Research

As an undergraduate student at Northwestern University, I immersed myself in local Asian American community organizing efforts. These experiences offered me a sense of community and belonging navigating life away from home in California. They also inspired my undergraduate thesis on Asian American and Filipinx American community organizers’ efforts to enact the 2020 census amid the COVID-19 pandemic and rising anti-Asian vitriol across the nation. Since starting graduate school at UC Berkeley, I’ve broadened my scope to consider other forms of political engagement: my master’s thesis focused on the relationship between political action committees dedicated to increasing representation of minoritized groups in electoral politics and the local candidates that they support. 

Above all, my research ethos is centered on uplifting minoritized voices and perspectives, better understanding efforts to build political power through coalition-making, and ensuring that small populations are carefully counted and empowered as changemakers in American society. To that end, I’ve developed skills in qualitative research methods, including participant observation and in-depth interviews, as well as quantitative data analysis and database creation. I am also committed to bridging research across disciplines and policy audiences. I currently work as the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative research program director and serve as a CRB Nexus Public Scholar, where I interface with California legislative staff and other public researchers to exchange ideas and expertise. In every way possible, I aim to use these methodologies and resources to give back to the communities and organizations where I’ve found belonging.