so much about research methodology, learned how to develop code books and how to follow research protocol.”

Barberena wants to teach at the university level, though she vows to continue researching. Her time at Strauss has ignited a real passion for research on politics, awakening her “inner geek” she says. “And having some insight into which political messages work and which delivery platforms are most effective — whether via mail, radio, TV or new media — will make me a better, more informed consultant.”