Jenn Miller Scarnato

Jenn Miller Scarnato is a doctoral student in the Social Work track of the City, Culture, and Community program at Tulane University. She works as a graduate research assistant with Dr. Figley and a Teacher Assistant in the Trauma track. Jenn is also a fellow in the Mellon Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship, and a Research Assistant with Dr. Catherine Burnette through the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health program.

Jenn's research and practice interests center around video-based narrative approaches to trauma treatment, using participatory filmmaking to promote collective resilience in the face of trauma. She currently works with Central American migrant youth in New Orleans. She works with migrant youth in the U.S. and Guatemala to share their stories through participatory filmmakingCentral American migrants, and indigenous cultural resilience. Jenn holds a Master of Social Work with a specialization in Immigration and Migration and a Master of Arts in Women's Studies and Gender Studies.

Jenn earned a Master of Social Work and a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies & Gender Studies from Loyola University Chicago, and an interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree focused on Documentary Filmmaking from the University of Central Florida. Both within and outside of academia, Jenn’s work has focused on storytelling for social justice within immigrant and indigenous communities in the U.S. and Latin America. Before joining the CCC program, Jenn worked in the non-profit arena for 10 years developing culturally sensitive programs and policies with immigrants and communities of color. This included community organizing with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and fostering cultural resilience through documentary filmmaking with indigenous youth in Guatemala. Jenn is a native of Texas, and is fluent in Spanish.