Through her courses, she has brought a range of projects to life. In Introduction to Africana Studies, she developed a video-essay, titled “Natural Hair,” that traced the history of chemical hair treatments and relaxers for Black women and the reclamation of natural hair care — a film that was screened at the Brown Media Group Film Festival in New York and Beverly Hills. 

Through the course Life and Politics on the U.S.-Mexico Border, she created a presentation on her experiences in immigration journalism and ethical storytelling, which she delivered to multiple classes at Brown. 

“The professors at Brown are really knowledgeable, and each semester is filled with new ideas and new perspectives,” Censale said. “The professors are flexible and encourage innovation, so final projects can take many forms — like a film or a larger presentation I deliver in multiple locations — so that the knowledge and dialogue extend beyond the classroom.”

To prepare for a career as a documentarian in global affairs, Censale has taken Spanish courses and enrolled in an intensive Spanish language program in Granada, Spain, in Spring 2025.

“In Granada, I studied at a language school five hours a day while living with a Spanish host family,” she said. “Outside of class, I went on many meet-ups — because my Spanish professor told us to ‘date to be fluent’ — and it pushed me to learn quickly and generated many sweet friendships, through which I gained a deeper understanding of Spain, especially Andalusian culture with its rich Moroccan influence and history.”

Back on Brown’s campus, Censale is taking a Hispanic history course and participating in the hands-on Language Table program at Brown’s Center for Language Studies. She even enrolled in a local dance studio in Pawtucket to continue an interest in bachata and salsa dance that she discovered in Spain. 

Drawing on her academic and life experiences, Censale said she offers encouragement to her peers to work as hard as possible to create their own opportunities and carve career paths.

“It’s about showing people what you can do and having your work be so good that it’s hard for people to forget about you,” Censale said. “I’m always telling students to be open to volunteering and doing something that you love, for a cause that you really care about — and eventually, it will lead to something.”

Thriving in class, striving for balance

Censale’s commitment to supporting causes she cares about drew her to Lorenzo’s House, which supports families affected by younger-onset dementia. She has spoken around the country on behalf of the organization and helped lead its Youth Summit, which convened over 250 people whose parents have younger-onset dementia. 

Her academic work at Brown aligns with her commitment to caregiving advocacy, she said. For an ethnographic research methods course, she led a seven-week virtual research session with young caregivers to understand when they choose to live their lives versus put them on hold for their parent with dementia.

“Through Lorenzo’s House, I have found people my age who understand the feeling when the role of child and parent switch,” she said. “Together, we are in the process of building a movement that supports young caregivers so we can transform our health care system to do just that — care.”

Balancing caregiving responsibilities while studying full-time is often overwhelming, Censale said. 

“My mother’s paranoia caused by Alzheimer’s leads ​​to frequent disputes with neighbors, forcing me to deescalate tensions at unpredictable times,” Censale said. “It has made for a challenging transition to adulthood, forcing a constant effort to balance the two worlds — one as a student, the other as a caregiver.”

At Brown, Censale has found a supportive community for transfer and nontraditional undergraduates.

“I’ve met people from hugely diverse backgrounds because of the Resumed Undergraduate Education program — whether they went to work, joined the military or had to care for themselves or family due to chronic illnesses — and it’s nice to have people who share common ground,” Censale said. “I think older, nontraditional students bring so much to the Brown community, and I’m so grateful for all the time I took to really understand what I wanted to do and why I wanted to go to college in the first place.”

As rigorous as her Brown coursework is, it can also be a refuge from her daily life. From her residence hall on campus, she is still scheduling grocery deliveries for her mother, arranging rides, reminding her to take medication and checking in “to make sure things are running smoothly while I’m away,” she said.

Censale also remains involved in immigration advocacy, serving remotely as a communications coordinator for the Haitian Bridge Alliance in San Diego. Throughout the summer she travels to the U.S.-Mexico border, and during the school year she makes intermittent trips to Washington, D.C., to cover events for the organization.

“Something that this community of activists and civil rights leaders are teaching me is that making change is a marathon, not a sprint,” Censale said. “At the same time, Brown has been incredible with providing me with the resources I need to thrive and to think more deeply in all the work I do. I feel safe here, I feel supported here, and I’m learning so much along the way.”