Meet Our Graduate Students: Marika Lopez

I am a first-year MA student that loves to keep busy! I am an epilepsy advocate, and I also sit on the Youth Parliament of British Columbia Alumni Society (YPBCAS) board of directors. I was first drawn to criminology in grade 11 during my Law 11/12 class, where I became obsessed with learning about criminal law and criminal cases. This led me to applying to a criminology program.

Was there a moment, experience or class during your BA that really shaped your interests?

During my undergrad, I took a crime mapping class, and that was the first time everything clicked for me. I was able to apply the theories we learned to my lab coursework. It was at this time that I realized I belonged in the environmental criminology field. From there, my love for environmental criminology grew and led me to my other research interests through various classes.

What motivated you to pursue a master's degree, and why did you choose SFU Criminology?

I loved my KPU Criminology Honours experience and realized that I am a researcher, so the next logical step for my personal and professional growth was to pursue a MA degree.

I chose SFU for several reasons, including its reputation in the field of environmental criminology, which was my main research interest, and I wanted to deepen my learning. I also looked at my undergraduate professors’ educational background, and realized that most of the professors that had a huge impact on me went to SFU, have amazing careers, and are also great teachers. Finally, SFU Criminology is a great fit for me! In addition to my supervisors (Dr. Bryan Kinney and Dr. Martin Andresen), I also have the opportunity to be mentored by other professors, including Dr. Martin Bouchard, Dr. Shannon Linning and Dr. Richard Frank. These professors have been instrumental in helping me understand what methods are possible with my research, what I need to consider when conducting my research and how to consider variables like crime seasonality.

You have a wide range of research interests including community criminology, environmental criminology, qualitative research, digital methods and communities, social media and crime prevention, legislation and policy analysis. Why are these areas important to you?

Yes, I have a wide range of research interests, and most of them are related to my MA thesis topic, which is Facebook Neighbourhood Groups and crime prevention. I like to say my research falls into the digital community criminology field, while also drawing on environmental criminology theories for the history/background and part of the data analysis. The qualitative research methods, specifically interviews, allow me to add context to existing literature while also answering new research questions. I consider myself a methods person and enjoy experimenting with both traditional and emerging methods, as they often reveal different perspectives on the same research questions. While my research focus is on Facebook Neighbourhood Groups, I am interested in expanding to other social media applications such as NextDoor and WhatsApp Neighbourhood Groups to compare the different responses to crime, crime prevention, digital social environment, and social ties.  Legislation and policy analysis is the only research interest not relating to my thesis, but it’s what first drew me into research as a whole and turned on my analytical side of the brain. As a former youth parliamentarian, I enjoy analyzing the meaning of each word and the impact it has on society.

All of these areas are important to me because that’s what sets me apart from other researchers in the digital crime prevention field. We live in a digital age, and we need to advance the fields of community and environmental criminology in a digital way, because if we don’t adapt to current realities, then how are we going to come up with new ways to prevent crime?

What drives or motivates you most in your academic and research work?

There is limited research in the digital crime prevention field and even less Canadian research, so I use that as motivation to continue my research and publish my findings.

How do you hope your work will contribute to communities, policy, or real-world change?

I hope my work contributes to government and policy discussions so that we can come up with new creative ways to prevent crime and strengthen social ties in today’s digital age.

What are your aspirations after completing your master’s degree, both professionally and personally?

Professionally, I would like to work as a crime or policy analyst. Personally, I would like to make a tangible difference within the epilepsy community both online and in person. I have already started on this, but I would like to make a bigger impact. How, you might ask? That’s something I’m still figuring out, as I have a lot of ideas. I would also like to make a difference at the city council level, hopefully getting a seat at the table, informing crime prevention discussions and decisions.

Outside of academics, what kinds of things are important to you or bring you joy?

My family, friends and books are all important to me and bring me joy! My family and close friends will often remind me to relax and have fun! My books allow me to think critically in a fun way that allows my brain to relax and come up with new research ideas.

Is there something about you that people might not know but you’d like to share?

I love to travel! Some of my favourite places I’ve been to are: Lake Como, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; and Singapore!

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am working on my first manuscript to hopefully submit later this semester, and I have just started brainstorming a Facebook Neighbourhood Group-Cybercrime project with a colleague in Australia! I am excited for this project to come to life!