Carlos Campos Jr. was a Digital Research Specialist from October 2022 to August 2023—or, as they humorously phrased it, the "lab rat" for what is today’s University of Houston Digital Humanities Core Facility (DHCF).

“If I remember right,” Carlos said, “that position didn’t exist before, and neither did the structure. So, we were all kind of like, 'What is this? What are we trying to do here?'”

In 2023, Carlos earned their sociology undergraduate degree from the University of Houston. Their Senior Honors Thesis, From Destruction to Spectacle: Utilizing District Identity in Gentrifying Neighborhoods in Houston, explored how cultural identity shapes and is shaped by urban space during gentrification. In short, they identified two phases: the "destruction" of cultural districts in the 1990s and 2000s, such as Little Saigon and the original Chinatown, and the subsequent creation of "spectacles" in areas like Montrose and Second Ward.

“Montrose has been falling in terms of its availability for queer people yet has become more visibly queer in terms of shopping districts,” Carlos said. “The Second Ward was historically Latino and is no longer majority Latino. Yet, you go through Navigation Blvd and it's this very Latino-looking kind of place. It was kind of creating a spectacle of 'we're still here.' It's almost up playing this to make it more valuable. Whereas in the 90s, ‘difference’ was not valuable and was something to be shunned away, now ‘difference’ is valuable and is something to reinforce, while at the same time still displacing the people who are of those cultures.”

Now a second-year sociology PhD student at Boston University, they research urban inequalities and gentrification, connecting urban issues in the U.S. and Latin America. They work with the Initiative on Cities to promote sustainable and inclusive urban change by uniting experts and communities. On top of that, Carlos is active in the Graduate Student Worker Union, which they describe as "two full-time jobs in one."

For Spring 2025, students interested in Digital Humanities can enroll in Foundations in DH Project Development, a course open to both graduate and undergraduate students and led by Dr. Garcia Merchant, Director of the Digital Humanities Core (DHC). But here’s a little-known fact: Carlos played an important role in shaping today’s course. They took on a variety of tasks, from researching existing DH programs, to developing an online micro-credentialing program. Other duties included scanning the study materials, brainstorming solutions, or simply being on standby.

“Other times, I honestly just sat around waiting for orders,” Carlos admitted. “It was a little bit of everything. The biggest thing was trying to be there for Dr. Merchant and the other workers who were taking this on, seeing what holes needed patching."

“The way I like to describe it is, we had 20 battle plans and no way to carry any of them out,” they continued. “There was room for experimentation, but because there was a lot of needing to wrangle different things all at once, we didn’t really have the time or structure to fully explore those ideas in an institutionalized way. It was the three of us sharing one hot desk. That was the whole team. That was it. What I’d like to think is that we helped lay the foundation so future cohorts of research assistants could explore different avenues and track things out."

However, Carlos said their most rewarding experience was watching Dr. Merchant work, learning how she organized, set timelines, and brought ideas together—skills they now use in their own work.

“She creates these 'evil-looking' visual maps, takes photos of them, refines them, and makes them even more evil-looking. It’s terrifying,” they laughed. “I say that with absolute love… I wish I could show you. Right next to me, I have one of those ‘evil-looking’ visualizations. I think Dr. Merchant would be proud.”

Carlos, currently managing three projects, credits their experience with the DHCF for honing essential skills like organization, detailed note-taking, and effective presentation. Part of their process now involves finding connections and exploring variety.

"'Why are you working on these two projects that seem to have no connection?' But in my brain, they do," Carlos said. "I just assumed, 'OK, now I know how to juggle different projects. Cool, ha ha ha.' But no. The way my work follows the patterns of my brain, presenting it, writing things, making memos, and getting myself prepared both to talk to my advisor and to understand things for myself—changed fundamentally, I think, because of digital humanities and because of working with Dr. Merchant."

One of Carlos’s projects on Mexico City’s historical development began with mapping the city using ArcGIS, a tool they had first used at the University of Houston. While the maps might not appear in final publications, Carlos stressed their value in understanding spatial dimensions in urban studies and gentrification. "Ultimately, we’re a very visual field," they explained.

However, their interest in digital humanities first stemmed from its emphasis on making academic research accessible to the public. They believe in sharing work beyond academia, reaching communities like their hometown of North Pasadena. Reflecting on this approach, Carlos still sees potential for growth in using digital tools to engage broader audiences.

"For example, the space I'm at right now is the Initiative on Cities,” they said. “It's a multidisciplinary space—discussing and tackling urban issues, whether it's governance, matters related to climate change, or anything else connected to cities. It involves people from different programs and different colleges coming together to participate.”

“What I like, at the very least—speaking from an urban perspective—is that there’s already a multidisciplinary element already existing,” Carlos continued. “I think the next step, or a very valuable and interesting next step, would be the question of digitization and producing projects not only from an academic or theoretical standpoint but also in a way that makes them available. Not only that, but make it resonate and make it interesting or pressing, especially for people outside professional or institutional aspects in the United States. Being able to access and want to access it.”