Cristian Alejandro Lambaren Sanchez
Academic Specialist – Community Engagement
C230F Snyder Hall
517-355-0212
lambaren@msu.edu
Education
B.A. in Ethnic Studies and Social Welfare (dual major), University of California, Berkeley
M.A. in Student Affairs Administration, College of Education, Michigan State University
Ph.D. Student in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, College of Education, Michigan State University
Biography
Cristian Alejandro Lambaren Sanchez works as an Academic Specialist – Community Engagement in the Residential College of Arts and Humanities (RCAH) at Michigan State University (MSU). He teaches community engagement courses and supports other RCAH community engagement initiatives. His work focuses on the connections between community engagement and Hip-Hop, wellness/self-care, youth development, and/or global perspectives.
Born in King City, California, but raised across Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico; Lakeland, Florida; and Oxnard, California before moving up to Berkeley for his undergraduate experience, Cristian moved to the mitten state in 2016 to start his master’s program in the College of Education at MSU. After graduating, he worked as an Online Evening Instructor for the Migrant Student Services’ (MSS) High School Equivalency Program (HEP) teaching General Educational Development (GED) classes in Spanish on the following subjects: Reasoning Through Language Arts and social studies. Then, before his current RCAH role, he worked in the College of Social Sciences’ Office for Experiential Learning at MSU teaching community engagement classes, coordinating study away programs, and co-facilitating education abroad programs.
Cristian’s early community engagement work as a graduate student, a collaboration between the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) and the Writing Center at MSU, became the foundation for the Writing Engagement Liaison Program. While in the College of Social Science, he earned the Michigan Campus Compact’s Community Engaged Teaching Faculty Excellence Award; and he co-founded the Chicago Study Away Program: Career Treks for First-Generation College Students. He also has leadership experience on spring break study abroad programs in Mexico and Belize.
As a longtime lover and advocate of Hip-Hop culture and community, Cristian has taught a Hip-Hop and community engagement class for over three years while partnering with All of the Above (AOTA) Hip Hop Academy. Cristian says that thanks to hip-hop music, he found the confidence to learn and speak English when he first moved to Florida as an 11-year-old boy who only knew Spanish. Back then, he was too shy to hold a conversation but would joyfully rap along to hip-hop songs in English.
Cristian shares a home and loves quality time with his inspiring partner, Maria (founder of Capital Area Latina Youth, CALY), her two incredible daughters, and their indomitable Mexican chihuahua from Sonora, Mexico. He enjoys traveling, hosting carne asadas, watching movies, playing board games, and attending the girls’ sporting events and performances. He also enjoys cooking, playing soccer, foot-golf, and working on puzzles.