Ericka Portillo

Ericka Y. Portillo is a third-year PhD student and Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University. Originally from New Jersey, she is a first-generation college student who graduated from WVU with a BA in Criminology and minors in Psychology and Communication Studies (2023), as well as an MA in Sociology (2025). Her primary interests include involuntary celibates (also known as incels) and the manosphere, emphasizing youth vulnerability online and finding ways to prevent them from being radicalized online.